DxD: Яe-birth
by Houki Minami
Summary: "It all started with a girl with long red hair calling me the new host of a thing called Boosted Gear and the heir of the legacy left by Issei Hyoudou. And, since then, things went downhill... Pretty fast". Future/All-OC story(Third arc: The devil-vampire meeting arc.)
1. She can't be for real, right?

**Hey there, DxD fandom, I'm Houki Minami with an OC story in the world of Highschool DxD. Yeah, nothing new, nothing worth an original read, but, I dunno, since I'm a girl and I'm quite experimental, maybe I'll go with an quite normal OC with no backstory or Marty Stu'ness. Not that there's anything wrong with it , But I don't understand why so many people think their OC should be better than the original protagonist in every way. I dunno, I kinda like Issei and how he just wants a peaceful life with his harem. So, I'll go with that instead of the usual "revenge, dark past, lost heritage".**

**Now going over a massive rewritten because!**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me, thank you!**

* * *

Another boring day in my everyday life in Kuoh academy...

You would think... _"Oh, you mean you're the smartass kind of OC who doesn't take notes because you're a genius of a sorts"_, right?

Actually, that's not the case. I'm just bored because I just gave up on learning those stupid formulas...

Yeah...

My name is **Tsukino Ichijou**, and apart from being one of the few boys in Kuoh academy, I have... Nothing to stand out. No Royal lineage, nor super-athletic skills or super intelligence, nor tragic past. I'm just your average high-school freshman trying to live my everyday life.

Do you think I enrolled in Kuoh just because of the girls, and that I'm a **pervert**? No, I'm enrolled here because this is the closest school from home. Not that I swing **THAT** way, but... Girls scare me. They're moody, swingy, cruel, talk about you by your back and ask for strange things. If living with four big sisters is not experience enough, I don't (and want to) know what is.

But, here I am, your average highschooler with brown hair and green eyes and whose frame resembles a girl's. Another thing: since I'm just like a girl in appearance, the guys usually hit on me. Again, another reason why I don't have many friends...

But the worst thing that ever happened to me was when the school bell rang: when I was about to pick my lunchbox to another lonely recess, that... **Girl**, with red Crimson hair, illegally large breasts and unholy body reached for me, picking me by the arm from where I was sit and dragging me out of the classroom. Before I could protest, she opened the door to an empty room, tossed me in there and then, a finger pointed at me, screamed...

"You! Tsukino Ichijou! Be my **queen**!"

...

"What...?"

Yeah. Like in _"what the hell?"_. I mean... What does she mean saying "Be my queen"? Is she a crossdresser? A boy in disguise? And I'll become his drag queen? Or she's saying to me to become a singer? I don't have that much of a voice. Or maybe I'm the lost heir of the british kingdom? Nah~... I'm don't even speak english that well(Eheheheh...). So what's with this girl?!

Very, very frightning indeed...

"Excuse me, princess?" I repeated, her green, emerald eyes still staring at me. Is this real life or it just fantasy? A cute, hot girl dragging me nowhere and saying she'll make me her queen. I dunno, I just don't know how to deal with this... And I'll be really disturbed if someone out there has any idea how to.

"Yeah! You, my queen! Into my peerage! My sidekick! My partner!" She said it again. Is this how we are saying those things nowadays? I should really make some friends to keep up with those. But I'm still confused. And letting her speak for herself won't do any good for me.

"Again... 'Excuse me, princess?."

"Imma **King**!"

...

...

Okay...

"Okay... King. But, really lady, I don't have any idea what are you talking about. Care to explain, for the sake of my sanity?" I don't think any kind of explanation would do me any good, but It's worth a shot.

"Oh, right! It's your first time, right? And they usually don't make the King show up and say things all-out headfirst, too. They build things up and **BOOM**!, you're a devil in the second chapter or so! Ahahahah! Soooo cliche!"

Someone save me! She's craz-... Wait. Did she say "**devil**"? Like... Those prosecutors of God from the bible? And she's planning to turn me into one of them? What the **hell**... I head that Kuoh is kinda haunted and stuff... But devils? Hardly believable.

"A devil? Lady, what are you talking about?" I asked her. She snapped out of her stupor and turned to me.

"Oh, yeah! First-timers!" Stop calling me that! That's... Dirty and suggestive! "Well... As you heard...!"

Yeah, let's Skip things a little BIT. If you're reading this fic, you probably know the lore and stuff...

***FAST FOWARD A FEW MINUTES!***

"***CAHAM!*** So, let me get this straight: you're **Berolina Gremory**, a descendant of the **Gremory** clan of devils, and with the lineage of both the Bael clan and Gremory's own from your grandfather, the **Grandmaster Devil Millicas**. And, since the numbers of devils has dropped a lot since the last great war, you're using a _'Devil-recruiting'_ device called _'evil pieces system'_ to turn humans and other mythical creatures into devils to avoid extinction." And I sighed, still digesting everything she just said to me.

"Yeah... Pretty much it." She spoke, now sitting on a chair and drinking some tea she picked out of her ass.

"Okay, Miss **Berolina Gremory**, I have two questions, being the key-words '_Why_' and '_what_'." She nodded in understanment. She's pretty calm about it now. I took a deep breath and let the first question out. " '_why_' as in: Why me?"

"That's easy! Because you're the current host of the** boosted Gear**! The **Welsh Red booby dragon!**" A vein of rage popped on my head, and my fists won't stop shaking to the urge of punching that girl. Calm down, Ichijou. She'll have to wait.

"Forget it. Instead of saying 'excuse me', I'll just shrug in confusion and wait for some explanation!" And I proceeded to do just that.

"Oh right! First-timer!"

***PUNCH!***

"Owie!"

"Speak!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Well, as I was saying, the Welsh red dragon of destruction, aka** Ddraig** to some, is one of the two legendary heavenly dragons sealed in the artifacts of God known as **Sacred Gears**, the other being the **Vanishing white booty Dragon Albion, **being sealed inside another sacred gear. Legends says that any of the two, if enough potential is unlocked, are capable of killing even God! Or... A God." Well, isn't that great? I have the power to destroy an omnipotent being. To think I can't even lift a fly. But, I have to admit, for such powerful creatures, they sure have strange and stupid nicknames. "Another thing... A descendant of mine... Or a relative of a sorts... Was **married** to the previous user."

"Oh..."

"And the least I can do after their deaths is... Well, keep the current user safe." She lifted her little head to smile at me. No doubt about it now, I blushed. "Yeah! You're the keeper of the Red booby dragon legacy! Isn't that great?"

"Can I answer your question with the **second** key-word?"

"Oh! Sure! The second was... '_What_', right?"

"Yes, as in..." And I couldn't take it anymore! I flipped that goddamn table around! Are you kidding me?! Devils?! Hellish recruitment?! **Booby red dragon**?! Holy shit! I don't know if I should be amazed by her vivid imagination or pissed that I just lost my precious lunchbreak hearing this bullshit! **"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SMOKING, WOMAN!"**

"Kyaaah...!" She covered her little redhead, dodging the flying table. It hit the window and crashed out of the building. When she saw no more threats, she spoke again. "But I'm telling the truth, Ichijou-kun! I'm a devil! I have wings and... And I can fly... And I can talk with others from other countries! And I-...!"

"No! I'm not hearing it anymore!" I covered my ears with my hands, chanting gibbish to shut her up in my head. I stood up from the chair I was sitting on and took my way back to my classroom. "Thanks for nothing and Have a good day, freak! I'm goin-...!"

***GRAB!***

"Pwease! Iffiyou-kyun! Pwease bewieve in mee~!" And now I have a little monkey attached to my belt and waistline. I turned my head to face her and regreted it deeply: her face was a mess. Her nose was running, her face was swollen and she was crying buckets. It should be illegal to have a body that fine But an empty head! "Pwease! I'll do anything! I'll be your whore! Your mistress! Your cum-dumpster! Your dutch-wife! Your...!"

"Don't you have any Shame, Gremory?!"

"Pweeeease! Pweeeease! Pweeeeease!"

And now our classmates are staring. They're staring. A feminine boy dragging himself out of one of the classrooms with his pants Falling down to his knees and a hot redhead talking nonsense while crying like a spoiled child. Things can't get any worse!

"Pweeeease...!"

**"I SAID NO!"**

And with one final pull and the extra force of my right foot, I finally break free from her grasp! Due to the momentum, she hit the back of her head in a wall. Well, excuse me, King, But you deserve it! I guess is time to go back to class and forget everything that just hap-...

...

Why can't I feel the ground under my feet?

Why I'm seeing the school building from the outside?

Why I'm facing the sky?

Why is the sky getting farther and farth-...?

***CLASH!***

Answer: I pulled myself out of the window.

This can't be good... I can feel my blood being sapped out of my body, I can feel the hard ground under my wasted body. Despite the deadly wounds in my body... I can't feel a thing. It's still spring, yet I'm cold. I can't feel my body, my body can feel...

... Is this... How dying is? Cold, lonely, tiring?

Yeah... Is death alright. The world is getting darker, everything is a void of Nothingness. To die... Because I fought with a crazy girl. That's ridiculous... But I guess it could be worse. Like... No, there's nothing worse than that. This is the worst way of dying ever. Mama, I don't wanna die...

I just Don't want to die...

"Oh my Lucifer! Ichijou-kun!" But before I could finally bite the Dust, that same strange, unsufferable girl appeared out of nowhere, kneeling next to me. But... Wait, is she crying? That's... Kinda weird. After all, we just met... I guess is because I'm the reincarnation of a husband or something. "Oh... I'm sorry, Ichijou-kun! This is all my fault! This is... This is...!"

Well, at least I can die now with no regrets. I mean, I don't want to die, but maybe dying next to a girl isn't that bad. She might be a little crazy, But she's alright. I hope she can find some friends to share her chuunibyou with...

"That's... That's...!" Man, it sure takes a lot of time to die. I heard once that your head still works for four or five minutes after the last heartbeat, But this is ridiculous. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers, and smiled brightly. Hey, I'm dying here! A little more of consideration would be nice! "That's perfect! Oh my! That's exactly how lady Rias ressurected the previous Boosted Gear user! Althought his death to-be was a little less ridiculous..."

Geez, thanks...

Wait, did she just say "**ressurection"?**

"Good thing I stole some evil pieces from big sis before leaving the house." And, from the pocket of her jacket, she pulled a red-crimson queen chess piece. My vision is finally failing, as the cold hands of death reached me with a freezing whisper. But then my chest suddenly feels warm... It's... A good sensation. "Tsukino Ichijou... I, Berolina Gremory, am your King now! I'll now reborn you to love me, with every single beat of your heart. I'll reborn you to care of me, every single day of your life from now on. And vice-versa."

And now... Darkness.

Am I dead?

**...**

**...**

**...**

"Oww~... My head hurts..."

I said to no one, because I'm just like MF, I love the sound of my voice. Aside from that, yes, I woke up with a head-cracking headache. I'm not a morning person, But today the Sun was harsher than usual. It's like its trying to suck me dry from my will to wake up. The Wind, however, feels great, as I was Feeling the cool breeze agaisnt my naked bod-...

Why am I naked? What the hell happened?! Wait! Didn't I die yesterday?! Falling down the school building?!

...

...

It was a dream!

Yes! Just... Just a dream. Maybe I caught a cold or something, and I was just hallucinating from it. Still doesn't explain why I'm naked, but, Oh well, I guess my fever was that high. But, man, it felt so real...

Better forget it. I still have to make breakfast for me and my sisters. I used my hands to crawl on my blankets, slowly coming to the edge of the bed...

***FOIM***

"Uwah~...!"

Soft... Cute... Erotic... My hand landed on something soft... And an indecent moan was heard under the blanket. I slowly turned my head to the direction that sound came from, and I found the head of a certain redhead girl popping out of the fluffy layer, and she was also naked, as her pointers were indicating...

...

...

***KICK!***

"I need an adult!" Without thinking twice, I kicked that girl out of my bed, while covering myself with the pillows! Holy shit! What the hell?! Did we... Me and her... Oh god...

**OUCH!** What was that?

"H-Hey! What's the big idea?" She said, recovering herself from the fall. She scratched her eyes a little to probably get rid of the remaining sleepiness, and turned to me. I blushed, due the fact that we're both naked on my bed. "Oh, good morning."

***PUNCH!***

"Owie..."

" 'Good morning' my ass!" She caressed the massive bump on her head, which was still oozing steam from my fist, and cried a little because of it. "What the hell were you doing...?! In fact, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Meanie. For your information, mr. Grumpy bear, I saved your life, and turned you into my **queen**! Now, you're my **servant**, and I'm your King! I was just... Using my healing magic to cure your wounds..."

"Wait... You're saying that... Yesterday... Everything... Was real?"

"Yep~... You're **devil** now, Ichijou-kun!" Recovering from her pouty form, she smiled, and suddenly, a pair of... Bat wings? Emerged from her lower back, the low-end of her spine. Those were... Too real. Too real for me to say anything against their reality. I was left dumbfounded, the massive amount of information filling my brain in seconds, while the Gremory girl was just smiling at me...

So... I'm a devil now?

...

...

"Ichijou! Bro! What happened?! 'You having dirty, kinky sex with a stranger in there?!"

"Wha-... No, sis! Of course not!"

"Hahah! Loser..."

* * *

**OMAKE: Things can, and will, always get worse!**

Rina - Yep! You're a devil now, Ichijou-kun!

1 - Seriously?! Huh~... Now, i'm a servant of a hotheaded redhead and with four sisters on my tail, I'm doomed the moment I open that door... *SIGH*, at least, from now on, things can't get any worse...

***60 CHAPTERS OF BATTLES, META-CONCEPTS, SUFFERING, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND PLOT-TWISTS LATER...***

**1** \- Well, shit. I stand corrected...

Rina - It's even more jarring in retrospective, now that I think about it...

***ICHIJOU'S STILL A VIRGIN, BY THE WAY.***

1 _ Okay, that was unnecessary...

* * *

**And that's that. I'm sorry if its short or just plain weird. I'm still getting used to the Lore and the Ecchi stuff. And about the grammar errors... EDIT: I'm doing my best to correct them all! It might take a while, But... I'll try!**


	2. I can't be that good, right?

**Hey, there! Houki Minami's here. Curious about this chapter? I kinda put a little more effort in it. And I don't know if it ended up okay. I hope it did. But It's just the fic-writer thought. Thank you for reading until here. Good read, I guess.**

**EDIT: Second on the line of edition! Hahahah! I'll... I'll try my best.**

**Highschool DXD does not belongs to me. Thank you.**

* * *

My life was already pretty messy even before the... **Devil Queen** (good Lor-... Maoh? I dunno.) stuff. I'm the **fifth** child of a businessman. My dad, Tsukino Hajime, how can I say, is a "_vida Loca_" kinda guy. I'm actually the only son... Of his **third** wife, Tsukino Kyou. My big sisters are from different mothers except the youngest, my full-blood sister. Currently, he's on his n'th honeymoon with my mother, and my sisters and I are living on our own for now. The oldest, **Satsuki**, the second daughter **Shion**, the third **Minatsu**, and my full-blooded sister **Futaba**. And, of course, the only male, Ichijou.

So, how am I going to explain to my four sisters a naked girl in my room? Not to mention, from male-fear to simply maniac protective instinct, they're very, very dangerous when it comes to me and girls. I must be careful with every word that comes out of my mouth. Now, I'm facing my four _deeeear_ sisters, with my _deeeeear_ "King" by my side. No words were shared, yet, the uneasy aura around was almost making me sink into the ground. But stay calm, Ichijou, you just need to say the right words...

... Or just go on ahead and try to choke on your tea.

"So, care to explain why there was a girl in your bed, naked, Ichijou?" My _deeear_ oldest sister, a doctor with wavy, long brown hair, grey eyes darting me and her typical frown in her pretty, delicate face said to me. I turned my gaze to the other side, trying to avoid her own, while ms. red-devil was smiling. She probably has some Plan to get me out of here. This or she's maskering the fact that she has no idea what to do.

"Well... It's a pretty funny story, sis."

"I'd love to hear it, Ikkun..." The second oldest, my _deeear_ sister Shion, the blackhaired beauty with violet orbs and slim figure, said, her smiling and calm expression hiding her "I'll eat you alive" aura.

"It's... It's complicated, Shii-nee."

"Oh! Mama! My wicked half-brother finally did it! He finally deflored an innocent, helpless girl! Crushed her innocence and tainted her purity! I just hope that my apologies can somehow comfort her, even if I share blood with the deviant who scarred her in the first place!" My... Biracial big sister Minatsu, the only daughter of an actress, stood up on the sofa and fell on her knees dramatically in front of an open window in the living room. Her smooth, long golden hair waving because of the unexplained sudden Wind blowing in it, her blue eyes shining with the same intensity of Stars. In case you're wondering, yes, she has big breasts (98cm. H-cup.). She's canadian, though, not american...

"I can assure you that NONE of the things you're thinking happened, Mi-nee!"

"Hah! Loser! What? So scared that your little friend shoved back into your abdomen?" The last, my full-blood sister, Futaba. The delinquent wannabe with spiky, like really spiky, brown hair, and green eyes, just like myself.

"Shut up, Fuu-nee!"

"Ichijou! Explain yourself!"

"Yeah. Bro, we won't be mad. You're a healthy boy. Just... Be prepared to face the consequences."

"Speak, brother of mine! What thy devilish hands casted on the pure, But now corrupted body of this maiden?!"

"One word, bro. One wrong word and I'll break all of your teeth, punk!"

...

...

Maybe death wasn't such a bad idea.

"You have a very colorful family, don't you?" The reason behind all of this mess, Berolina Gremory-san, smiled at me. I groaned. That's all your fault. How am I going to escape this situation without losing a few teeth? While I was lost in my own plans of escape, all of them ending in doom, Gremory stood up, took a deep breath and spoke. "Ladies, sisters of my classmate, I want to say that all of this was just a big, messy misunderstanding."

Huh? What are you doing, Gremory? Saying this won't save us! Any kind of explanation is useless! They'll take it the wrong way and beat us to death! It's always like that. But, shock, I saw a little glimpse of light from Gremory's eyes, and after that freaky event, all the screams from my sisters died down. Did she... Hypnotize my sisters or something?

"Like I was saying, ladies, it was all a misanderstanding. Yesterday, Ichijou-kun and I fell off a river, and he was such a gentleman to let me stay around, or else I would have to go by train all soaked and alone." She said, now Speaking like a true lady instead of a kid high in sugar. I'm actually quite surprised, even more when I noticed that my sisters were quiet and nodding with every word coming out of her mouth. "Sorry about it, but you shouldn't sleep with wet clothes, right? I have a very fragile health..."

"Ooh, now that makes sense! Geez, what didn't you tell us earlier, Ichijou?" My sisters said in unison. Gremory sat back to my side and took a sip out of the teacup in front of her. Then she smiled at me.

"Did you see it? Pretty awesome, Huh?! Devils can manipulate other's mind like that! You can thank me later!" She laughed like a madam, while I was just waiting. Knowing my sisters, I know this moment won't last. They were talking among themselves, then turned back to us.

"So... Rina-chan, was it?" Satsuki-nee said, still with her frown. "You mean that it was your idea to sleep naked on Ichijou's bed?"

"Yep!" Oh, you poor little devil. You doomed us both.

"So... This means you are both shameless horny teens!"

"Yes-... Wait, what?"

"Yes! Sleeping naked in our brother's room... Don't you have any Shame?!" And now, she pointed at me. "And you, Ichijou! I bet it was you who planned this all along! Bringing a girl home and making her strip herself naked... You two are the perverted ones!"

"Wait, what...?!" Gremory seemed confused and awe'd. I can't blame her. I took a deep breath. It was a good second life.

"Sisters! Let us punish those two wicked children!"

"Wait, Tsukino-san, like I was saying...!"

And then, there was blood...

So much blood...

.

~~X~~

.

"So sorry about my sisters. They're not used to a boy yet. They think I'm some kind of alien, and if girls are involved, they usually go nuts on me. Must be the doing of my dad."

"Uweeeh..."

And now we're off to Kuoh academy. Good thing Satsuki-nee has some kind of common sense, or else the four of them would still be beating us to a pulp. Miss Gremory is still sobbing, trying to relieve the pain in her deformed skull, while I'm trying to maintain my composture despite the sunlight making me slurr a little. I'm used to be beaten by my sisters, yet, I don't know how my head isn't jelly by now.

"Say, Gremory... The Sun is making me dizzy." I finally had her attention to start a conversation in the Middle of the way. Since I'm a devil and I'm pretty much an expert in hollywood satanism, I must have some kind of weaknesses. The Sun is probably one of them. "Is this some kind of weakness? Since I'm a devil now."

"Oh! Yes! You're sharp, Ichijou-kun!" She gave me a thumb up, only to return to her miserable state. "Ugh... Yes, the Sun is our natural enemy. Especially to ex-humans and low-class devils such as yourself, the Sun can hit hard during the first days. Don't worry, you'll develop inmunity against it in no time."

"Huh... Neat. Since the Sun is our enemy, I dare to guess holy water and crosses are out of the question, too?" Yeah. Those are cliches, But every movie has a flake of truth. I just hope salty water and rock music aren't in the mix.

"Uh-Huh! Anything related to God, the biblical one that is, is harmful to us. Even praying and entering holy places can cause nasty effects." She recovered to her usual (At least for what I've seen) cheerful self, walking beside me, and now creeping her fingers on me. "Not to mention... I heard that a nun's 'special place' is holy too~. If a devil ever tries to do something on her, It'll have its 'little friend' melt away~..."

"I think that's enough for me, thank you." I slapped her fingers away, and she yelped at that. At least I didn't punch her. If a devil ever tries his way with a nun (or her way, because I don't know what devils are capable of...) he'll have his third leg melted. I wonder what poor bastard was unlucky enough to start this rumor. Maybe a horny one, maybe a Romeo wannabe in love with a nun. Wow... That's actually a good idea for a fanfiction. "A devil trying his way on a nun... Hardly believable."

"Thou said that, yet, the previous Boosted Gear user had a nun in his harem!"

"What? Really?"

"Yep! Hyoodou Issei-sama, the previous host of the Red dragon of destruction, had a nun in his harem! Well, a ex-nun-turned-into-a-devil... Sorta thing." What? Hyoodou... Senpai(?) had a nun in his harem? No, scratch that, he had a harem?!

"**Harem**, you say?"

"Yes! Y'know, in the underworld, harems are a pretty common thing, if you ask me. Not just to give birth to heirs and heiress, but for the fun of it! You can even have a harem... Of harems! Like the youngest older brother of Lady Ravel, whose entire peerage was an harem, and Azazel-dono, the leader of the fallen angels, who had hundreds of hundreds of women on his tail! But special mention goes to Hyoodou Issei-sama, for having a harem made of various kinds of entities." She said. So, senpai was a popular guy. He was probably from some kind of special lineage, or maybe some 'prophecy boy'. "He had a distant relative of mine lady, Rias Gremory, a hybrid fallen-angel-demon lady Akeno, lady Ravel from the phenex house, sister Lady Asia, Top-ranked criminal Kuroka's sister lady Koneko and many more, including an angel whom was his childhood friend, an ex-exorcist, an ex-valkyrie and even a crossdressing vampire that could stop time!"

A crossdressing vampire... That could stop time.

'_USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! USELESS! WRRRYYYYY...!'_

...

Naaah...

"Senpai sure was a popular guy." I recall someone saying those names in school, not to mention they were the idols of the it for a while. Why can't I remember who said those?

"Of course! They say those who bestow the power of a dragon can attract women with ease!"

"Really?"

"Chicks dig Power." She shrugged while laughing. "But, y'know, they say that, even without the power of the red Dragon, Issei-sama was... A very affable man. He could understand others like no one and everything he did was to make someone smile. He was a great friend and mentor to my ancestor Milicas, and even the last Demon Lords, one of them my own ancestor Sirzechs-sama, liked him a lot... But then..."

"Huh...?" She discontinued. Gremory turned her gaze to another direction, hiding her face. Was she... Frowning? What happened then? What happened to senpai? Before I could ask her that, she turned around with a smile again.

"Say, do you want to know what your Boosted gear does?"

"Huh?! But weren't you... Nevermind." No. Better not force her to talk. If she doesn't want to talk about it, I won't force her. I nodded silently.

"Okay! First, let me explain what it is: your Boosted Gear is a sacred gear, a special gadget created by God to perform miracles. As the name imply, your Boosted gear is a support-kind of Sacred Gear, and one of the most powerful kind there is, which we call Longinus!"

"I supposing those are the ones which power can kill a god, right?"

"Oh! You're quick-learned, Ichijou-kun!" I think I blushed with that one. "Yes! Longinus are a sub-category of Sacred Gears powerful enough to kill even top Angels and Devils. Yours especially has the Spirit of the Red Booby Dragon in it, one of the most powerful creatures in the universe!"

"So... I can breath fire, fly and do other things dragons do?"

"Huh... No." I face-palmed. I don't get it. "Actually, your Boosted Gear is a tricky one. Is one of the most powerful, yes, but It's power is similar to another Sacred Gear, Twice Critical, considerate one of the weakests. It can double your power level every ten seconds, but it takes a lot of stamina from its user, Issei-sama could only hold it for a few times in his first tries. And, of course, your foes won't wait for you to boost and kick their asses."

I see. So this... Boosted Gear thing is like an armored car: the stronger it gets, the heavier it becomes, to the point it can no longer move. And since I'm new with this all devil-thing and pretty much made of plasticine with paper skin, this sacred Gear is useless on me. Huh... Red Dragon, if you can hear me, I'm sorry. It's not you, It's me. You just were unlucky enough to be paired with a normal, scrawny highschooler instead of a hero.

"There are other special things yours can do: according to the legends, it can also boost other things, including other people. Not to mention things like **Balance-Breakers** and **Juggernaut Drive**, But we can talk about those later." Awesome. The more I learn, the more honored I feel... And depressed as well. Geez, such powerful weapon, with one of the most powerful creatures in the universe in it... Ending up on me. "Ichijou-kun? Are you okay? You look down. Is the Sun melting you away?"

"Nah... Hey, Gremory..."

"Huh...?"

"There are any especific rules for a... Sacred Gear to appear? I mean, any kind of order or, I dunno, prophecy or even some card-reading that determinates with whom a sacred Gear will end up with?"

"Uuuh~... No one that I'm aware of. Like that saying goes, 'God works in mysterious ways'. To be fair, the only thing you need to inherit a sacred gear is to be born human, or at least a hybrid with human blood. Some figures like Jesus Christ and Buddha were users, yes, but there are others least known users, if that at all."

Yes, of course. I just won in God's little lottery. That's it. Well, It's not like a highschooler like myself can do much... That's... A little depressing... Suddenly, I feel something soft rubbing my arm. I turned around and saw Miss Gremory hugging my arm, her... Lady pecks engulfing it in. She's not that short, but I'm still taller than her. She looked at me with those emerald orbs of hers.

"What's wrong, my queen? Depressed? Feeling down?" In a truly motherly tone, she said to me, a smile forming on her lips. Not a 'let's play, big bro' kind of smile, but a comforting smile. I blushed at that, and snicked a little with the "queen' thing.

"Kinda. I mean... Why me? I'm just your average school kid with zero physical fitness and just above-average intelligence**(at least in my view).** To be chosen by something so powerful... It was a random choice, It's the only given." I sighed. Yeah, the only thing that can comfort me is the fact that the Boosted Gear chose me out of random. If it chose me out of expectations, I'd be even more depressed. The worst part of it was her choosing me as her... 'Queen'. I don't know what it means, but sounds very important. There is only one queen in each peerage in chess, and she chose me as hers. I guess...in the end, she'll be very dissapointe-...

***KISS!***

"W-What...?"

"Don't be like that, Ichijou-kun. I know you'll be a powerful devil."

I'm out of words. She just pecked me in the cheek. A beautiful, busty **(there, I said it. Happy now?)**, if not a little air-headed, girl just kissed me in the cheek. I... Don't know what to say, to do, to thing. That's... crap, I'm sure I'm blushing really hard right now! That's uncool! But soon Depression hit me again.

"How... How can you be so sure?"

"Simple! The Queen-Piece accepted you!" Is she talking about that Crimson piece of chess from last time? "You see, I don't like chess that much, but from what I know, the queen is one of the best pieces in it. And, of course, the Evil Pieces system works that way too! Only powerful devils are accepted as a queen in a peerage. Not to mention not all the other users of the Booster gear were heroes or overlords! At least not before discovering it! You may not know, but you have potential!"

**Potential**... That's the key-word, I guess.

"Feeling better now?"

"Huh... Okay, Gremory. I'll... I'll try."

"Great! See ya after class! Chu~!"

Before I knew it, here we are, Kuoh academy. I was so immersed in the talk I didn't even notice. She took her way to the building, while I was just standing in place, scratching the kiss area.

So... Potential, eh? That's... That's the key-word for me. I might not be the strongest, or the smartest, and hell no the fittest person/devil on earth, but I can... I can try. She put maybe her only queen piece in me, and I don't want to see her down now. Even though it was all her fault at that...

... Damn it, I ruined the moment.

Better go to my class...

.

~~X~~

.

Another boring day at school. Nothing much happening. Sensei is writing some gibbirish I don't understand (But I'm trying to.) in the blackboard, other students as bored as me were chatting or just typing in their gadgets waiting for the Lesson to be over. Me? I'm just coping every word on the blackboard, playing with my pencil and looking outside, the blue sky, the birds and their freedom, and the lovely morning in general...

... While completely dying of fatigue caused by the sunlight! Goddammit! I knew that sitting next to the Windows was a bad idea! I'm not a protagonist of a light novel/anime/game! I don't need to do this!

"H-Hey... Sensei..." I lifted my trembling, almost bone-dried hand to call for her attention. The teacher, a mid-twenties lady with blue hair tied in a bun, blue eyes hidden by glasses and wearing a formal attire turned around to look at me. "Can I... Can I move to another seat?"

"Huuh~... Sure, Tsukino-kun." She looked at me a little worried. "There... You can sit next to Kamiyama-san. Matsuoka-san is absent, anyway. I guess you can take her place for the time being."

Oh, thank god!

***OUCH!***

Oh, right, devil stuff...

Packing my stuff and standing up from my cursed... Blessed? Seat, I took my way to the one next to Kamiyama-san. Long purple hair, red eyes and a perfect outline, that's Kamiyama Shiori for you. It might sound perverted, but she also has... A pretty impressive bosom(damnit, all that Booby red dragon thing is really messing with my mind.). She might also be the smartest girl in our class, and she's an idol too, despite being a first year. Also... I think... I have a crush on her. I dunno, every time I get near her, my chest hurts, and I feel chills down my spine. It's complicated, and kinda creepy...

Yeah, she's gorgeous, but I barely know her. In fact, anyone barely knows her. She's quiet, doesn't talk with anyone, and she practically dissapears after classes. She probably doesn't mind, but, somehow, I can sense how lonely she is. I know It's cheesy, but I can relate to her... In a way... Anyway, I took my way to the seat beside hers, and put my stuff on it. Before sitting down, however, I looked at her, and she looked back. The moment we crossed eyes, a sudden sting hit my chest. But before she could notice, I shrugged it off and smiled.

"H-H-Hello... Kamikaze..." Damn! "Kamiyama-san... I'll be taking this heat... SEAT! For... today..."

"Uh... Understood."

And she looked away back to her book. I gasped and sighed a cloud of awkwardness out of my system. Man, that one is tough. Maybe that how love is. I'm not an eternal-horny-teen like dad, I guess I can feel love... Or lust. I just hope that doesn't mess with my life, I already have problems enough...

...

...

And before I knew it, class was over. Nanami-sensei smiled and dismissed us for lunchbreak. The arrow of reason pierced my skull:since I was too busy fighting the four heavenly kings known as my sisters, I didn't bring my lunchbox today! And I don't have any money either!

I sank miserably in my table, as my stomach groaned the moment the bell rang. That's... That's lame... Now what? Eat my own leg? Ask a friend for a bite or a few yens? Oh, right... I don't have any friends. Maybe I can call for Gremory, But then it hit me: she was with me this whole morning, she doesn't have anything with her either... Wait, devils need to eat? I dunno, but I'm hungry...

"Tsukino-kun?"

"Hah...?"

"Here." Suddenly, something fell on my head, the sound of plastic reaching my ear. A little curious, a little hopeful, I lifted my head, and saw a small melon bread in front of me. Out of surprise, I stood up from the table and looked for my savior, only to cross eyes with her again.

"Huuh~... Kamiyama-san...? What gives?" I questioned her. Kamiyama-san was eating a melon bread too, and picked the one in my desk to offered to me.

"You look hungry. And, judging by your little display of misery, I can assume that you don't have anything to eat." She said to me. Or she's an ace detective, or I unconciously wrote 'Feed me' on my forehead. Like I said, she's very smart. She turned around and walked to the door. "I hope it helped. See you later."

Wait, this may be a perfect opportunity for me to talk to her. Of course, I'll have sore feet with that, but at least we can talk with each other and share an idea, maybe even a friendship. Like I said before, she looks lonely most of the time, and since I don't have any friends, I guess a first one shouldn't hurt. Okay... Be like a Snake... Not to fast to not startle her... And not too slow for her to stay in your grasp...

Y'know, I think I should pay more attention to poetry classes. That one was horrible...

"Err... Kamiyama-san...?" I estended a hand to her. Maybe touch her shoulder or just give my hand to a handshake. She turned around and looked at me.

"Huh? What is it, Tsukino-san?"

"Well... Uh... You know..."

***BUM!***

_"ICHIJOU-KUUUUUUN~...!"_

And before I could even complete a sentence, Gremory entered the room by blowing the door open, stormed in my direction and pulled me by the arm to out of the class. Oh, what the hell?! That was a golden opportunity! I looked back, and, despite her stoic expression, Kamiyama-san was surprised by the sudden movements.

Now, I'm walking in the corridors, or rather, being forced to by the redhead in front of me. She looked excited about something, yet, she was only talking gibberish. I couldn't figure it out any word out of her.

"Stop! Gremory! Stop!" I said, stomping hard on the floor and pretty much her breaks too. When I finally caught her attention, I looked her deeply in the eyes and said: "okay... Now, what's happening?"

"Ichijou-kun! I can feel it! There are three of them! I can feel them! In this school, three of them in this school!"

***CHOP**!*

"Coherently! Speak coherently!"

"Owie~...!" The old Gremory. At least the first one I met. When she stop moaning from my handchop **(easy, there. We're not M-rated... Yet.)** on her head, she smiled brightly yet again and pointed to her crescent moon-shaped Stupid cowlick (ahoge) on top of her head, which was twitching a little. "Ichijou-kun! The Gremory-radar! It's tingling! I can now feel them! They were out of reach for some time, But I can feel them now!"

"Huh... 'They' who?"

"Can't you feel? There are three youkais in this school! Three POWERFUL youkais! In this school!"

"Huh...?!"

Youkais? What now?

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

**OMAKE: Rina's antenna!**

1 - By the way, Gremory. That ahoge of yours... Can it do anything else? Just asking out of curiosity...

Rina - Of course! It can also borrow and steal some information from nearby sattelites!

1 - Wait, really?

Rina - Huhuh~! Checks this out!

***PIN~! PIN~! PIN~!***

Rina - Eheheheh~...

1 - ...?

Rina - Hahah... Silly woman, that's a horse's... Wait, what? Oh, God! OH GOD! NOOOOO~! NOOOOOOOOOO! MY BRAIN IS TURNING INTO MUUUUSH~!

1 - I'm just gonna... Get away now...

Rina - Gyaaaaaah! They're doing with a dog too, now! NUOOOOOOH~...!

* * *

**Yeah, a little more development of character, as well as a cliffhanger and new characters. I dunno, I reading right now and some wiki-stuff now and then. They're pretty helpful, and I'm seeing how much great and vast the DxD universe is beyond the anime and manga. Granted, the third season is right in the corner, But, Oh well, still impressive.**

**But enough about my rant. Sorry about it. I hope you all liked the story and this chaoter in general, if it wasn't a little cheesy and forced. I'll fix that later. Thank tou again. Stay golden!**


	3. Recruiting is easy, right?

**And now, the third chapter. I dunno, But it was a fun chapter to write. I'm now on the volume 13, and the dxd universe is getting even more interesting. I'm watching the parasyte anime too. It's being a good season. But, well, enjoy the chapter... I guess...**

**EDIT: Now I'm watching Masou Gakuen HxH and osomatsu-san. Both good series in different ways. Newcomers, it's worth checking those out, despite production values So~... Anybody ready for the Black Clover anime...**

**As always, highschool DxD does not belong to me. Thank you and stay golden.**

* * *

"Y-Youkais...?"

I was dumbfounded. Wait... So there are youkais now? I mean, yeah, devils and stuff I can believe. She revived me, and shown her wings to me when we were... Naked **(aaaaah! I'll need brain-bleach after that!).** So I can no longer doubt the existence of the things in the Bible. But if what the bible says its true and there's devils and angels among us... Wouldn't that dispprove other myths and beliefs?

"Wait... Hold on, Gremory." I pushed her away and covered my face with a hand in thoughts. If there are youkais around, then devils shouldn't exist. They're opposing beliefs, after all. "You said 'youkais', right? Like... Monkey-kings, tengus and tanukis, stuff like that?"

"Yep! Tengus, tanukis, nekomatas, kitsunes, you name it!" She nodded with a smile, not realizing how paradoxal she was being.

"So, if they exist, shouldn't devils and angels be just myths? I mean, they're opposing beliefs. Not to mention other religions which usually dispproves one another." I pointed out. She giggled like I was an ignorant child. Actually, I kinda am, this stuff is still new to me.

"Silly Ichijou-kun. I'll have you know that every belief out there... Is real!"

"What... Really?"

"Uh-Huh! Every belief out there is real, although some of then are just missinterpretations and usual falacies. They're still true, though."

"Wait... Even opposing ones?"

"Yep! Maybe some manipulation of events and flanderization, but still truth!"

"Even those considered myths?"

"Greek, roman, japanese, nordic, you name it!"

"What about the Cthulhu mythos?"

"Yes, but that's another series..."

Whaaat~...?

"Y'know, Gremory, like I said, I'll just shrug it off and wait for some explanation. I'll go along with your game. Just tell me where those... Youkais are." I sighed, crossing my arms. She smiled and thumb up for me.

"Okey-dokey, Red Dragon! Like I said, there are three youkais spotted by my Gremory-radar!" And she pointed again to her ahoge on the top of her head. "Two in first years' classes, and one in the second year's. They're very powerful, so one of them will be a perfect Rook or Bishop for my peerage!"

Oh, so she wants a pet in her peerage. That's... Kinda sick when you think about it, but cute. I still don't get the whole peerage thing and chess pieces, but I hope she'll explain that to me later. So, first years. That's good, I'll be able to talk with them with ease. The second year...

"So, you want me to talk with the second year youkai first?" I asked her, she nodded.

"Yeah~... I'm still a first year also. So~... It'll be embarassing. If you kindly speak with him for me... I might... Give you a reward~..." She crossed her arms right under her bosom, squeezing them with her forearms to emphasize her assets. Sorry Gremory, that won't work with me. I flicked her on the forehead. "Moou~... Ichijou-kun is no fun! Hyoodou Issei-sama would've destroyed the whole building after that one!"

"Yeah, But I'm me. Sorry, but that's the truth. Now, about the youkais..."

.

~~X~~

.

I took my way to the classrooms of the second years. Gremory could feel them, yet, she couldn't say how they are. Fortunately, it is probably in one of the closest classrooms to my own. Now, I wonder how this... Youkai looks like. Maybe It's a girl with cat-ears and a fluffy tail, a nekomata, like the myths, but I dismissed the thought soon after. That would be just ridiculous... Maybe not. The red demon with goat feet, pitchforks and face of a faunus in my mind was replaced by a girl with long Crimson hair, green eyes, illegally big breasts (Gaaah~...) and pretty figure. That one was shocking. Maybe the said youkai was really going to be a cute girl with some animal traits.

Well, here I am, class 1-C, the one closest to my own. I took a deep breath, practice my best casanova/good-guy smile a little and opened the door. The moment I looked inside, my own world crumbled...

In front of me, there was a strong, fit, tall man with slide-back black hair and an epic mustache on his face, caucasian yet somehow with squared features, and he was wearing his school uniform without the jacket and with the sleeves wrapped up. I have no idea... I just don't know... What? Is this guy in HIGHSCHOOL?! Is he even japanese?!

"You must be the devil Gremory sent to convince me to join her peerage." He said. I gasped in surprised.

"How did you know?"

"I used my senjutsu to sense you two talking. After all, I'm a nekomata." Then, carefully enough to not let the other students notice, he pointed to his head, where two cat ears sprouted. Now, What the hell is Senjutsu, anyway? "My name... Is Freedie Mew-cury!"

...

...

I'm scared now. Really scared.

"Yeah~... Well, you see, Freddie-san, I'm Miss Berolina's queen, Tsukino Ichijou, and since I'm her servant, at least for now, I'm here to try to recruit you into our peerage." I said, eyes closed and nose up risen to look as polite and Royal as possible. "Now, if you want to talk with Berolina Gremory-san and maybe negociate with her about your entrance into her peerag-..."

Before I could finish my sentence, he punched me right into the stomach. The sudden pain made me lean Foward to try to comfort the pain of the sudden hit. The moment I did that, Freddie-san circle behind me and locked his strong, sweaty arms around me. He pushed me backwards, and before I knew it, he frickin' piledrove me! My head came smashing into the ground, as I could see the entire wasit down parts of my body due to the spine-breaking position. What the hell just happened?! Before I could stand from my pathetic situation, he stomped hard in front of me.

"Not in a million years, baby..." It looked up, and there he was, frowning like a creature out of hell itself, and cracking his knuckles. "I'm sorry, Mr. Queen, But I'll have to put it clean that I'm not interested. For this, I, Freddie Mew-cury, will have to put you... Under pressure!"

Oh, no! Someone save me! I'm just a poor boy! Save me from this monstrocity!

"Well, be prepared, mr. Queen!"

***CRASH!***

"What the hell?!" The sound of breaking glass echoed through all the hallway, and the sudden sound caught my and Freddie-san's attention. Before I knew it, someone came flying from the window, aero-kicking the nekomata. "GAAAAAAH~...!"

"FIGHTING IN THE CORRIDORS IS FORBIDDEN!" My opponent... Or else, my executioner to-be went flying to the other side of the hall, crashing into a wall. Finally out of trouble, I rolled away to one side, and put myself into a more dignifing position, sitting on the floor. I looked to the direction of my savior, and I saw the figure of a girl, with dark-blue-ish hair tied in a high ponytail, skinny frame, and using her... Jacket? Cape? That strange piece of cloth the girls use in their uniform, like a real cape around her neck. She was tall, making me believe she was an upperclassmate.

"Uh~... Thanks, miss...?"

"I AM... THE NEVER-DYING DARK FLAME OF JUSTICE! THE BLACK SUN THAT CASTS THE OWN DARKNESS AWAY AND BRIGHT AND PROTECT THE INNOCENT! THE DEMONIC CRUSADER... SHITORI SERENA!"

And she turned around, showing her pretty face with purple eyes, childish face features and bright and innocent smile, which was a big contrast to her big boobs and the rebel skirt showing her lacy panties. She made a Kamen Rider pose, and suddenly a blow of steam exploded behind her. What the hell...?! Wait... Shitori? Oh, I remember that name! My classmates usual talk about the student council president, **Shitori Serena**, and how awesome and over-the-top she is. Well, it's the first time I see her, but I can see how much... Energetic she is...

"Yeah... Thank you, president Shitori... Shitori-kaicho?" I cough a few of my own words, while she was smiling like a kid.

"No problem! Mr. Queen-Boosted-Gear-New-Host-Holder-Of-The-Red-Dragon-legacy-of-my-dear-childhood-friend-Berolina-Gremory!"

"Wha-... How do you know?!"

"Lucky guess~..."

"..." You serious?

"Ahahahahah! No! No! She's been texting me since yesterday! She also messaged me about an youkai or something." She picked her cellphone out of her pocket and showed me the many, many, many, many Messages from "Bero-Bero". Scrolling down the hundreds of hundreds of messages, plus some photos...

... Now I feel so violated.

"That Gremory bitch...!" I raised my trembling fist, which was eagerly waiting to spot that redhead freak and plummel her to a pulp... But then it hits me...

"Hey... Shitori-kaichou?"

"Huuh~...? What is it?"

"If you know about me being a queen... No, if you know about this thing at all, this means..."

"Yep!" She pulled me in a half-hug, hooking her arm around my neck, and then whispered: "Serena Sitri, the heiress of the Sitri clan of the 72 demonic pillars, and descendant of Lady Sona and the last Black Prison Megane Dragon Saji Genshirou!"

Now, the president of the student council is a devil. It's big surprise after big surprise. But, really, are all devils complete madwomen like those two? Despite the euphoria from before, she estended a hand to me. I took it without thinking twice, standing up from the ground.

"Thank you..."

"No problem, Red-Booby-dragon-heir-kiddo."

"The name is Tsukino Ichijou."

"Hahahahah! Alright! Alright!" She raised both her hands in a surrender gesture. She's pretty harmless for a devil. But, again, the only devil I met so far are her and... The other one. "So... Apparentely, Rina-chan is looking for some other people in her peerage. I have to say, she's being pretty reckless, thinking anyone will join her in a blink of an eye."

"Tell me about it." I said dusting off some dirty from my uniform. "That lass doesn't have any sensibility of mood-reading at all!"

"Hahahah! Yeah! She's like that since we were kids. But... I guess you can say that she's more than the eyes can see."

"Huh...? What do you mean by that, Kaichou?"

"Huhuhuh! Someday, you'll know..."

What? What does she think I am?! Some kind of MC of a Galge? Okay, calm down, Ichijou... She's just trying to help, and she helped your sorry ass not two minutes ago. Don't be an ungrateful brat...

Huh... You say all of this, yet, you're no good either, stupid Ichijou.

"Okay~... I'm not an hero of an VN, but I'll try to go deep into her myself..."

"Hah! That's the Spirit, Inheritor-of-the-dragonic-libido-red-dragon-lad! That's the legacy of the great Hyoodou Issei right there!"

"What? I don't ge-... Ah!" After I notice the little perverted slip, I blushed, while kaichou was still laughing. That's just uncool! Oh, crap! This all Red Booby dragon thing is messing with me! I have to stop, or else my bigs sisters will hit me dead, or worse, I'll end up just like dad! "S-Sorry! It just... Slipped away. My bad."

"No pro, bro. It's all good. The last Host of the Boosted Gear was no better, either." She shrugged. Huh, maybe she's more reasonable than Gremory. That's good, But also terrifing. I mean, if Gremory is already so empty-headed and out-of-control even with such patient and helpful friend, maybe she could've been much worse, or Kaichou is just as bad. None of them are very pleasant ideas. "Well! My job here is done! I shall continue to fight evil-doers for the Sake of my dear Kuoh academy! Shitori Serena, away! Excelsior!"

***CRASH!***

_**'GODDAMNIT, PREZ! AT LEAST USE THE STAIRS!'**_

And there she goes, the president of the student council and, according to herself, the next in line to inherit the Sitri clan, jumping out of the window right in front of me. I don't know what to think anymore. Is that the push I needed to fully embrance madness? That's the world I live in now? No wonder Sakisaka thought about suicide after the incident, seeing the world in a different perspective is mind-breaking.

***Turururu~...***

Suddenly, my cellphone began to ring. A message. Huh, that's unusual. The only messages and calls I ever receive are from my sisters when they need something and/or want an especific dish for dinner, or from my dad, when he thinks I'm dating someone. I lost two of my only childhood friends because of the latter. But neither of them would call me during this time of the day. I'm curious now. I slided my finger across the touch-screen and looked at the message on it, from none other than...

.

_"Helpme, 1-10-kun! \\(x.x)/_

_Im stuck! XP_

_From: Berolina."_

_._

Okay, I'm not gonna ask how she has the number of my phone, since probably she knows this and plenty other things no one should ever know aside from my wife, since morning, but I'll question whatever a fork or a knife is better to carve my name in that tiny little skull of hers. Back to the topic, she wrote she's stuck. That's... Pretty curious. I mean, what the hell she meant by that? Stuck how?! If she's "stuck", how can she type on her cellphone and send it to me?! Is she stuck on traffic?! Wait, can she drive?!

Moved by curiosity and... A little worry abot my King(?), I dashed to the first-years' classroom. After all, the remaining two are freshmen just like ourselves, and there's no other place for a freshmen to be during the firsts weeks of school. I hope she's okay. No matter the context, being stuck is never a good thing...

.

~~X~~

.

And here I am again, in front of a classroom not too far from my own. Instead of going right into it, I was dumbfounded by the sight in front of me. Gremory was telling the truth, she is stuck: her entire head is really stuck on the ceiling, her shoulders touching the upper wall while her lower-body was struggling to free itself, a hand carring a cellphone and typing really fast. From here, I could see her childish, silly stripped blue-white panties. It's because of them I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life! What kind of girl, apparently from upper demonic society at that, wears stripped panties?!

Oh, well, better help her. I touched her legs to calm her down (even if she thinks it's not me, she wouldn't be picky about a savior.), and once her struggles ceased, I caught her by the ankles and pulled her down. I'm not that strong, it took a while to pop her head out of the mole-hole. Unfortunately, I lost balance when I finally free her, and I ended up Falling on my ass, while she landed on me, more expecific, her breasts landed on my face.

Gosh, those cliches are really laser-guided, Huh?

"Gremory, get off of me..." I caught that mounts of her and pushed her away, lifting my upper-body and supporting it with my elbows. Gremory finally regained her composture and was now sitting on my lap... Only to come crashing down on me again!

"Weeeeh~! Ichijou-kun!" She started crying on my chest. Again, people are staring, a feminine boy serving as a cushion for a sobbing redhead with a swollen-face. Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a thing? I sighed, she was already messed up, no use on hitting her. Better comfort her a little, so I pat her on the head.

"There, there. Please, stop crying." I said to her. I just want her to stop wetting my shirt, that's all. It worked, and she calmed down a little, still sobbing though. I dusted away some concrete out of her red locks, and helped her to get up. "So, what happened? Did the youkai was a meanie wolf?"

"I-It's not funny, Ichijou-kun!" She half-screamed, half-cried, using her sleeves of her blouse to dry the remaining tears. Sigh. What a day. "And yes... He's a big, meanie wolf! A dog! An inugami!"

Inugami, eh? A cursed dog with an undying hatred for its heartless owners. Of course he'd be a hard one. But since wild dogs were usually buried from the neck down, I doubt he could be that strong. Weak body and swollen head, that's the description of a inugami book-wise. I wonder how he looks like.

"Okay, Gremory. I'll try get him for you..." I sighed. I'll have to do this, or else she'll be even sadder, which means for me more pain in the posterior area. I reached the door and opened it...

And now, an old-looking, tall, slender and semi-bald man, with more wrinkles than a rotten tomato, was standing before me, a pair of black dog ears twitching on top of his head. Again, is this even legal?! No one notices the clearly-not-even-student-like students here?!

"Oh, my. You must be a servant of Gremory's. I'm Clint Eastwoof." He spoke to me.

...

...

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!

"Yeah~... I'm her... Servant. Her... Queen, to be more especific." I stumbled on my own words. He frowned his own wolf-like eyes and formed a fist with his hand.

"I'm not joining you. And I'll make this clear for you too!"

"W-Wait, I...!"

And before I knew it, I was staring at strawberry pink panties from below. Yep, mr. Clint Eastwoof just punched me so hard that I smashed through the ceiling. I can't move my arms, and struggling with my legs would be pointless. As Gremory typed, I'm stuck. I just hope no one notices me. I'll be damn if someone do.

It took her a while, but Gremory was finally able to help me get out of the ground of the upper floor. Now, we have two holes on the ceiling. That's gonna cost us a toll...

"Well, any more ideas, Gremory?" I turned to her, and she scratched her cheek in confusion and doubt.

"There's still one more left, but I'm... Too scared to go on." She muttered, trembling lips and closed eyes telling me she had enough for today. Yep, one can only lose so much remaining brain cells. I'm not very interested in being a nail-pole of a crazy cat-girl either, But she looks so disapointed. Out of pity, I pat her in the head again. "Thanks, Ichijou-kun. You're really kind..."

"Just shut up. I'm doing this for you to shut up."

"Well, well, well. Isn't Gremory's queen a real male tsundere?"

The sudden voice reached my ear in seconds. Did it just call me a tsundere?! I turned around and Gremory looked behind my back. Then I saw a strange, curvilious lass with her back against the wall, staring at us. She had smooth slender legs, a very curvy frame and a Round little face, her orange left eye, because the right one was covered with a black eye-patch, shining while facing us. Judging by her uniform, she's a freshman as well...

"Who you're calling a tsunder-...?!" Before I could snark at her comment, Gremory pushed me away and ran for the little girl. "Hey, Gremory! What the hell?!"

"Is her! Ichijou-kun! The final youkai! Is h-...!" And karma hits again: the little girl just punched Gremory in the chin, shutting her up. Understandable, since she's babbling our... Especies? Race? Whatever it is out loud.

"Yes, I'm a youkai. Thank you very much." She smiled, turning herself to the Gremory girl. For a moment, I saw the little bow on her bowlcut blonde hair twitching. "I'm a fox, a ninetails, a cursed Kyuubi, and my name is..."

"Megan Fox?"

"Wha-... No, of course not."

Oh, Thank Go-... MAOH! I meant to say 'maoh'! Yes, yes, that's what I meant...

"As I was saying, I'm a ninetails fox, and my name is Akabane Yoko. It's a pleasure to meet you, heir of the Gremory clan."

"Oh, nice to meet you too, ninetails." And Gremory smiled back, using both her hands to shake the Ninetails' own. Due to height difference, the redhead was shaking the latter whole. It was funny to see that. Then, she stopped, and looked at her directly in the eyes. "So, ms. Ninetails, would you like to be part of my peerage?!"

***CHOP***

"Owie! What gives, Ichijou-kun?"

"Rude much, Gremory?" Seriously, that was pretty rude of her. Asking a girl she just met to be part of her peerage. I don't know what those things are, But I guess a Kyuubi, one of the most powerful creatures of niponic folklore, would not like to be asked this bluntly. I parted the two away, and turned myself to the fox. "I'm sorry, Akabane-san, ms. Gremory is smooth as a cactus. Please, don't be offended by her rude behavior. I'm also victim of her vile personality."

'How can you say that, Ichijou-kun?! I'm your Kiiiii~ng!'

"Nah, I'm good, don't worry about me, Mr. Boosted-Gear-heir." She smiled again, and I was taken back by that. "Surprised? Don't be, really. Once you learn the art of the sage, senjutsu, you're a walking sattelite. I could hear you talking to the president too, and Mew-cury-san as well..."

Huh, everybody knows I'm the new Host of this Boosted Gear thing... I feel flattered, while at the same time not.

"Yeah, first-year student of Kuoh academy, as well as the Queen of Ms. Berolina Gremory and Host of the Booster Gear. Tsukino Ichijou. Pleased to meet you." To tell you the truth, I've always wanted to see a ninetails. They're so cool on movies, stories and mangas.

"Likewise. It's a pleasure to meet at your acquaintance, Tsukino-kun..."

"What...?"

"It's nice to meet you."

Oh, I get it. Again, I should really Listen to poetry classes...

"So... Interested in joining us?"

" huuh~... I'm just really curious about how much you, the new Host, is capable of." She smiled at me. I dunno, but the way she's eyeing me is freaking me out a little. She took a step closer and bit one of her fingers. "Y'know, Ichijou-kun, I might be interested in joining the peerage of your King Berolina Gremory... If you be my wife."

...

...

"Uuuh~... What?"

"You know the legends, right? Fox spirits disguising themselves as humans to suck the vital force out of others. I'm no different, and with your Boosted Gear, I might be able to have a good snack now and then, not to mention strong a cute cubs for the next generation." She finished her sentence with a lick in her own lips. "And I won't have to worry about killing you, since you'll just have to boost yourself up. So, what do you say?"

Okay, that's disturbing, disgusting and hot! She wants me to be her... "Wife" just to suck my vital energy through ways I don't want to know, not to mention... Cubs. Yes, children in form of foxes would be disturbing. "Hey, dad, gimme all your yens! Yip, yip, yip!". But, I have to admit, having a fox-girl nearby should be interesting... Not to mention she's really pretty. Oh, I'm living the dream of every otaku in the world, yet, I'm absolutely terrified and confused. Now I know how Hikari Shinji feels.

"Huh~... Tempting." That's a lie. "Are you sure you want to be my... Husband? There others with more power than me. I mean..."

"Of course he wants to be your wife, Ninetails!" And Gremory now steals my Spotlight, shoving me to a side and taking words out of my mouth. "If you join my peerage and be my Bishop or Rook, since it fits you best, he's all yours!"

"What the hell, Gremory!"

"Huhuhuhuh... Not for now, Dear Gremory. But I'll keep it in touch." She turned around and winked at me. Again with the lip-licking. I hate to admit, But I'm having a turn on right now. "I'll wait until the Red Dragon matures enough for me to... Harvest him dry~ without problem. Then, I'll join you, no question asks. After all, youkais are also good in Sexjutsu. Kon, kon~..."

"Yeah! We have another one, Ichijou-kun!" I was too dumbfounded to answer her. Gremory was beaming with happiness, and hugged me from behind. I am... I was... I just... Sigh. Just go with the flow, Ichijou. It's better for you. "And It's a cute girl! An youkai at that! Just like Lady Rias' peerage! You're going to be the next harem King!"

"What?!" What the hell?! No! No! No! No!

"Yeah! Just like Hyoodou Issei-sama! The King of harems! The lady-genocider! The walking Swag!"

Harem... King... Girls... Just like my sisters... All around me... Surrounding me... Suffocating me... I can't breath... Someone help... No!

"And now begins the story of the new harem King, the heir of Hyoodou Issei, the harem prince: Tsukino Ichijou!"

"No! I refuse that! I'm not going to be the harem King!"

"That's the Spirit!"

"Noooooo!"

* * *

**And now it begins the story of the anti-pawn, the Tsukkomi of the red dragon. And he's not happy about it. So... What do you guys think? Yeah, ridiculous, But let's be a little more serious with each passing chapters. Well, thank you for you interest...**

**EDIT: Holy shit, in retrospective this sotry was so innocent back here. I mean... Wow, newcomers might not know but... Eh. It's even freaking me out a little how this fic used to be. Yikes!**


	4. This is a joke, right?

**And now... A chaPter of nothing happening! Yay~... Sorry about that. I promised next chapter will be filled with good action scenes. But, for now, some more exposition and character apresentation. Well, good read, I guess.**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me..**

* * *

_'I was forged in the depths of hell, but my armor is a gift from the Gods themselves. With my cursed right hand, I'll purge the demons from this world, and with my blessed left hand, I shall rescue Humanity! I am the order, I am the balance breaker, I am the light in this dark world! I AM...!_

_I AM...!"_

***TILT***

"Wah!"

"Gremory, help me put the table on, then you can watch your tokusatsu."

And Gremory turned her attention from the TV to me, pouting and crossing her arms. Apparently, she fought with her sister and ran away from the Gremory human household. She has been living in a manga cafe and going to school from time to time since then, until she found me and made me her queen. And since she follows the "everything you own is mine as well" mentality, she's now willing to live with me. Well, if she's gonna stay, she's gonna be my housewife, my maid. What? I already have to deal with my sisters, I don't need a freeloader. If she's gonna stay here, she's gonna have to work to deserve what she gets.

And the whole King thing? Just show her a fork.

"You tell her, darling. Don't let her do as her please in your territory."

***CHOP!***

"You help, too."

"Oh my, a dominant wife . I like it~..."

And now, another one to deal with: a horny fox-girl eating every stuff in the fridge. At least I can relate to her more, she's calmer than the Gremory girl. Now, the three of us are putting the table on, some plates, cups, chopsticks and the silverware on their places. Today's dish is curry. Since we don't have any clubs to attend to, or a club at all for that matter, we're just preparing the dinner and chilling around.

After some time with the table, with me throwing punches and chops from time to time, we finally manage to get it finished. I never thought I'd be using dad's and mom's set so soon.

"We're finish. We can rest, now."

"Yay~!" And Gremory launched herself from beside me to the sofa, picking up the remote and turning the tv on. It's like having a little sister...

"Gremory, instead of watching tv, why don't we talk about my... Sacred... Gear... Thing?" I asked her, the foxgirl clinging on me like a little sloth. "That's the reason why you reincarnated me in the first place, right?"

"Oh! Right, right! I almost forgot about that!" She... Literally... Killed me, and now she says that she forgot the reason why. Can you all see the problem here? I'm dealing with a psychopath, a childish psychopath. In the end, sue turned off the tv and looked at me. "C'mere, Ichijou-kun."

"Okay..." And I walked in front of her. She crossed her arms and rest her back against the sofa's own.

"Now... Extend your left arm, think about the most powerful creature for you!" And extended her own arm, punching the air in front of her. I mimicked that same movement, while thinking about... Huh~... The most powerful creature for me... That's a tricky one.

"Huh~... Maybe Goku from dragonball?"

"Maybe not. I mean, he didn't win a single battle in the Android/Cell saga." Well, she has a point.

"So... Kurosaki Ichigo from bleach?"

"You mean the one who gets beat up, loses his powers every arc and pretty much only shows up to the final battle?" Ouch, right in the pride.

"Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece?"

"Just luck and stupidity."

"Naruto?"

"Overestimated."

"One of the JoJos?"

"Pucci recreated the universe, didn't he?"

"Carmen Sandiego from Hellsing?"

"He's made of plasticine. A single shot and he's history..."

"Kurokami Medaka...?"

"She's a parody of a mary sue. It doesn't count!"

"Kenshiro from Fist of the north star?"

"Raoh went rogue, Jagi went crazy, Toki went sick. Just luck."

"Waaah~!" Okay, calm down. Think someone that even she thinks It's strong. It doesn't have to be strong for you, only for her. Well, there's still one left. Maybe the underworld legend. Issei-senpai. "Okay, last chance: HYOODOU ISSEI!"

And a sphere of light engulfed my left arm, and when it vanished, a strange, but extremely cool gauntlet materialized in my hand. Actually, it looked more like an armored glove, covering the area from my wrist to the tips of my fingers with shiny crimson scales, adorned with emerald-orb jewels, a single great one adorning the back of my hand, and golden spikes coming from different parts of the gauntlet, a couple of them making a eight-point star around the central jewel in the back of my hand. Well, it's very cool, it looks like one of those fancy Cosplay things, but Gremory seemed surprised.

"What's that?! That's not the legendary Gauntlet of the red dragon Emperor! The Boosted Gear wasn't like that in the books!" The redhead stood up from the sofa and pulled me by the hand, examinating the gauntlet for a while. Wait, what does she mean by that? "No... That's not right! This can't be the Boosted Gear, the legendary Longinus of the red dragon!"

"There's where you're wrong, Gremory." From my back, Akabane spoke, sliding off of me and walking to beside the Gremory girl. She narrowed her eyes to examine my gauntlet, and nodded. "That's the **Boosted Gear**, alright. However, I must say, the Spirit of the dragon sealed within it is now pretty weak. Almost undetectable. Even myself can't feel him without especial attention."

"W-What do you mean, Ninetails? Did... Did the gauntlet of the red dragon enperor broke just like Viltra's set?!"

"No. The dragon is still whole in there, but he's... How can I say it? In a commatose state."

After that, all the colours in my King's face drained completely. She fell on her knees, completely immobile, while I took a glance at the armored glove in my left hand. The roman number "I" was appearing in the main green jewel. To tell you the truth, I was really expecting more. I mean, It's still a cool-looking gadget, But it doesn't even reach my wrist. This small thing can really kill a God? No, wait, the right question is: what senpai did for the dragon inside of this gauntlet to be put in such state? I'm no expert, but I guess a dragon can be pretty tough. To be put in a commatose state...

"Hey, Akabane, what do you mean by that?" I asked her, still examinating my... Boosted Gear. She blinked back to me.

"Honey, what I'm trying to say is: the red dragon emperor's Gauntlet is weakened. The dragon inside of it is weakened, the full potential in it is sealed yet again." She ruffed her own nose to the sides, sniffing the air one more time and sighing. "The Host known as Hyoodou Issei... Was a pretty reckless man. Doing things no sane man would just for the sake of others. And, of course, losing his shit over great and/or petty reasons. He just... Loved too much. Let's just say that this love... Well, got him killed, as well as damaging the Booster Gear and the dragon its bear, not to mention the unbalance he brought to all the three factions."

"..."

"We're not allowed to talk about it because of the pain and the disgrace he brought to sacred gears, but let's just say thank God** (*OUCH!*)** the dragon's gauntlet was reincarnated in you, a person with some sense of reason... For now."

I gulped. What a letdown. Senpai had a big heart, and that what got him killed. He just loved too much. Yet, he archieved a power greater than a God, and brought unbalance to the world. I just met folks from the biblical lore and the japanese lore, but I have an idea of how vast this can be, and to think a single man could do such an impact... Now, I respect him even more. Althought, the nickname "red booby dragon" still sounds ridiculous...

**[BOOST!]**

Suddenly, a wave of energy ran into my body, as a powerful voice echoed in my head, the green jewel on the back of my hand shining, morphing the "I" number into a "II". What's going on? My body feels lighter, yet, my chest is heavier. Is hard to breath now. So... That's the power of the Boosted Gear?

"Oh. It looks like, even without the Dragon's conscience, the sacred gear still operates normally." Akabane said, looking at my gauntlet. "I'm not surprised, though. The Evil prison Dragon Viltra could still operate his numerous Sacred Gears without a problem. I wonder if this is a thing between dragons..."

**[BOOST!]**

"Uff..." Air escaped out of my lungs, as the pressure against my gut grew. Now, the "II" was a "III". Another wave of energy ran through my body, as some comfortable aura of energy and strength grew spontaneously in me. I feel stronger now. Breathless, too. No, I'm not joking. This thing is sufoccating me. "How do I stop?"

"Oh, why now, darling? Just a little more, and I'll have a good snack for tonight~..."

"Akabane, one more of those **[BOOST]s** and I don't think I'll be councious anymore..."

"Huh... Cockblocker." What? "Okay, okay, fine. You just need to wish it away. Sacred Gears follows the wielder's orders and will. It can't be too hard..."

"Wish it away...?" The moment the thought passed through my head, the Boosted Gear vanished in another show of lights. The pressure against my body dissapeared, as well the light sensation from before. I took a deep breath and sighed. What a relief. "Phew... What a Feeling..."

"Huh, pooper."

"But, yes, the Boosted Gear is really how Gremory described: a tricky weapon."

"You just need to train your stamina and breath rhythm. The Gauntlet of the red Dragon may be weakened now, but the power in it is still great." She smiled, hugging my arm. She's not as busty as Gremory, but I can still feel a thing with... "Them". She's doing it again, the whole "lip-licking" thing. "Now, now, how about I train you a little? I have a special exercise for pretty boys like you~. It will train your stamina and sense of rhythm... Don't worry about payment, we can negociate while at it..."

"Huuuh~... Akabane...?" And now she pulled me closer, her lips reaching closer to my own. For some reason, I'm trembling, but I can't move...

"C'mon, let's have some breath training. Just take a deep breath and count how many seconds you can hold it~..."

Oh, brother! What to do now?! I'm living every man's romance, yet, I don't know what to do! Should I freak out?! Should I accept her love?! Wait! She's just here for my vital energy and Boosted Gear! Yes! She's a viper! A pretty, nasty, beautiful, sexy and pretty open-minded viper... Oh, crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Now, what?! On one side, I'll be living a false relationship with just mindless sex, but on the other side... I'll be living a false relationship with just mindless sex!

...

...

Alright! Just kiss her, you idiot! Do it already! Don't be a pussy! Be the bad wolf! Just... Just peck her! Do anything! Replace the "anything" with "her" and make her regret her choices! Now! Now! Nooooow~...!

**(Am I a character, or just a reader of a harem light-novel?)**

***BAM!***

"What the...?!"

"Ichijou, bro, we're home and shit... Oh, looks like we have visits!" Blowing the door open, the green-eyed, brunette monster known as Futaba appeared from the entrance, the other sisters behind her. She took a glimpse of us from the frame of the doorless passage to the living room, and frowned. "Oh, bro. I knew since you enrolled in Kuoh that you had a Plan in mind. Already building your harem?"

"No! It just a...!" Wait! Don't say 'misunderstanding'. When you say that, bad things happen! Think of something, anything! School-relate, to be safe. "A Lesson! Yes! I'm teaching this friend of mine... A Lesson!"

"Are you teaching her how to French?"

"No! It's just... Judo! Yes! Judo!" I smiled awkwardly as I picked Akabane's uniform, and pulled her in a true wrench-move, turning around and tossing her to the sofa. She gasped, and I pointed at her. " See, Akabane-chan? That... That's how you... Pull... Your... Enemy...?"

"..."

"..."

"Okay, I'n convinced. Now hurry up and make dinner. I could eat a flock..."

And she just shrugged it off and took her way to the kitchen. Phew, that was close.

"Sorry, Akabane. But believe me, if she ever saw you flirting with me, we're goners, okay?" I offered her a hand, and she took it to help her stand up.

"No problem, ma'am. I should get use to my in-laws, anyway." She smiled again and thumb up for me. I sighed. Now, better check on Gremory, who's still immobile from the shock. I snapped my fingers in from of her a few times. "Hey, Gremory! Wake up! I can still use the sacred Gear!"

"..."

"Gremory?"

**"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"** And suddenly she emerged from her depressing state and stood up in a fly away pose, extending her own arms to the heavens. "I REVIVEEEEEEEED...!"

"Errr..."

**"SO WHAT IF THE DRAGON IS DOWN?! SO WHAT HE'S NOT WHAT HE USED TO BE?! I AM A GREMORY, AND THE MAOUS BE MY WITNESSES, I'LL BE THE STRONGEST KING IN ALL UNDERWORLD WITH HIS POWER BY MY SIDE!"**

"Shut up, Gremory." And before she could do even more damage to the windows of my house, not to mention revealing the existence of mythical creatures, my... 'Husband' smacked the redhead in the back of her head, making her kiss the floor. Huh... I feel bad, now.

"C'mon, Gremory. Get up. Let's eat and watch Kamen Rider." She took my hand without second thoughts, and we walked to the kitchen. My sisters were already eating, but fortunately, I made enough.

... I sliced an apple just in case Gremory is weak against spices. I wouldn't he surprised if she were. Akabane has a big appetitte, by the way.

.

~~X~~

.

Morning...

It's morning...

I guess I'm getting use to the Sun now, the fatigue isn't as strong as before. But I'm Feeling a crushing pressure against my body, making hard to breath.

I looked down, and there she was, Berolina Gremory, again sleeping naked on me. Yesterday, I had to put extra locks in the bathroom, because both of my "partners" wanted to have a "bonding-bathing" moment with me, and I also had to make the bed for both of them in the guestroom. Not to mention, I didn't sleep so well last night, the paranoia being my caffeine. Yet, there she is, hugging my body like I'm some kind of teddy bear, the cold spring breeze blowing from the broken window. I have a guess who did that, since it was just fine until 3AM of today...

Yeah, is morning...

Yet, I'm still stuck in this nightmare.

"Gremory, wake up." I spoke, poking her in the forehead. She just nudged and went back to her asleep state.

"Mooh~... Five minutes more~..."

"Earthquakes lasts five minutes. Gremory, I'll shout." Out of playfulness and annoyance, I pulled that stupid hairstring from the top of her head. Instead of yelp or scream, however, her eyes shot open, and she looked menacengly at me. I gulped at that. "Err... Gremory...?"

"Never..."

"What...? I can't hear y-...?"

***PUNCH!***

**"NEVER TOUCH MY HAIR!"** I before I knew it, I was flying aimlessly through the air, like a tossed ragdoll, and ended up clashing against a wall, opening a crack in it. For a moment, I could see a dark aura surrounding her naked figure, of course, covered with the blanket. But then, poof, her eyes turned back to her typical Tareme design, and she blinked a few times. "Huuuh~... What happened?"

"..."

"Ah, Ichijou-kun, good morning!"

"..."

"Ichijou-kun? What happened? What happened to your eye and the wall over there? In fact, what are you doing there?"

"Err... Gremory, how about you go to your room and change before my sisters wake up? You remember what happened last time, right?"

"Oh, right!" And she jumped out of the bed and dashed to the door, completely naked... She has a nice body... And a not-so nice mentality. She opened the door and got out of my room, but not before looking back to wink at me. "Ichijou-kun, we're having a busy day today! I hope you're prepared!"

"Okay...Huff..." And when she left, I held my burning stomach with a hand. Geez, girl can punch. Note to self: never, ever, touch Gremory's hair. I sighed and shrugged the pain off, standing up from the floor. Better have things going: after all, we still have classes today.

***SLIDE~...***

"Good morning, darling..." And the moment I slided my closet-room open, I saw Akabane camping in it, eating instant ramen in a bowl and just staring at me like It's none of my business. "I saw Gremory sneaking inside, so I decided to join. This closet is filled with your scent. Now, I can feel our connection growing even mor-..."

***CLOSE!***

"Ufff..." I closed that door and, out of frustration, headbutted the closet, taking my time to think about some stuff. So, is this my life for now on? In the center of a circle of weirdos? All because... Of senpai's legacy. I took a look at my left hand, and sighed. I don't know if I should be honored, depressed, enraged or cursed. This Sacred Gear... A blessing from God...

... I wonder if that's what they call 'a martyr'.

* * *

**Yeah, another chapter of nothing happening! Yay! I just finished volume 14, and I must say: gasper can kick some ass! But, yeah, I guess I'm making Ichijou a bit too much like Issei, in a different, yet somehow similar, way. What can I do? I love that crazy little pervert. He's so... Sincere. I like that.**

**So, guys, out of curiosity, do you think Ichijou deserves a harem? I mean, he doesn't want one, But do you guys think we should give him one just for the lulz? If yes, do you guys have some suggestions for his harem? Some crazy girl expy for him? You don't need to answer if you don't want, of course. I just want to hear an opinion. :3**

**EDIT: I still don't know if he deserves a harem or not, and with which girls. Hey, for those who reviewed this chapter back then, thanks for the suggestions, I've been using them nonstop!**

**Stay y'all golden! Minami Houki out!**


	5. vampires are cool too, right? part 1

**Nothing much to say a filler chapter. Stay golden, and good read.**

**EDIT: Just kidding, I thought this chapter was wholly a filler when I first posted, but after everything... Yikes, so many things came back from this chapter alone. But for now, yeah, it's just some funny jokes... For now.**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me, thank you very much!**

* * *

"All right, gentlemen! Since we are in three, I guess you can all say that we are now a group!"

"Yeah... Barely, But whatever."

"And since we're a group, a group of supernatural beings at that, I say we must do what every other group does while in a place like school!"

"Err... What, exactly, Gremory?"

"Isn't it obvious?! We must... **CREATED COOL AND AWESOME NAMES FOR OURSELVES!"**

I facepalmed at that. Of course it would be something stupid, or at least complicated and out of context. Here I am, with my little... Group? A pen in hand, with a notebook in my lap, waiting for further explanations and orders from my King. Akabane is snuggling in my arm, while Gremory was walking here and there, chanting her little mantra of 'awesomeness' and 'coolness'. Where we are, you ask?

In the janitor's locker room...

So, yeah, apparently, Gremory couldn't get the permition to start a club, since the requirements to make it were to have at least four members and an advisor teacher to take care of it. Without those, no deal, period. So, for the time being, we're gonna stay here, doing our little... Club things, next to some brooms, buckets and chemical products that will most likely burn our skin or choke us to death.

Yeah, for my second life~...

"Please elaborate, Gremory-san." I lifted a hand and asked her. She seemed excited to answer me.

"Good think you asked, Ichijou-kun! Well, as devils... And a ninetails, our duty is to give new and cool names for ourselves and our powers!" Yeah, like that. I actually don't mind not having any names to call myself. Ichijou is just fine by me. I call the redhead "Gremory" and the ninetails "Akabane", I guess we don't need nicknames and names for attacks for now.

"But why?"

"Because...! A name actually is what differs a thing from Nothingness. Since the beginning of times, sentient beings has the urge to give things names, even when they usually never adresses themselves as such. I guess is what we call consideration. After all, by privating a thing of something as basic as a name, we're practically denying that thing's existence, and nothing is more rude and inhuman that simply ignore the existence of thy neighbor..."

"..."

...

...

**WHAT?**! Did I just get lectured by Gremory?! **BY GREMORY OF ALL PEOPLE?!** Worst of all, this logic makes perfect sense! Now, I feel like a jerk. Geez, right in the pride. I gulped. She's smiling, like she's happy in lecturing me, and not in the 'I'm-smarter-than-you-and-you-just-got-owned!' Way. No hardfeelings, right?

"Okay... I get it." I mumbled miserably, putting the point of my pen on the paper of my notebook and starting to write everything I've learn watching anime and manga.

Some time passed, and I finally finish mine. It wasn't that hard, I just needed to write a cool name and an alternative reading for Gremory to be happy. And with that accomplished, I turned my notebook upside-down and waited for further instructions. Soon after, the girls also stopped.

"Uh-Huh! Everybody done? Good! So, as the resident King, I'll be the first!" Gremory said, opening her little red notebook and showing us the name. "Tcham-tcham! What do you guys think?"

.

[**RED PRINCESS] (reading as "Crimson King of damnation")**

.

"..." I was speechless. That name was pretty dumb. Akabane just laughed at that. "Well, Gremory, I think is kinda paradoxal calling yourself a King and a Princess in the same time. I mean, does this nickname means that you're a hunter of a sorts?"

"Huh~? What do you mean, Ichijou-kun?" Of course she wouldn't understand that reference. She can be just as naïve as smart, never the two at the same time.

"Nothing, nothing. That nickname is pretty cool, I guess."

"Hu, Huh! Yeah!" And she smiled. Somehow, I didn't grunt at that one. Gremory just turned around from her notebook to Akabane. "What about you, ninetails? Already finished your's?"

"Uh-Huh. Here it is." And she opened her own book and showed us what was written on it.

.

[**WIFE] (reading as "Akabane Yoko")**

.

"Wait, ninetails, you wrote your own name and read it as in 'wife'?" Gremory asked, reading the ideograms and the hiragana on them. I was also kinda confused by this, but when she turned around and licked her lips again to me, I had an idea what she meant by that.

"Almost, Gremory. What I meant is that my wife can be on top of me anytim-..."

***CHOP!***

"Denied!" I chopped her on head. She just shrugged it off and turned to a new page, a new name written on it.

"How about this one?"

.

**[AKABANE] (reading as "Ichijou")**

.

"My name?!"

"Yeah, or rather, cowgir-..."

***CHOP!***

"Also denied! Seriously, Akabane!"

"Okay. If that is not for the liking of my wife, then maybe I'll go with that one." She again turned to another page, with a new name.

.

**[APPLE.] (Reading as "curry")**

.

"A-Apple? As in the fruit? And on top of curry, for that?"

"Uh-Huh. I like apples on top of my curry. It makes them yummier."

"Akabane, you didn't understand the meaning of the reunion at all, did you?" And now it was Gremory time to be miserable, Falling on her knees and silently crying. After that, I'd also be devastated. So much nonsense, I wonder why I'm not creazy already. Well, with that, maybe my name can cheer her up, even if its just a little bit.

"Hey, Gremory, you didn't read mine yet." I said, passing my open notebook for her. She reached for it and took a quick glance at it.

.

**[HELL STAR DRAGON.] (reading as "Red demon monarch that crosses the universe.")**

**.**

**BOOOOOOOOOOMM!**

**"WHOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHHH...!"**

And before I knew it, Gremory screamed and blasted herself out of the janitor's locker room, my notebook apparently shooting fire out of its page at her out of pure adrenaline and power. She knocked herself out, and opened a crack on the wall. Two holes and a crack. We're gonna be so fine in fixing those...

"And~... You won." She had a quick recovery, and walked to me, putting a hand on my left shoulders and cryig tears of Joy. The only thing I could do was... Nothing. "You won. I can teach you no more. You already surpass me. Congratulations."

"Hah...?"

"Hey, ninetails, let's clap for him~. He deserves it. Weeeh~...!" And both of them start clapping at me. Gremory is freaking me out a little, while Akabane is happily joining her in the clapping session. I think I blushed at that one. Maybe It's because the only things my sisters ever say about is how 'unmanly', 'perverted' and 'useless' I am. They say I'm a great cook, though. It's a thing, I guess. "Wew~... Ichijou-kun~! Our red dragon hero~!"

"My wife is the best in the universe... Swing."

"Oh, c'mon, guys. Stop."

"Aw~... Isn't that cute? My future wife is blushing."

"No! I'm not!"

"Ahahahah~... Ichijou-kun is also a shy rabbit. How cute."

"S-Shut up~...!"

"Isn't that adorable? Since when the red dragon starts choosing cute and awkward boys as hosts?"

"I said...!"

And I froze the moment the fourth and unknown party member join the conversation. Somehow, the voice didn't came from either the exit, the window or even in between the cleaning material, but from the ceiling!

"Up there!" Akabane said, pointing right above our heads, and so we did. At first, we didn't see anything out of normal, just a blank colourless ceiling. However, under closer inspection, a thing, almost invisible outline forming a square turned itself visible to us. A side lifted from the up floor, and a head popped out of it.

"Yo." A girl with unkept and wild green hair and doll-like features spoke, grinning at us. Soon, she pushed one of the ends of her invisible cape**(at least it looked like one to me.)** and did a flip in plain air, landing in front of us, like a real ninja. "Hey there, new Gremory Group. How's it going?"

"Wow! A ninja!" Gremory said, beaming with excitment. My blonde... Husband only puffed her cheeks, while sharping her own eyes, turning them more rufian-like.

"Tch. She's also something else. To be left unnoticed even by my senjutsu..." Akabane spoke, gripping firmly to my arm. The new figure, who was with the sleeves of her Kuoh uniform wrapped up to her shoulders, smiled.

"Yes. Annabelle Hellsing is my name, and I'm a vampire-ninja hybrid. A thousands pleasures to meet you all." She said, smiling in a way a single, shiny and pointy teeth was showing to us. Wait, Hellsing?

"Uh~... Ms. Hellsing? I thought the Hellsing family was a family of vampire-hunters, not... Well, Vampires." I lifted a hand to pick her attention, and she giggle at that.

"Silly, silly red dragon. This was just a historical lie, a timeless falacy."

"The Carmilla faction created this lie to avoid being ridiculized when their past head was captured and made a slave by them. To think the said Queen of the Vampires was reduced to such disgraceful state for some long by them..." For the first time since I met her, Akabane was completely serious, gripping defensely in my arm, and pulling me closer. Is she fearing for me or herself? "My dear wife, don't get any closer to her. She's... Unsettling."

"Wow, wow... Calm ya' tiny boobs down, foxy. I mean no harm." The vampire... Ninja(?) spoke, opening her arms to sign she had no Weapons or intentions of hurting us, but Akabane was not convinced, in fact, she popped a vein of rage out of her head when the vampire said 'tiny boobs'. "As you might've guessed, since I'm a hybrid, the Hellsing family doesn't want anything with good ol'me."

"Wow~! So, you're really a vampire-human hybrid, right?" Gremory said.

"A vampire-NINJA hybrid, thank you very much!" And ms. Annabelle puffed her chest up, a tiny one at that to the point I don't know why she bothers with Akabane's. "Fifty-percent vampire, fifty-percent ninja, and a hundred-percent awesome!"

"But... Doesn't that mean the Hellsing family is doomed to oblivion, since there's no more pure bloods in them?" The blond ninetails fox said, hugging my arm even tighter. "Since I'm the daughter of one of the rulers of the japanese supernatural faction, I have some knowledge about what's happening around the world. And I know that there's no descendants of those anymore discounting a small single descendant."

"Ah, don't worry, mate. When I grow up, I'll take lead as the vampire King. I think papa Desmond won't have any problems in accepting me with that, and the Hellsing will be a healthy family of psychos again." The vampire-ninja said again. Crossing her arms and pointing her chin up. "Not to mention, Esther might be of his liking now."

"But, ninja, I thought dhampirs **(vampires+human hybrids)** were not allowed to be part of a faction, let alone lead one!" Gremory said, her expression showing a mix of surprise, concern and curiosity. I agree. From what they're saying, those Vampires seem uptight as hell. "Hell, I don't think they even consider you one of them."

"Oh, really? I didn't know that." The vampire ninja said.

"Really...?"

"Gyah, Hahahahah! I don't need to know how the world works! I just need to be awesome! As long as I'm still awesome, I don't need to know anything else!" Ms. Hellsing said, laughing it off. I dunno, from the description of what's going on, I don't see any laughing material. "Besides, I'm a vampire-ninja hybrid, not a dhampir! This means I'm just as awesome as a regular vampire, is not more!"

"Hyahahahah! You're totally right, Hell-chan!" The president of the student council Serena Sitri said...

...

...

**WAIT! WHEN THE HELL DID SHE GET IN HERE?!**

"Wow! Spooky!" Turning around and seeing the laughing president, Ms. Hellsing took a few steps back in our direction. Gremory, however, looked at the other raven-haired demon. They said they're childhood friends, if I recall correctly.

"Yo, Rina-chan, Tsukino-kun, Hellsing-chan and Idunnoyu-chan! I heard someone mentioning 'awesome', and I thought it was about me, so I bent time and space to get here. Well, what is it?" The president said, her arms crossed and chin up, in a pose similar to ms. Hellsing's. That lady... That lady does not know what common sense is either, right? "Nah, I'm just kidding. I was just overhearing you all and decided to check it out. I'm bored, anyway."

"Don't you have council stuff to do, prez?" I question her. She just laughed it off.

"Already did it, Tsukino-kun. Besides, if there's anything left, I'll just ask for one of my subordinates to do it for me. After all, I'm a King." And again with that sick stuff. Geez, devils are pretty possessive, aren't they? Prez dropped her usual cheerful persona and sharpened her eyes, looking at the ninja. "Boring stuff aside, I couldn't help but notice a certain black aura around this place. Not to mention, even with the chances to redeem yourself for being a hybrid by killing a high-class devil, you didn't do it. I ask why, ms. Annabelle Hellsing-chan."

"Well, I'm just here to ask a simple question to little miss Gremory." The vampire-ninja hybrid smiled slyly, turning her eyes to the Gremory girl beside me. She looked confused for a second, but then snapped her fingers in a possible realization.

"Oh! I think I know what you want, ninja." And then, out of nowhere, the redhead took off her jacket-cape-thing, and used both her hands to lift her skirt up, revealing that godawful piece of intimate underwear. "I'm wearing stripped panties today. They're cute."

***SMACK!***

"Owieee~! What was that for, Ichijou-kun?!"

"What... The **FUCK**, Gremory?! What kind of demented logic you used to end up with this?!" Seriously. After I smacked her head with my fist, I really want to know what kind of logic this girl follows to end up with that conclusion. No, serious, I want to know! It must be on such level of complexity my head might **explode** from Sheer enlightment. It's amazing!

"Well, as much as I love to see some panties myself, I'm not here for that... Yet, Gremory." The ninja said, smiling. "Actually, I'm more interested in asking you if you want ol'lil' me into your peerage."

"Huh. A vampire. Just like Lady Rias' peerage. I have to say, I'm impressed." Prez said, scratching her cheek. "I bet you want a ninja in your peerage, right, Rina-chan?"

"Woooow! This must be the best day of my life!" The redhead screamed at the top of her lungs, gripping me by the shirt and shaking me like I'm some kind of stress Raggety Ann. Actually, that'd be pretty cool. A ninetails and a ninja. I wonder if we're gonna have a rapper and a giant octopus in it. Releasing me from the neckbreaking shake, Berolina walked to the ninja and extended an arm for her. "Well, then, welcome to the family! What piece you want to be?! Rook?! Bishop?! A pawn? Do you like checkers? Do you swear complete loyalty to me?!"

***COMBO! DOUBLE•SMACK!***

"You're beIng rude again, Gremory!"

"Seriously, Rina-chan, we've already talk about this."

"Owie~...!" Was the only response me and ms. President got after our combo attack to Gremory's head. Huh, maybe there's some devils with a sense of ridiculous in the real world. I'm glad. Regaining her composture and now being more careful with her words, the redhead stood up and said: "but, yeah, I'll love to have you into my peerage."

"Huh~... Actually, I have an idea, dear Gremory."

"Huh...?" And before we knew it, the ninja took a step back and stood up in a nearby chair, sitting on it soon after. She crossed her legs and, smiling devilishly, spoke.

"Since I want to be the very best vampire, I must hang around strong people. However, from what I'm seeing, only ms. President and ms. Ninetails have a level of power I'd rather avoid to go against. You and the red dragon, on the other hand, have zero sense in demonic energy. I can't even smell a flake of power from you two."

"Huuuuh! Who are you calling zero-sense-of-demonic-energy?!" Gremory sharpened her eyes and start waving her arms up and down, pouting and whinning like a spoiled brat. For me? I'm kinda hurt. No joke. "I'm a Gremory! Descendant of Venelana Bael, Sirzechs and Milicas Gremory and wielder of the **power of Destruction**, making me also a Bael child!"

"So was Lord Sairaorg Bael, yet, he only reached glory after a long Road, and lived no much soon after." She snickered at that, while Gremory snapped, yelling... Things at the ninja, being held by prez, while screaming and struggling in between her arms. For some reason, that comment really pissed me off, but better not think too much of it. "However, being a Gremory, not to mention also a Bael, means you, maybe, inheirted the superior genes of your ancestors. The power of destruction. The fearsome unique ability of the Bael clan, passed down to the Gremory family after the marriage of Venelana Gremory, the ability Lord Sairaorg Bael... No, Lord Sairaorg Asmodeus lacked, maybe the only thing missing in a faster ascend to the highest demonic ranks for him."

"Uh-Huh! Uh-Huh! It's good that you know that! Don't mess with me if you know that, you poopy-head ninja!" And Gremory, like a real child, stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. Man, talking about immaturity. Ms. Hellsing laugh it off and turned to me.

"Now, about the red dragon lad." She began. "The sacred gear Boosted Gear, the gauntlet of the dragon emperor. A mid-tier Longinus, with enough power to kill a god, with the Spirit of the red Welsh dragon Ddraig sealed in it. It's previous user being the famous red booby dragon King, Hyoodou Issei, the only demon in history to reject the position of Lucifer in the underworld, and the hero of the three worlds. Too bad his Spirit was destroyed and his existence wipped during his fight with..."

"That's enough, Hellsing. We're not allowed to say that!" My... Husband said, stepping in front of the vampire lady and giving her a stern stare. Hellsing just shrugged it off and jumped to the door.

"Okay, fine. I'll shut up, however, please considerate the following: I'll join your peerage Gremory, however, only if you prove me It's worth hanging out with you guys." She winked at us. Gremory was the first to step in.

"What do you mean by that, ninja?!"

"If you want me in your peerage that bad, then meet me at the Gym in 10 minutes. Oh, and please, change to your cutiest panties, please."

And with that, a little tornado blew in our face, surrounding the ninja. When it was gone, she also vanished in thin air. Huh, maybe traditional ninjas are still popular. A mid-tier Longinus, my Boosted Gear is. This means there are others with as much potential as it, right? Even though mine has a dragon sealed on it. What kind of power those other ones have, I wonder.

More importantly, what kind of monster was strong enough to simply... Whipped out senpai? Not to mention this sairaorg guy, I dunno how things works in hell, but I'm pretty sure he was strong, and to be also whipped out like that is.. Just wrong. Hellsing-san said Gremory was related to him somehow, and also said he was a satan... A satan? There's more of them of them? I should really start asking gremory things, or else I'll be lost like a rainbow in the dark...

And since I'm OC MC of a DxD FF, I should really start monologuing more, ansgting about something something and finally take some level of badassness, but not now...

"Hey, Rina-chan. What are you going to do?" Snapping out of my own thoughts, prez reached a hand to Gremory and pat her on the head, in a sign of comfort. The redhead in response smiled back and shot a grin soon after. This can't be good.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll have that arrogant vampire to be my knight!"

Oh, brother...

...

...

***FLIP!***

"Honey, I'm wearing lacy panties today. I hope It's more of your liking."

***CHOP!***

"Too much information for today, thank you very much!"

* * *

**And that's that for now. I dunno, this chapter was just to make jokes(?) and a small cliffhanger for an epic(?) battle in the next one. I liked how it ended up, but maybe it was kinda rushed at that. Regardless, I'm having such a good time writing this piece of DxD story. Maybe it's because of the MC, or berolina. well, nothing much to say about it, just wait for a clash in the next chapter.**

**EDIT: I said "Clash"... Hahahah.**

**stay golden, yo'all, and watch out for stalkers.**


	6. Vampires are cool too, right? Part 2

**Now, let's resume our adventure. Truth to be told, this is the first conventional fight scene I've ever written so far in all of my fanfics, here, at fictionpress, even in the small journals back home, and this might also be the reason why this chapter is so short in comparison. If anything, I tried my best! Thank you for reading until here! I hope you enjoy!**

**EDIT: As for chapter 60, I'm starting to get a hang on fight scenes, if still a little clanky. I'm... I'm still trying to do my best!**

**DxD does not belongs to me, thank you!**

* * *

And now... Aria-san playing guitar on the mountain!

"And he we go~...!" ***SOLO RIFT* **"Nemesis, oh Nemesis~! Why can't you stop putting your finger in the toaster~? This is really..."

...

...

"Oh my Maoh... **THIS IS A NON-SEQUITUR**!"

.

**x~~X - And back with the normal scheduled program! - X~~x**

.

And here we are. The gym, a podium-like place were he hold general meetings and... Do sports. This is the place Hellsing-san told us to be, yet, not a single shadow of her. A vampire-ninja, that should be annoying...

I'm on Gremory's left side, with Akabane hugging my arm in the same direction. The redhead was pretty confident, with her arms crossed in a challenging manner and grinning widely, and this is scaring me. I don't know if she has a trump card under her breasts or just faking just so she could hide her shaken persona. None of them were actually good signs. She began tapping her foot on the ground...

"Oiii~, ninja~! We're here~!" She screamed, looking upwards. I scanned the place for any blind spots around. She is a ninja. She's a stealthy type, she will approach us with maximum caution and then hit us the moment we hesitate, she will...

***CRASH!***

"Yahoo! You called, here I am!" Or just burst out of the ceiling. I'm not kidding, she literally exploded the ceiling and jumped out of the hole she made herself, free-falling. The moment her feet tapped the floor, she jumped backwards, and made a gymnastic show in front of us, flipping, making risky movements, turning and flipping around until she reached the podium. In a final jump, she launched herself and landed on the higher ground, and finally strike a Sailor-moon pose on it, as a explosion of fireworks bursted behind her. "Annabelle Hellsing... Is in the house, believe it!"

...

...

"Bravo! Bravo! Again! Again!" And both my dear companions started to clap, as Hellsing shot kisses for us, like a true Hollywood star. Gremory was the most lively of the two, clapping and screaming like a true fangirl. Me? I'm clapping too. What can I say? That was freaking awesome. "Ahahahahah! Oh my Maoh! That was awesome!"

"Thank you. Thank you! You're all lovely people! I love you all!"

"Yeah, that was pretty cool. But..." After a while, I nudged on Gremory's side. She shot her eyes to me, pretty much saying wordlessly that I was bugging her. I sighed, and pointed the forgotten subject, AKA Ana Hellsing. "... I guess we have business to attend, I guess."

"Oh, yeah! Yeah! Ninja, we have business with you!" And Gremory pointed her index finger at the ninja at the higher ground like a true attorney. The other one just smiled, and jumped down, to then low herself on the ground area, on the same level as us.

"Yeah, ainou, ainou. King stuff, peerage stuff. Actually, I was going to talk about that." Hellsing said, cracking her pointer finger with her thumb. Huh, maybe she was a ghoul too. "Like I said before, I want to be around powerful people, and in return, you want me into your peerage. Sounds fair, right?"

"Right!" Rhetorical questions should be rhetorical. But never is never with little Gremory.

"However, I don't know about my part of the deal." She clapped her hands, and cracked her middle finger the same manner she did with the pointer one. "Let's have a little game, a play for the keeps, shall we?"

"Huh?! What kind of game?!"

"Me... Versus your own peerage in a game of Cat'n'mouse. If you capture me before the closing time, I'm all yours, dear Gremory." She smiled smugly, while I looked at Gremory. I don't know what to say about her expression right now. Is this desperation? Doubt? Tranquility? I dunno, but it is scaring me. "But, of course, it won't be easy. After all, I'm a ninja."

"Huhuhuh! Okay! We agree with your terms!" And now she used 'we' like a true dictator. I'm feeling uncomfortable, and by the grip on my arm, Akabane is also kinda hesitant about that. Oh, well, time to go with the flow. "State thy conditions, bloodclot."

"Gremory... Don't say that."

"What? I'm just..."

"Ever... Again..."

Geez, Gremory...

"Very well, here's my conditions. You can't harm me, and I can't harm you. Also, I know this might sound obvious, but no killing techniques. Now...!" And before we knew it, the vampire ninja in front of us picked up a coin out of her pocket and flipped it in thin air. "The moment this coin hits the floor, the game starts, deal?!"

"Deal!" And Gremory shouted, stomping hard on the floor. I prepared myself as well, leaning a little bit forward. Akabane, on the other hand, jumped and hugged me from behind, clutching her arms and legs on me. Oh, dear...

"Okay...! Here..."

"We...!"

***TLIN!***

"G-...!"

***BAM!***

"And... Body slam, sucker!"

Everything went so fast. The moment the coin hit the floor, Gremory disappeared from where she was, leaving a red blur behind, and before I knew it, she body-slammed the vampire before she could react. With that, Hellsing eject out of her square-one and crashed first-face against a wall, with Gremory oozing steam from her left side and feet...

...

...

WHAT?!

"Woohoo! Like a bloody storm! Burning like a bloody slam! I shall carve my lineage that flows through my veins!" And Gremory turned around and smiled, striking a silly, but somehow manly, pose, the hole in the wall and the body in there still behind her. I was left speechless. Did Gremory, Gremory of all people, just body-slammed that vampire?! Unbelievable. Soon, Hellsing-San emerged from the crater Gremory made out of her and gasped a little.

"Tch... What the hell, Gremory... That wasn't... Part of our deal..." She said in between breaths. Suddenly, the king stopped hopping left and right and stood in one place, again pointing a finger at her bloodsucker enemy.

"Huh~... Looks who's talking!"

"Wha...?!"

"I knew since the beginning you wouldn't play fair, Ninja." Surprisingly enough, the vampire in front of us dropped her smile to gasp in surprise. I was just as surprised as Akabane. "If not, so why would you put traps on the holes on the floor? Why would you distract us with the coin and the show if not to arm some kind of booby-trap on us? Why?"

"Tch... Why you...?!"

"The next thing you're gonna say is:'_Good job in discovering my trick, but can you dodge it?!_'."

"Good job in discovering my trick, but can you dod-... WHAT THE...?!" I'm surprised, really surprised. Hellsing was surprised as well, stunned by how accurate Gremory has become. But after it, she snapped out of it and, in a true stealthy move, pulled a small string out of the small hole-passages in between the wood of the floor. That pull revealed a true web of strings, more and more of them being revealed under our feet, as the strings surrounded us, probably trying to wrap us in it's trap.

Suddenly, Akabane took action, and jumping out of my back, she flew through the air, filled her lungs with air and blew a true hellfire out of her mouth, forming and circle of flames around us and burning the strings of the trap.

"Nice, try, but I always have a backup plan!" The ninja said. *SNAP!* the sound of cords being ripped apart echoed through the place, as I saw a bunch of boxes falling down on Gremory, all of them held together by a now burning cord. What the hell?!

"Huh... Using the strings to hold another set holding these boxes, so that you could have a second chance on us is very clever." Gremory said. I took a glance around, and she was right, there were burned strings visible in one corner, next to the curtain wheel. Everything is going so fast, this is insane! "Too bad! For a Gremory, backup-plans are just one more nuisance until victory!"

And Gremory positioned her palms against each other in front of her chest. Out of nowhere, black veils of energy began to dance in between the two hands, as she grinned under the dark light of her power. Suddenly, the mood around me got cold, and in my sight, the only light I could see was coming from Gremory's palm.

She aimed her sight up above, and launched a true sphere of sick black fire, hitting the falling boxes and exploding them like a true devilish firework, reducing the storage cubes into black ashes, and then, to nothing. All the lights came back, and she tried to stand on foot, supporting a hand on her knee and breathing deeply.

"Oh, my. **The power of the destruction**. Bael clan's signature move. I'd never thought I'll be seeing it and not regretting after. I guess hit&amp;run with a Gremory is not a good idea after all." After that horror show, Hellsing looked at us and sighed a laugh. If she has another backup-plan or is admitting defeat, I don't know. Gremory is still regaining her breath, while Akabane went back to hug me from behind. "Well, sorry, but I guess my only choice now is a 'run&amp;run', madams!"

And out of nowhere, the vampire-ninja pulled a great and large blanket out of her pocket, and circled herself with it, the white piece of cloth covering her entire body. The moment not a single bit of her image could be seen, the blanket turned around one more time, and then fell flat on the floor like there was no one there to begin with. It took me a few seconds to realize that she'd escape!

"Hahahah! No use running away, ninja!" Gremory said, filling her lungs with air and dashing to a random door out of gym. "I'll get you! You'll be mine!"

And now, only me and Akabane in the gym. I was too shocked to do anything.

How can I say?

I'm shocked.

I mean, two whole days with her, and she gave me nothing but annoyance, names, stories, pains in the ass and overall problems over problems. Now, she just showed in front of me that other side of her. Meticulous, powerful, determinate, smart and just plain ingenious. What the...

"Gremory sure is cool, right my dear wife?" Snapping me out of that state of complete lethargy, the fox girl in my back smiled and said next to my ear. Although I hate to admi, I have to say it.

"Yeah... She's cool. Really cool, in fact." I sighed miserably. I judged her wrong... Again. This is really, really uncool. Now, I'm the least impressive person on the group. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less in being labeled as 'the weakest', my permanent title since I was in kindergarten, but to think I thought Gremory was something worst than me... I feel like trash. "Say... Akabane... Am I cool?"

***KISS**!*

"Wha...?" Instead of an answer, she gave me a kiss. A kiss right on the cheek. Huh, that was... Unexpected but welcomed.

"Aw... What? Doubting yourself, my cute little wife?" And now she pinched me right there.

"Kinda."

"Don't be like that, Ichijou-darling. I think you're cool too. Someway, somehow, anyhow, in some very average, common level, but cool nonetheless."

"Geez, thanks."

"Don't mention it. You're a devil, darling. If you wish to be cool, just say something stupid out loud. It always works for your kind, really." She smiled again, and that sentence actually caught me by surprise. Yeah, what kind of powers devils have? I already have my sacred gear, but anything else is a mystery to me. I wonder... I wonder if I can do like Gremory... "Welp, not wasting time here! We have a ninja to catch! Now, honey, activate you sacred gear and move out!"

"What? But...!"

"Don't worry, I have an idea." And before I could finish my sentence, she tapped me in the head, and smiled once more. She took a deep breath, inhaled and exhaled, and suddenly my body felt like new. Oh, wow. I feel stronger now. "I'll use my senjutsu to fill you with some stamina. After all, a connection between husband and wife should be enough for me to transfer energy to you. We're fusioned now, Ichijou-chan."

"I still don't know what this senjutsu thing is, but thanks Akabane." She tightened the grip around my waist and neck, and I could hear her giggling a little. I know she'll want something in return later, but, for now, let's show that ninja how cool we are! "I got the reference too, by the way."

"Well, it goes with the mood, right? Now, all we need is a frog."

"Later. Come forth, Boosted Gear!" I extended my arm and a show of light covered my hand soon after. There it is, the gauntlet of the dragon emperor.

**[DRAGON BOOSTER!]**

"Okay, let's go!"

**[BOOST!]**

* * *

**Yeah. Short chapter. I'm sorry. Next chapter, things are gonna be longer and more action packed. Let's put the comedy down for now. We're gonna kick some ass!**

**Thank your for reading! Stay golden~!**


	7. Vampires are cool too, right? Part 3

**Berolina - Rejoice and congratulations, everybody! High school DxD's third season, BorN, will be airing in April! Huuurah!**

**Ichijou - It's time to celebrate, right? Master Tannin, Lord Sairaorg and Lady Rosseweisse appeared in the trailer with lady Rias and Issei-senpai. And the only fanservice we got was some shots of Lady Rosseweisse. Maybe the studio will focus more in the story and badassery than the fanservice.**

**B - Huhuhuh! Maybe we got fans enough to not rely on fanservice anymore! And that's a great achievement for an ecchi series! Pervy-power!**

**Yoko - Huhuhuh... You're awfully cheerful about such event, Gremory.**

**B - Of course! Why wouldn't I? We maybe are the only Light novel that got more than 2 seasons besides DRRR!. What's not to celebrate?**

**Y - yeah, I guess you're right... It's not like Lady Rias will become a total CHUMP halfway through the season. I mean, "oppai red-haired princess", or maybe her nipples being pinched, or maybe using her breasts to stop mad Issei-sama, or maybe just losing her catch while the others like Lady Koneko, lady Akeno and, Hell, even lord Gasper, becomes stronger and stronger...**

**B *shivering* - N-N-Ninetails...**

**Y - Granted, Mother Yasaka and mistress Kunou may not appear, too. I wonder if they're gonna animate the Kyoto arc, or even the Shalba arc.**

**1 - And since we are fanfiction OC's of the series, we'd like to say that for the reader to please support the official release of the series and wait patiently for the next anime season.**

**Hellsing - Hah! Kiss my ass, shounen Jump! Your stripping chefs, homoerotic basketball players and tentacle-rapey octopuses are no match against the masters of action-fanservice!**

**1 - And please also support the official release of Shokugeki no Souma, Kuroko no Basket and Ass-Class.**

**B - Houki Minami do not own highschool DxD, thank you very much!**

**1 - And now, to the story!**

**Did the characters just make the intro for me?!**

**EDIT: Man, can't believe two years already passed since I started this fic, and looking back, this intro is cringy as hell, but kinda reminds me how naive I was. To be fair, I was expecting this fic to be forgotten from the back of my mind the moment it'd reach +- 12-chapters, and I was wrong. Hahahah... I hope I can still go on for at least another year. Wish me luck!**

* * *

"Ahahahahahahahahah! I'll destroy everything in this school as long you're one of them, Hellsing!"

Sheesh, crazy Gremory is the worst Gremory. And the game continues, I was running around with Akabane on my back, taking deep breaths and maintaining my cardio and sense of rhythm. This senjutsu thing is really great. I can feel the an aura of energy and lightness covering my being, as the feeling against my lungs was being controlled by the Ninetails. It has been almost two minutes since I last checked my Boosted Gear, and boy, even with her help, I can still feel the pressure against me every time the timer goes...

[**BOOST**!]

"And now level XII, and no sign of Hellsing. Damn it!" I said, stopping on my track and putting my Sacred Gear on standby for the n'th time. It has been one and a half hour since the game began, and Hellsing was yet to be found. Akabane and I tried to find her and be prepare for her by maximizing my boosted gear and attacking her with full power, however, this plan was troublesome for 2 reasons: 1- Akabane's limit to refill my 'spirit gauge' in total synch with myself is until level XII and; 2 - The Sacred Gear is also taking a toll out of me regardless of the Fox's support. My hand is sore and I can't help but to feel my head going blank after some time.

"Darling, we have to find Hellsing-dono as soon as possible. I can't go on much longer..." In between breaths as gasps, the Ninetails on my back said. To think She would say something nice and motivational as '_don't worry, I'll be okay_' or something like that. But she's right. I have to be quick. Or else the time limit will run out, and both of us will probably face some unpleasant feedback for this fusion.

"Oh! You called?" A door in front of us suddenly opened, revealing the smiling face of Annabelle Hellsing. I was taken back for a second, but then. I launched myself forward and punched her right in the face. Surprisingly, she didn't bother to dodge, and as soon the bit connected, she evaporated in a cloud of smoke.

"What the...? Did I get her?!" I asked, stumbling a little due to the lack of recoil from my move. Akabane gripped tighter on my shirt.

"No! That was a **shadow clone**!" She said , looking around above my head, frenetically looking for something on higher ground.

Personally, I'm trying to not to think about the fact that she's smoothing her breasts right on the back of my head...

"Curses! She used a kekkai-barrier to vanish from my radar! Granted, your punch was enough for me to take a sniff out of her chakra and pinpoint her location, but..." And then she stopped. Took another sniff in the air, and looked to an specific direction. "But her shadow clones are messing with my senses!"

"What is that? What do you mean, Akabane?!"

"This means..."

"She can't find the real me... Because everyone is me!" And my ears caught the sound of several doors sliding open in the corridor. All of them, slide opening at the same time, and within, they revealed several, numerous, uncountable Hellsing's. Many, many, many clones of the greenette popping out of nowhere, soon surrounding us and cracking their middle finger with their thumbs. "Everyone! Including her! And her! And her and her! And her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her and her! All is me! I am all!"

"Ugh...!"

"And now... Charge!"

And the moment the order was given, all of them ganged on us, from all directions. I summoned my boosted Gear out of desperation, and feeling another wave of energy, I circled around myself to bash the clones away and try to jump away from them. Surprisingly, I did it, and ironically, I jumped out of the window to save my life, landing hard on the ground, but aside from the sudden scare, I was fine from it. My legs aren't sore at all. So... Is this the power of my sacred Gear?

"Hey, Akabane, are you okay?" With my clothes a mess and some bruises and cuts around my face, I asked to my little husband on my back. Her bow had fallen from her head, revealing her little fox ears twitching, and her face was a little bruised and her eyepatch was a little out of place, but aside from that, I didn't see any major injuries.

"Yeah! I'm fine." She nodded back. We looked back to the school building, and like a true horror film, the hundreds of Hellsing clones were jumping out of the window, making a small mount of fallen clones, all the ones not falling properly disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I deactivate my Boosted Gear to save my own energy. If I get caught because of breath, It's over. "I get it. Those shadow clones are unstable. A small amount of chakra malware should be enough to get rid of them!"

"And how are we gonna do that with... Hundreds of them?" I asked.

"Do you... Believe in me, Tsukino Ichijou?" she asked me back, looking at me deeply in the eyes and in a more serious tone. Wow, she means it.

"Out of the alternatives in hand... Yes, yes, I believe in you."

"Okay, so... Charge!"

"Wait, what?"

"**CHARGE**!"

Out of sheer belief and maybe scare by the sudden volume in her voice, I followed Akabane's order and dashed to the remaining shadow dollpangangers, all of them charging back on us. Now, I'm regretting everything. There's no way we will survive that one. From all directions, circling and surrounding us, the green-haired copies were about to gang on us again, and I was already closing my eyes to the upcoming clash. And here we go...!

Suddenly, silence. Out of nowhere, I felt soft, small hands covering my ears, as peace and quietness reached me in a second. Out of surprise, I opened my eyes, and saw all the other clones around me being countered violently against us, like some kind of force field was lifted around me and Akabane, pushing all other elements away. The shadow clones were flying aimlessly in the air, just to explode in a cloud of smoke and return to nothingness. In the end, none of them left. I looked it up and see Akabane smiling, and then coughing a little, removing her hands out of my ears. What just happened?

"Hey, you okay, Akabane? What happened?" I asked her, as she was catching her breath. The fox girl took a deep breath, inhaled and exhaled, and spoke in a rather hoarse voice.

"I channeled my energy... Down my lungs... And released a long-distance chakra move..." She stopped to cough, and then continued. "A roar to disrupt or simply stun the energy flow of nearby targets. Great move."

"Yeah..." That one was awesome. I couldn't expect less of a Ninetails, mother of all haunts around the land of the rising sun. Man, today sure is a day full of surprises, and the only one being the load around here... Is me.

"Hey, hey, honey. Lift your left arm."

"Huh...?" That's an odd request.

"Yep. C'mere, lift your boosted gear arm and give me your hand."

"Errr... Okay." That's pretty strange, but since she's the one on the mission control position for now, I guess I have no choice. I proceeded to do just that, and brought my hand next to her. She smiled, picked it up and... Licked my fingers?! Wait, is she... Swallowing my fingers?! Oh, I can feel her teeth, tongue and cheeks lightly crushing and massaging the appendices of my haaaand! And she's moaning very erotically while doing so! Okay! That should be enough! I swift my hand away from her, and looked at my hand bathed in saliva, as she gripped even tighter around me and trembled while mumbling gibberish. "Holy shit, Akabane! What the Hell!"

"Oh~... My dear, dear wife tastes so good~... If his soft skin and delicious sweat are enough to make me like this~..." She continued, trembling and tighten her grip around me. I turned around, and I could see her face doing a very... Suggestive expression, a drool of saliva escaping out of her lips. I slapped her away from it.

"Care to explain?!"

"Oh, sorry, I was just... Enjoying the moment." And I could feel just a vein snapping in my brain, probably breaking a stroke. My face was probably caught by Akabane's sight, as she shifted back to her usual composed self and clean up her own uniform. "Anyway, my little wife, the sun in my life, I noticed your little down-tone, and you're on self-doubt again, right?"

"..." Bullseye. To a girl with an eyepatch, she's pretty sharp.

"Huhuhuh~, so, instead of something like 'y_ou can do i_t' or '_I believe in yo_u', I'll give you something of a start: I disrupted the flow of energy around your hand. It should be easy for you to shot some magic out of it with this."

"And... How do I shot magic?"

"just think of something cool for the time. Trust me, you'll catch it in no time." And she smiled back. This was actually pretty cool and reliable. Another side of another person. The cunning, strategical and caring side of Akabane Yoko. "Just be sure to charge your boosted gear properly. By your level of demonic energy, maybe a little boost won't hurt."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"And... Maybe I sucked I little of life energy out of you for a quick snack."

"Wonderful." I resume to call my Boosted Gear, as she snuggled my head with her hands and chest. Honestly, it does feels good to be spoiled a little. But first thing's first, we have to find Gremory. We have... Ten minutes before closing time. "Hey, Akabane, have you any idea where Gremory could possibly be? I mean, can't you use your senjutsu for this?"

"..."

"Akabane...?"

"Wait for it..."

"Wait for wh-...?"

"The fate of this own Bloodline! JOOOOOOOOJO!" And put of nowhere, a window on he second floor exploded, and with it, hundreds of Hellsing's shadow clones came out of it screaming before vanishing in thin air. Only one remained, and it was battling against Gremory herself. "Give up already, Ninja?"

"As if, Gremory!" The ninja smirked, as she picked a kunai knife out of her pocket to throw it against Gremory. The redhead dodged and, making a flip in midair, kicked the ninja right in the face, making her face hit the outside of the school wall. My king landed right next to us.

"And... The rest is silence!" And really, she landed right next to us and pointed her finger to the high heavens. I was again speechless. She looks so cool right now. Totally different from the first Gremory I met. I wonder, is this cool Gremory a facade of the true ditzy Gremory, or is the total opposite? She snapped out of her own head, and looked at us. "Oh, hey, guys. What's hip-happening? Any luck? I found the ninja in time! Are we feeling lucky yet, punk?!"

"..."

"What...?"

"Nothing. You're our Gremory, alright." The fox on top of me said nonchalantly. I sighed at that.

"Seriously, Gremory. You might have a disorder. Doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Only... Kinda jarring."

"Well, it's a family trait! You can be awesome and funny at the same time! Ever wondered how the world would be if only powerhouse wall-faces were around?"

Huh... I never thought about that...

***CRACK!***

"Wow! Wow! Such much hot spirit! So much awesomeness! So much adrenaline! I might grown a beard from the sheer amount of testosterone coming from the girls! Not much from the boy, though..." And we heard a cracking noise in the air, as we pointed our sight to a part of the school building. Emerging from the smoke she created herself, the greenette vampire was cracking her smaller finger, smiling at us. "I must say, I knew the Gremorys were a family full of leaders and impressive personals, but I never thought one of them would leave me like this. I'm beyond impressed, to be honest!"

"See?! That's the power of the Gremory house! And with the red dragon and a Ninetails by my side, no harm may come to me!" And again with the fearless speech, seriously. One more of those and I probably will have to order some bread and eggs around. Even with that sarcastic mental comment, I stood up for myself and walked besides Gremory, readying myself for a possible future clash.

"Y'know... Ninjas are cool too, Gremory." The ninja spoke, much to my confusion as well as the rest of my crew. Yes, ninjas are indeed cool, but she will hold an entire fight for that? "Ninjas are pretty famous and awesome. To the point of overestimation, sure, but cool nonetheless. I mean, pirates, vampires, super-heroes and even gods of death have their reputation, but who is always on top on the pop-culture? Ninjas. The cool ones, the western ones, the turtle ones, the bouncy ones, even those who are in-name only."

"Where are you getting at, ninja?" Gremory spoke for us.

"What I'm saying is..." She suddenly bit her finger, and drawn a little trace of blood from it. Soon after, faster that my eyes could see, she made a strange combination of handsigns and smirked one more time at us. And then, she disappeared. "Ninjas are cool, right? So, is mandatory for them to have awesome powers too!"

"W-What...?!"

Too fast! Very fast! In a moment, she was at a safe distance from us, and in a second later, the ninja appeared in between us, holding a chuckle. Out of instinct, I turned around and tried to punch her, but I was push back by some kind of powerful wind gust. Gremory and I were push back, and I lost my balance, losing my contact with the ground and being taken away by the wind. The redhead regained her balance by unfolding her wings, but again in a flash, the greenette appeared in front of her, and picked her up by the hair.

"Feeling lucky yet, punk?" Hellsing said, as she stomped hard on the opposite direction of which Gremory was pushed and stomped hard on the floor. Like a true tosser, she dragged Gremory by the hair and tossed her with full speed to the school building, coming down crushing it and disappearing in a cloud of smoke!

"Gremory!" I shouted, and now she turned to me. Damn it! I blinked, and there she was, right in front of me, ready to attack!

"Darling!" At the nick of the time, Akabane tilted my head to a side using her hands, forcing me to dodge as well as covering my ears. She positioned her head next to my own and, by the motion of her face, she screamed again. Again, a shockwave of chakra seemed to push the ninja away, but while she was gliding in midair, she motioned with her mouth, and spat something to us. A small glimpse of light passed near my head, and suddenly, Akabane's grip around me loosed up. And soon after, she fell from my back and collapsed on the floor.

"Akabane!" I screamed, looking at her immobile body on the floor and trying to regain her senses. Her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed to have trouble talking. In a moment, I saw a small medical needle piercing an area next to her neck. What the...?! I quickly retrieved it out of her, and suddenly she returned to her own self, coughing a little, but fainting soon after. "What... What happened?!"

"Acupuncture needles. In the right hands, they can hit harder than neurotoxins." In another flash, the ninja showed behind me, preparing a kick! I knew it wouldn't work, but out of instinct, I crossed my arms in an 'X' to defend against it!

**[BOOST!]**

***KICK! DOOOOOON!***

"Ugh!" The resulting shockwave of the two forces made me back up a little, but, surprisingly, I was okay enough. I turned to the ninja and, with steam oozing out of her assaulting leg, smirked at me. My boosted Gear shined again. Maybe is the adrenaline, but I'm getting used to this stuff. Okay, Ichijou, don't think too much, only try to be cool.

"Nice defense, Red Dragon-kun. But, like I said, I'm a ninja!" And she spat more and more needles in my direction. C'mon, Ichijou! Think cool! Feeling a little more confident, I waved my boosted Gear against them. I just need... To think cool!

[**BOOST**!]

And with my extra boost, the resulting gust of wind blew the needles away. I stopped for a second for my brain to process how unbelievably cool that was, and, with that moment of distraction, she flash-stepped in front of me. She tried to punch me, but I countered with another one, our fists clashed. I backed up a little, but stomped hard on the floor, and continued to defend myself against her rush of kicks and punches!

"Cool! Very cool! Not bad, Red Dragon!" She said, as she continued to machine-gun-punch me with all of her speed. My cardio was going out of control, and despite the minimal damage against my body, I could no longer breath more than nanoseconds. My vision began to blur, and with that second of distraction, the ninja sneaked a hand through my defense and punched me right in the chest, making the remaining air in my lungs jump out of my system.

"Ufff...!" I choked on my own air, and backed up, trembling all the way, my hands stopping on their tracks and falling due to the dying strength in me. Hellsing laugh it out.

"Like I said, ninjas are very cool."

Yeah... Ninjas are really cool...

...

...

"Yeah, but..." And in a desperation attack, I grabbed her assaulting hand and pulled her closer to me, my heart going crazy for oxygen. So sudden, she didn't had the time to react, and in a second, I connected my left hand against her stomach, pushing her away with all of my might! Be cool, Ichijou! Just this once, BE COOL! "But... BUT...!"

[**EXPLOSION!]**

"DEVILS CAN BE COOL TOO!" I screamed, as the sudden wave of power recharged my energy and made push harder! I used all of it on my left hand, and the resulting force blew Hellsing away, as a blast of red energy shined and exploded behind her, leaving a true aftermath of an inferno behind her.

After that, silence. Hellsing suddenly fell silent, a hole in her uniform where I punched her. There was nothing too serious, just a burn mark, but the impact was probably too much. I looked at my Sacred Gear, and then, it announced a new word,** [RESET]**. After that, my body felt heavier, but nothin too serious. I put it in standby and it vanished soon after. With that done, I tried to regain my breath, putting all of my height in an arm and supporting it on my knee. I think... It's over... It's over...

***PUF**!*

"What...?" And when things seemed to calm down, the ninja in front of my suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and then, falling to the ground, there was a small log with a small note. 'Idiot!'. "Ah! What the hell is th-...!"

***GRAB**!*

"What?!"

"Ninja art: Head hunter!" And with that, a hand appeared from the ground, grabbing my ankle. I didn't even have the time to react, as it pulled me to the ground and, in one second, buried me up to the shoulders, only my head out of the ground. When I thought things couldn't get any worse, the ninja sprouted from it, dusted a little of dirt off her uniform, and turned around to face me. "So... Who's the cool one, now?"

"..." I said nothing, as she bent next to me to face me. In a small second, I caught a glimpse of her silver stockings with garter-belt. Not much, not that I wanted to see it or anything. In the end, I sighed. "You. You're the cool one."

"Pem! Wrong answer, red dragon-kun." She spoke, smiling at me. This surprised me, and she pat me on the head. "We're both cool. Of course, one of us is the coolest, but... Overall, we're both awesome. Truth to be told, dragon, I don't think I'd be conscious now if it wasn't for my substitution technique."

"Oh. I get it. Substitution technique. Silly me. And thinking it was something that MAKES SENSE!" I deadpanned. She laughed.

***CRACK**!*

"Well, it was fun and games, but I think I won." She said with a satisfied tone. I could only sigh. Yeah, how many do we still have? About two minutes? Yeah, no hope at that. But... It was actually kinda neat to have this kind of activity with... Friends? I dunno, but it was a good experience. Not that I would do it again, though. "In the end, the champion was the obvious one. After all, I'm a ninj-..."

***BOOOM**!*

"What the..."

"NINJAAAAAAAAAAHHH...!" And when things couldn't get crazier, exploding out of an storm of dust, Gremory appeared out of nowhere, ejecting herself out of the school building in the most awesome and dandy way possible. She hit the ground, and was now sliding her way to us!

"D-Damn! I don't have much chakra left!" The ninja in front of me said, using hand-signs again. "I need to teleport out of here! I have to...!"

***PUNCH**!*

"**TIGHT YOUR ASSHOLE AND GRIT THOSE TEETH, YOU BEEEEEATCH!**!" And too late: before Hellsing could finish whatever she was doing, Gremory punched her so hard she was sent flying away, practically teleporting from in front of me to the other side of the otter grounds. In the end, she hit a wall, and then, lifelessly fell to the ground. I was afraid that the punch killed her, but after a while, she twitched a little. With that, I sighed in relief. Thank Maoh. "that's for messing with my hair! Nobody, NOBODY, messes with my hair!"

"Errr... Gremory..."

***SNAP!***

"Oh... What the hell is the ninja doing there? I guess she gave up! Oh, my Maoh! Now I have a knight!" And she snapped back to the Gremory I love...** To stand.** She looked around, and finally caught me in her scan, smiling soon after. "Oh! Hello, Ichijou's disembodied head! Did you hear it? I'm getting a knight!"

"..."

"..."

"...?"

"Kyaaaah! The horror! The ninja cut Ichijou's head off! Oh, the humanity!" She screamed out of nowhere, breaking a small tantrum in front of me and, before I could explain what was going on, she fainted, falling on her ass on the floor. And here we go with that stupid stripped panties again. I sighed. What a day...

After a while. I finally got off the ground, literally, and helped everybody to stand up again. With explanations given, and Seinfeld conversations to boot being spoken, we finally managed to get Hellsing as our Knight, a vampire-ninja-devil, that's simply dangerously cool. So, now we have one more member in Berolina Gremory's peerage...

I wonder if things are gonna be okay by the end of all of this...

* * *

**Yep! Longer chapter, longer fighting scenes, just your average DxD fic. Not much to say! Stay golden and wait for surprises!**


	8. EXTRA: my dark secret!

**DxD, out of nowhere!**

**And now, with that little arc done and with the first part of my story finished, I guess we can go with a little extra chapter with no plot and just for the fanservice and idiocy I usually write in those. The plot(?) will continue in the next chapters, don't you worry about it.**

**EDIT: Ichijou was so pure back here... Still a virgin, though...**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me, thank you.**

* * *

1...

2...

3...

Inhale...

1...

2...

3...

Exhale...

1...

2...

3...

Inhale...

1...

2...

3...

4...

Exhale...

Oh, that one took one second longer...

This is what happens when you wake up with tits in front of you after a while. Sure, in the beginning, it's exciting and shocking, but after some time, it kinda loses all the novelty in it. It's like eating your favorite dish for every meal: it's good and great, but in the end, you'll get sick of it and eat a banana instead.

I digress. Here I am, with my face in between Gremory's breasts, bored to death, counting how many seconds she takes to inflate and desinflate her chest. I would kick her out of my bed or say something to make her leave, but alas, I can't. My body is still bruised and sore because of yesterday's match, and even with Gremory's... **CAHAM**! Method of healing, the fatigue's still running through my body. **Everything sucks...**

Well, better take my morning shower. I slugged out of Gremory's grasp, and replaced myself with my giant pillow, she didn't even noticed the different, as she cuddled even more with it. Sick, that's just sick when you think about it.

No time wasting here, I better be going. I picked some of my clothes in my closet, no Akabane this time, and rushed to the shower room. Since it's Sunday, my sisters are usually out to party of just buy things for the upcoming week. I'm all home alone with my king and maybe a Ninetails. Ninja has her own home, so I guess she probably isn't around. Thank... Maoh, no more pretty freeloaders. So, I was about to a take off my shirt and open the door to the bathroom, but then it hits me: I'm in a house full of women, which means that is probably someone by the other side of the Bathroom door. And then the following will occur: seeing someone naked-massive boobage- things get out of hand- I die from blood loss. Not necessarily in that order, or with all said items happening. The proper response is to knock. So I did just that.

"You're not gonna fool me this time, gag door." I said to the door, my still somewhat sane mind knowing it wouldn't respond. Nothing from the other side, maybe the area is really clean. I opened the door, and really, there was only the air, a small steam coming from the bathtub and my personal hygiene stuff...

Wait. I don't know anyone who baths this early.

I came closer to the source of the steam, and taking a quick peak at it, I saw that it was filled with some kind of... Colored water? I dunno, but it looks like lemonade at best and piss at worst. Actually, it smells really good, like nothing I've ever smelled. A quick sniff was enough for me to want to take a quick dive. But would that be acceptable? Moreover, this doesn't sound really... There. Just that. Bath-salts are not really my thing, and since I'm messing with the supernatural lately, maybe this water is some kind of Blob monster trying to take my life... Or virginity. It would be a very awkward college talk if that ever happens...

'_So, did you pop your cherry already?'_

_'Yeah, just the usual stuff: I was raped by a blob monster while taking a bath.'_

Ah, what the hell. After a quick bath, I dived in anyway. The moment I did just that, however, I felt a incredible boost of energy flowing into my body, as suddenly I was refilled with will and good vibes. All of my fatigue was gone, and I felt a lot stronger and vivid. It's like a massage from... Whatever devils worship. Before I knew it, I was sinking on my own blissfulness, with only the upper part of my face, from up to my nose, still not submerged.

Ohhh~... Ahhh~... This feels good~... Bath salts hits the spot... Oh, hey, Ms. Fox, how are you?

...

...

Meh, whatever, I'm feeling too good to care. But, for protection, I stood up only to pick a towel and put it around my waist, diving again. The fox, your typical shrine fox, yipped happily at me, and took her way to sit on my covered lap. I sighed, and pat her in the head, splashing some water on her head.

"Akabane, don't you dare turn back to normal." I said, seeing at least nine small tails coming from her rear. The fox in my lap turned her head around to face me, and smiled.

"What? This is my normal form, my dear wife. But if you want me to change to my usual form so bad~..." And I patted her on the head instead. We're feeling so good in here, no need to be upset. She moaned as she laid on my chest. Yep, nothing to care. "This bath salts I brought from the Toono sure hits the spot. Nurarihyon-kun owns me a favor, anyway."

"Oh, you mean the leader of the youkai?"

"The leader of the Youkai **Parade**. I'm the leader of Youkai. Please, do not mistake the two of us." Huh, pride. Typical, youkais are prideful creatures. From animes and mangas I got this kind of trivia.

"Oh, well, even if you weren't, you'd still be my husb-... **Akabane**!"

"Did you say something?"

"No! No! Not at all!"

"Huh~... Okay, I believe in you."

Phew. Bullet dodged. Damn it, I'm starting to care. Not just for Akabane, but for Gremory too. I can't care! If I start to care, I'll end up just like my father. With another sigh, I submerged on this supernatural water, bubbling it to distract myself. No, those two are only with me for what I am, not who I am, no feelings for me at all, they just want the D... ragon.

"Well, I think is time for us to leave." Akabane said, walking(?) away from my lap and then turning to face me. She smiled, and then started to pat her own head, reaching her little paw for the eyepatch next to her eye. "But since is a pain to dry all of this fur, I better change to my human form."

Wait, what?!

"Akabane, don't you dare...!"

***PUF!***

"Shameless fanservice!" I screamed, covering my eyes and trying to lost the vision of herself in between the mist of hot water, as she exploded herself in a pink smoke the moment she reached her eyepatch and put it in its rightful place. A moment had passed, And I was wondering what I would do to her the moment she covers herself.

"Teehee... No worries, my darling."

"Akabane! Wait until I...!" I uncovered my eyes to look at her, and the moment I did that, there she was, in her human form, wearing a school swimsuit, a leotard-like piece of rubber with a name right in front of it. She was... Wearing a swimsuit.

"I was wearing this thing the whole time. I'm sorry, but it's so fun to tease my dear, dear wife..."

"..."

"Darling?"

"..."

"Honey?"

"..."

"Ichijou, you're scaring me."

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH...!**

**SWIMSUITS! MY ONLY WEAKNESS!**

Boobs in the face? I can handle! Naked ladies? I can handle! Endless teasing from tits and asses? I can handle! But SWIMSUITS?! No! I can't! I can't stand swimsuits! And not just school ones! Teeny-weenies! Polka dots! Slingshots! Frilleds! Gymnastics! Surfer ones! Bikinis! My only weakness! My only perversion!

Okay, Ichijou! Stay calm! Stay calm! Don't let her know, or else she will use this against you! Stay cool! Keep it cool! One step and it's over!

"Akabane..." I stood up from where I was sat, crossed my arms to maintain my straight man figure, and took a deep breath.

"Yes...?" She said, tilting her head to a side and shooting me a confused look. From here I can see she has a perfect human body, as she got only two of 'those' pouting out of her swimsuit, and not multiple as a fox would.

"..."

"...?"

...

[_Good morning~.]_

'Good morning' my ass! Stay down, you...!

[_okay~.]_

"Akabane..."

"Darling...?"

Deep breath... Stay calm... Deep breath... Control your urges... Deep breasts...

**DAMN IT!**

"THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL!" And I payed my last vote of respect out of her, and then dashed out of the bathroom, using my newly recovered strength and energy to get the hell out of there! Now, wearing only a towel, I blindly ran into the unknown.

"Oh, good morning, Ichijo-... GAAAAAAAAH...!"

"Gremory...!"

***BASH!***

***FALL!***

***GROPE!***

"Uwah~...!"

...

...

Oh father, son and unholy ghost that rules the underworld, thank you for this gift called Gremory's naked breasts, as they are avoided the trauma my body would have from it's encounter with the floor.

Just because I don't go with Gremory's tease, doesn't mean I don't appreciate breasts.

"Errr... Ichijou-kun?"

"Huh?"

"Could you... Please... Be gentler? You'll mold my breasts that way, and I don't want that." She said to me, trembling a little with the uncomfortable feeling. Can't blame her, I was practically trying to milk her, the way my hands were sinking into her fat mounds. Damn it! I'm on my limit!

"Oh, sorry." I said as I removed my hands and tried to get off of her, but then...

"Darling? What happened? Did you...?"

***SLIP!***

"Ohh...!"

***FALL***

***SLIDE!***

...

They're touching me...

The wet rubber and the warm from Akabane's own body are touching my back... Gremory's oppai are rubbing my face... There's no escape... I'm sandwiched...

...

I give up.

***FUUUSH!***

"Kyaaah! What happened?! Ichijou-kun is bleeding!"

"Oh no! Does the Toonoo Salts have collateral ailments with devils?!"

"Akabane! You killed my queen! I'll never forgive you!"

"Or he's just as a pervert as Issei-sama."

And so ends the Tale of Tsukino Ichijou, the wielder of the Infamous Boosted Gear.

THE END. (Actually, no. C U next chapter.)

* * *

**Yeah. Even Ichijou can be a little perverted and have his little fetish. But, of course, since nobody fights or rules the underworld wearing only swimsuits, hardly he will be known as the 'SWIMSUIT RED DRAGON'. Ddraig would be disappointed yet again. Nobody is made of steel.**

**EDIT: I think the best way to call him would be "Mizugiryuutei". Hah!**

**So... Thank you for your time. Stay golden!**


	9. Unlucky is not quite the word

**Hey there, people of the DxD fandom. How are you? Ready for season BorN? I am, for sure. This season will also be full of good anime, like JoJo SC part 2, ass-class and that anime that seems just like DxD plus 3-seven. It's gonna be a fun season ride until that cooking manga and BorN. Yeah, too bad. Enough rant for now, let's start volume 2 of Legacy!**

**...**

**Heheheh, fangirl-ism.**

**EDIT: I was wrong, everything went wrong with that season, and BoRN's season wasn't any better! Better hope that the last season of 2016 will at least enjoyable! Wish me luck!**

**Highschool DxD does not belongs to me. Thank you.**

* * *

**The king,** the leader, the pillar and the holder. The strongest amount it's servants, the king is the pillar that holds and unites the remaining pieces, their commander, their father. Only high-class devils are allowed to hold the title of King and be grant the remaining pieces to turn beings of another races their devil servants. Needless to say, if the king falls, so does it's pieces. The title that **Berolina Gremory** holds.

**Pawns**. The enforcers, the minions. Once in enemy territory, they can use an special move exclusive for them called '**promotion**', which when they can adopt the other singular abilities of the remaining pieces aside from the King's. 8 remaining pieces.

**The rook**. The heavies, the tanks. Strong, unstoppable, immobile, the class that uses brute force against the odds in front of them and their Kings. However, due to the overwhelming physical prowess, their mobility is highly reduced, making them perfect for closed space, but with little advantage in open ones. Two remaining pieces.

**The knight.** The cavalry, the masters of speed. Faster than the eyes can see. The sword of the king, no matter how many tries it takes, the knight shall fulfill it's mission before it's enemies could ever wonder what happened. Despite the weak physical attribute, knights can take down enemies with it' speed. After all, Even a dull knife can kill if used enough times at the right spots. The title that **Annabelle Helsing** holds, one more piece to go.

**The bishop**. The supporter, the mission-controller. Powerful spell-casters with magical supportive and offensive abilities. No need for brute force or movements, only the right enchantments, and in the right time. However, glass cannons, hard to go against, easy to defeat. Two remaining pieces.

And finally. **The queen,** the jack of all stats, the right-hand man. The most powerful piece, as it balances the power of the three lesser pieces, making it the master of them all, but a novice in every single one of them alone. The title that I, **Tsukino Ichijou**, hold.

That's the evil piece system, created by lord Ajuka Beelzebub, used to create new generations of devils and servants, for the underworld to regain it's former glory of prosperity and power, without the fear of tomorrow!

" Did you get it now, Ichijou-kun?"

"Yeah, I guess. Also..."

***TAK!***

"Checkmate."

"Waaaah! Again?!"

Sunday morning, rain is not falling. It's quite sunny today actually. That's why me and Gremory** (Akabane is back home, sleeping due the bath-induced grog)** are here at the park, just relaxing, as I try building even more immunity against the solar rays. I feel a little dizzy, but this is nothing compare to the headbreaking headaches I was dealing beforehand. Since we're at the park, my redhead King decided to finally show me this Evil-piece system thing, as she organized a small game of chess. I rather play card games since luck comes and goes with me, but since she was in a good mood and I was given the opportunity to understand the game and this system, I couldn't say no. She explained the basic rules for me, we had a little chit-chat, and finally the game began, as she explained to me each piece in this system created by Lord Ajuka Beelzebub, a former Leader of hell. Basically, it's almost like an RPG, with the soldier(pawn), the brute(rook), the thief( knight), the mage(bishop), the paladin(queen, me) and the leader(king). Everything as we played.

Another thing: Gremory sucks at chess. Like... Really sucks. **Capital R** at that.

"Uh... Rematch?" She asked. I just sighed, and we rearranged the pieces for the fourth time. She just explained to me the rules and taught me some basic strategies, yet, here I am, kicking her ass with wooden figures. And no, I'm not a hidden genius, she just sucks. Her first move is the pawn in front of the king, so that she can move that one for the whole match. FOR. THE. WHOLE. MATCH. Forward!

"Gremory, I know I'm still a novice with this game, but I don't think moving your King in the leads has any advantages." If it does, than she didn't explain everything to me, and that's cheating. She just put a smug smile on her face and crossed her arms.

"Huhuhuh... But that would not be the right choice, Ichijou-kun." She said, as she picked her king and placed it right next to my chain of pawns. She just put herself on check, I thought that was illegal. "After all, If the king does not lead... How can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

"That strategy is fricking stupid! Nobody will follow a suicidal king!" I said, checkmating her with a pawn. She just turned her face to another side, now crying rivers. She knows this is a stupid strategy. Downright retarted! This probably killed somebody before!

"I know! I know, Ichijou-kun~! I just wanted to sound cool! I'm sorry~!" And she cried anime tears, hitting her head on the table and Rolling side to side as she wetted the board and let the pieces drop from the rock table on the park. I sighed at that. As always, I'm the center of all the attention due to my scandalous companion. This can't get any worse. Suddenly, however, Gremory stopped, and turned her head to a side, in a way she could stare at me, and smiled. "Y'know, Ichijou-kun? I trust you."

"What?" Well, that was unexpected.

"You're right. If the king fall, so does it's pieces. Kings shouldn't lead on a battlefield. If one does, it means it doesn't trust it's subordinates, it looks down on them, thinks they're incompetent and it's the wisest and strongest. Kings should give the commands and trust their subordinates so that they can proceed without any problems." She dried the last drops of comical tears from her eyes and lifted herself to face me. She looked at me deep in the eyes and smiled. "So I trust you, my dear queen! As a Gremory, I believe in you and in your strength! I'll be on your care as a King, so please support and cherish our bond from today onwards!"

No doubt now, I blushed. Holy shit, I can feel the steam coming out of my heeeead~!

***SMACK!***

"Ow! Why did you hit me?!"

"It's because... It's because you...!" It was out of reflex, I just punched Gremory's ear out of instinct, but in the end, that was an unfair attack. What the hell happened? She just said something really cool, and suddenly I couldn't help myself but to punch her. This is confusing. With nothing to say or do, I just lowered my head in shame. "S-Sorry, Gremory. I just... I don't know."

"That was mean, Ichijou-kun. I'm sorry for whatever it is, but that really hurt."

"No, It was... Just... Sorry, Gremory." I couldn't say a thing about this whole incident, and that's so lame and wrong. What the hell. What's this storm in my mind and stomach? I need some time to think. "Sorry about that, Gremory. I'll... I'll take a walk to clean my mind! Sorry about that!"

And before she could protest, I stood up from my rock chair and dashed to a random side, losing myself deep into the trees of the park. I also have to think about a payback about the mess I did.

After five minutes of jogging, I finally stopped In the middle of the park. Since I'm not that athletic, I had to support myself next to a tree to catch my breath and regain my strength. In the end, I took my way to... Somewhere, anywhere, while putting my head in check.

Uuuh~... I feel awful, not for just punching Gremory without any good reason, but also for what she said. The moment she smiled at me and said those words, suddenly, I felt the urge to do something with her... And harm her was the closest thing I could grasp. That was not cool at all. Ugh... Now I'm having a stomachache, not because of the running, but because something else. Did I eat something bad this morning? I mean, aside a raw steak to regain blood?

Ugh. My head is a mess, my stomach hurts and all I want to do is punch Gremory for some reason. Some odd, twisted and strange reason. Am I a sadist? Am I one of those guys who like to hurt girls? Maybe walking too much with pretty girls is messing with my mind. This sucks...

***BAM!***

"Whoa...!"

"Kyah...!"

So distracted with myself, I ended up bumping into someone. Whatever it was, it was smaller than me, so I could maintain my own balance and stand up, while the other wasn't as lucky, and ended up falling on the ground. When I finally came to my senses, I took a look at the thing that I bumped with: a small, pretty, brunette girl with pale skin and wearing a nun outfit. She was actually pretty cute, and from the angle here, I could see her modest white panties from under her robe.

What the hell am I thinking? I extended a hand to her and she grabbed it, standing up.

"Oh, thank you." She said with a smiled.

"No problem. Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." I spoke back. Her smile vanished as she make a surprised expression.

"Oh, can you understand me?" She asked with confusion, as I too made an question mark for that? If I can understand her? Of course? How can I not?

"Uhh... Yes, I guess." I said, unsure for what she meant.

"Oh, good. Since The Church back from were... I mean, where I'm from sent me hear... Here! I were afraid that I couldn't... Wait... Wouldn't be able to talk to others!" She smiled. Well, her japanese isn't too shabby, but I can understand her. A foreign, huh? I don't see any problems with her talking to me. Although I better stay away from her, since she's from the church and stuff._"Could you please take me to the mall?"_

"Huh...?"

"Can you understand me?"

"Yeah... Of course... You say 'can you take me to the mall', I guess...?"

"Oh, good!" She clapped her hands with a smile. I don't get it. "How about now... _Three Russian men walked down the street_?"

"Uh... Three Russian men walked down the street?"

"Eheheheh... Good, good." She clapped her hands again, smiling brightly. From my point of view, things are pretty weird. I mean, what the hell she wants will all of that questions? She stopped clapping and then reached her small fragile hand to a pocket of her religious robe. "Now, try to understand this... Die, devil."

"What...?!"

***VOOSH!***

"Head's up, dragon!"

***PUSH!***

***CLINK! CLINK!* *CLASH!***

Everything went so fast. From what I could discern, the little nun reached for her pocket, and from here, pulled a strange shiny dagger. Before she could cut me down, however, a green flash showed in front of me and pushed me away, then clashing blades with the lady of God. The recoil pushed both away, and then, there she was, the vampire-demon-ninja Annabelle Hellsing, holding a kunai in one hand, wearing hotpant jeans, a black shirt with a red mini-jacket and black boots, a small purse wrapped to her belt.

"Phew. That was close." She said to no one, now turning her attention to me. "Dragon, are you okay?"

"Yeah... I guess." I stood up from the ground and dusted my clothes a little. The nun from the other side, who had hit a tree and slid to the floor, did the same and picked her dagger from the floor again.

"Aw~, way to ruin my fun, you joy killer." The nun said, sticking her tongue out and winking at us. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed around her: instead of sweet and innocent, it was mad and assassin-ish. It sent shivers down my spine. "But, oh, what I found here? Now, I have two devils in my grasp. Huhuhuh... That should be interesting."

She licked the blade of her dagger, a golden one with an grip resembling a cross and with jewelry adorning the edge of the blade. In a second, she vanished, and in another, she was just a few inches from us! Ninja was faster, as she pushed me to the ground, the nun smoothly passed her weapon too close from us, and before she could do anything else, Hellsing jumped and kicked her right in the face, making her fly backwards, hitting some trees in the process.

"Okay, what the hell is happening?!" I stood up and shout that to the ninja. She just covered her ears like it was none of her business, and sticked me a smartass grin.

"So loud. Don't be like that. I just saved you from an exorcist. Show some gratitude, geez..." She said in a deadpan tone, probably facing her statement as a joke, then pulled some more ninja weapons out of her purse, only to end up with the katana with black blade. Wait...

"Wait! Really? Exorcists?!" I asked.

"Yep. Y'know, Pazuzu, Amy Rose, Cel. Stinkmeaner, those freak-hunters that just attacks without any warning. Pretty rude. Even casanovas at least pays for some dinner." Hellsing said with another grin. I could only stare at disbelief. "Good thing I was stalking you and Gremory, or else you'd be with the wind by now."

"Yeah, good thing inde-... You were doing WHAT?!"

"Collecting data. I'm a ninja, after all." The vampire simply gave me a thumb up, cracking her fingers with it soon after. She was probably enjoying my completely horrified expression, but then turned her attention to the nun-exorcist by the other side, who was standing up, her weapon at hands. "So, miss Nun-Exorcist..."

"My name is Clare. **Clare Veritas**. Un-pleased to me you." She bowed a little to us, still with that uneasy, disturbing sweet smile of her.

"Likewise, miss Clare. So..."

***CRACK!***

"... Any good reason to attack us? I mean, I know you're an exorcist and all, but do you know who we are?"

"Yes, you're both abominations. The boy is a devil, and since you're with him, you're either a heretic beyond salvation or a devil as well. For that matter..." And she flash-stepped in front of us again. "I must eliminate you!"

"As if."

And they clashed blades again, ***CLASH!***, again, the recoil made them take back a few steps, and the moment they landed, they resumed their spar. Blades were dancing, cuts were made. Ninja had a less orthodox method, flipping and jumping around and using her sword as a pole, changing hands and circling around. The exorcist had a more normal style, feet on the ground, gripping tightly her golden dagger with one hand, cutting around like no tomorrow. Both weapons were too fast for me to catch up! Which reminded me that Hellsing was really a good candidate for a knight. Like a true ninja, she's fast and technical, and doesn't need to be strong to deal with her problems.

***TLIN!***

"Huh... For an exorcist, you're not bad, miss Clare." And they finally stopped, clashing blades one more time and facing each other, holding the edges of their weapons still. The greenette had small cuts on her cheek and legs, but the lady of God had it worst: almost all of her skirt was torn off, her sleeves were a mess of cuts and she lost her little simple to the wind. She was trembling more, and gritting her teeth, in total contrast to Hellsing's smirk. "But I must say, you suck at sparring. This is so easy, it hurts."

"Oh, but don't you know about the shounen Rule 1#? When the main character is about to be defeated, it inexplicably turned a hundred times stronger!" And then her lips curved into a smile, as her dagger started to emit a strange light from it's edge. "And when I have the divine power by my side, I'm invincible! Untouchable! Unbreakable!"

"What the...?"

**「****SACRED FIELD!****」**

And suddenly, a glow sparked from her blade, as a dome of air pushed us away. I was taken back and fell on my ass, as the ninja flipped backwards and landed safely on-three, losing her weapons to the wind, however. However, when she was about to regain her composure, the nun dashed and jumped for her, weapon at hands, and tried to stab her from up high!

"Huh...?"

"Now, die, sinner!"

"NINJA...!"

***SLAP!***

"Huhuh... Nope."

"What the...?!"

***ZING!***

***SLAP!***

"Nope!"

"Grrrr...!"

***ZING!* *ZING!* *ZING!* *ZING!***

***SLAP!* *SLAP!* *SLAP!* *SLAP!***

"Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Geez, you really suck at that, miss Clare."

I couldn't believe my eyes! I just finally had the urge to help her and invoked my sacred gear, but when the brunette was about to stab the ninja, the former simply slapped the former's hand away. This stunned the exorcist enough for Hellsing to get up. After that, they were face to face, with Vanitas trying and failing to cut the disarmed ninja, whom was just slapping the latter's wrist in the right moments to redirected the attack away from her body, further frustrating the enemy.

"So tell me, Vanitas-san, what exactly is this 'sacred zone' thing? Is it your Sacred Gear, or just an ability of that dagger of yours, a Holy sword, if I may?" She greenette half-mocked, half-asked the brunette, as she continue to taunt her with slaps and words.

"Grrrr...!" And Clare's expression just changed to an enraged one, sweating buckets and failing to land a single cut against the ninja. In another smooth move, Hellsing reached her leg from under Clare's ones and tripped her. The nun lost her balance, but before she could fall, her opponent landed a solid punch against her stomach. She gasped, and then Hellsing sent her flying backwards, hitting some trees until she collided flat on the floor, completely defeated.

"Phew. That hits the spot. I haven't this much fun since those ninja kappas from the west. That was a crazy weekend." She crossed her arms and muffled a laugh. Still on the ground, I could only stare awe'd at her. This is the power of a knight, right? Just like how Gremory said.

If this is true, how come I'm still on square-one?

Is it just because of the Boosted Gear? After all, the redhead did said that piece accepted me. I wonder what that means.

"Hey, dragon, you okay?" I snapped back to the ninja, whom was offering a hand to me. I took it and stood up, dusting my clothes, my jean pants and a red shirt. She sighed with a smile. "About the all stalking thing, I lied. Actually, I've been spying on this nun since she came by the church around."

"Huh..." I made an '~' with my eyebrows in curiosity and understatement.

"Yep, as a ninja, I have to fully take record of any piece of information, report and formulate plans to counter any kind of problem. It is never too caution when it comes to your natural enemies." She winked, lifting a finger in a lecturing manner. I said an 'oh~' and nodded. So that's what she was doing. Doesn't make her less creepy, though. Hellsing now turned around to face her downed opponent on the floor, motionless. Somehow, this gives me a nostalgia feeling. "So... Any idea how to deal with that? We can't just leave her like that."

"You're right."

"I know! Let's separate the head and the limbs from the body, ditch it in the lake and dissolve the rest with acid."

...

...

_Brrr._

"No deal."

"Aw~... So what? Where gonna leave her in the thin air and wait for her body to die and disappear?"

"I think this isn't going to be a problem for you two."

A fourth party assembled to the story, me and Hellsing turning our sight to the source of that voice. Next to the unconscious girl on the grassy floor, that was a tall, dark-skinned man with grey hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing what I suppose is a priest vest, that hanging golden cross hanging from his neck giving me the chills. However, he seemed calm and composed enough. I can't... Feel any animosity coming from him. He just looked to the girl next to him and picked her up.

"Oh, sister, how many times I have to say? Do not attack any devil in Japan. They're not your typical poltergeist." The priest(?) sighed, lifting the nun now to his shoulder, hanging her there. He turned his attention to us, but before we could prepare ourselves against a possible threat, he bowed. "So Sorry about that. She's new here, in Japan, and things are much more rushed and complicate back in europe. Please, do not resent us."

"..." I was at loss of words. Hellsing was the one whom stepped ahead and said it for me.

"No problem, Priest-san, but please be aware that, the next time she, or any of you, mess with us..." And suddenly the gravity heighted around us, as Hellsing grinned in a way that her vampiric canines were showing. The place turned stone-cold, however, the priest in front of us seemed unefettered. "We'll make sure it'll be the last time."

"Huh. Threat recorded. But, please, be aware that this warning is also valid to you. Don't mess with people of the church without any good reason, devils." The priest frowned to us, as he turned around to walk away. Despite the fact that he might impose a threat later, I couldn't move for some reason. That glare of his was powerful enough to make me sweat cold. I took a look at Hellsing, and despite her still confident grin, she was trembling. So it is not just me. Before he disappear from out sight, he left a final warning. "It won't be the last time you'll see me of any other member of Lord Michael. Be prepared, devils."

And then he vanished. Or rather, he leaped into the dense forest and disappear. That was a frighting experience. Are all the other Exorcists like that? With a glare that can paralyze? I wonder if he, all the church for that matter, knows I'm the current holder of the Boosted Gear. If yes, then I'm kinda screwed. I can't rely on Hellsing or any other girl all the time, and with my current 'great' fitness, I won't be able to defend myself for too long. The Boosted Gear will only be helpful for a few seconds, and when all my stamina vanish and I be too tired to even get up...

No! Instead of being miserable, try to get stronger, Ichijou! No angst over angst. C'mon, get on the game!

"Hey, Dragon, you okay?" I turned my attention back to Hellsing, whom was staring me with an amused look on her face. For some reason, my cheeks now hurt.

"Huh... Why do you ask?"

"You've been clapping your own cheeks and saying '_stay in the game_' for the last minute. Is something to matter?" She giggled, as I massaged my cheeks. Yep, they're hot, they're hurting. I was daydreaming again. Damn.

"No... Nothing." I sighed, sinking myself on my own misery and taking a deep breath to get rid of the uneasy feeling. Today was not my day. Hitting Gremory, being attacked by an exorcist, and encountering people from the church that pretty much wants me dead. Not the best day.

"Huhuhuh... Okay then. So , let's go and..." And before she could complete her sentence, she stopped midtrack and her face paled. Out of nowhere, she tripped on her own feet and fell. If it wasn't for me, she'd had crashed on the floor. What happened? An enemy attack?

"Oi! What happened?!" I held her on my arms, as she blinked once, twice, and turned to me. She looked weak. "Hellsing?! What happened?!"

"Dragon..." Like a whisper, she said, gripping tightly my neckline and pulling me closer to her. "I... I... I am..."

"What happened?!"

"I am hungry." She deadpanned. "Geez, I didn't eat since morning. I need some blood circulating. Literally..."

"..."

"What...?"

"Please, don't make hit you, too."

* * *

**and. That's the end of the chapter. Cool? i dunno. Too long? I dunno. Foreshadower? what the hell is that? But, okay, next chapter we will try to put a little more coeherent plot into the mix. So... Wish me luck.**

**hey, did you guys ever visited the Highschool DxD fanon wikia site? Is a great site, you can create a page of your own character there, and do stuff like it was a real thing. Too bad the creators and colaborators are actually a manufactory of Marie Sues. so... If you ever want your character in there to spread and talk about your own fic, or just have a good laugh, you can always search on the net, the site is "dxdfanon-dot-wikia-dot-com" good luck with that little visit. With all that... uh, stay golden, I guess.**

**EDIT: Now, I'm one of the admins of that site. How grew expontaneously the past two years. And, unfortunately, not in a good way. It's still a good site for a visit, though. So feel free to pass around. Houki minami out...**


	10. Doubt is not quite the word

Dxd, of all odds.

**Yeah, a longer chapter, a longer exposition and introductions. Nothing much, but I think I'm doing it right. I hope so. Good read, then!**

**Highschool DxD doesn't belongs to me!**

.

~~ x~~

.

Hamburgers, fries, sides, milkshakes, onion rings and even some proper rice with meatballs. I just paid Hellsing a full-course fast-food meal here at Bram-burguers, and since then, I'm facing a hungry vampire-ninja-devil devour every piece of meat and fat in front of me. She offered some, but I lost my appetite just by seeing her eat that mountain of food. Not that she eats like an animal, but because that whole lot of food is making me sick...

"I thought vampires only needed blood to eat." I said, taking a sip out of my juice and taking another glance at her. She's eating just like a normal person would, and that differs completely from the standard bloodsucker myth. Hellsing stopped for a moment to take also a sip out of her milkshake and looked at me.

"Actually, we don't need blood to survive, dragon." She answered. I gave her a question mark as she swallow her mix of milk and fruits down her system and sighed. "The true meaning behind this is because we need life energy, not exactly blood. You see, since vampires are undead creatures, our survival depends on how much we can cheat death by stealing other's life energy. It just so happens that blood is a better energy flow that other kind of secretions. But we can use sweat, meat, tears, saliva and even sem-..."

"I get it! I get it!" Before she could reach what I was hoping she wouldn't, I lifted both my arms in front of her and made an Stop sign with my hands. She just chuckled and returned to her meal. I wonder if those girls are just messing around so that can get a reaction from me. I hate that, but I think this is only a given since they're saving my ass on the daily basis. Speaking of which... "Hey... Hellsing...?"

"Call me Anna."

"Wha-...?"

"Anna... Or just Bell(Beru). Bell is better, less suggestive. But you can call me whatever you want. I don't mind." She shrugged.

"Okay... Belle..." I turned around just to look to another side and cough the uneasiness away. Calling a girl by her first name by the first time... I mean, after some time, what the hell. This is really weird. But I think I can handle this for a while. At least is better than 'Herusingu' (A/N: thank you!). Back to the original topic. "So... About those exorcist... Aside from the whole 'purge demons from others out of our realm' thing, what are they, exactly."

"Huh~." She stopped once again, crossed her arms and closed her eyes to probably think about my question. Are vampire-hunters and Exorcists the same thing? "Well, red, I can say that Exorcists are the Black-ops of the supernatural. They purge or at least punish demons that broke the rules of the underworld. Strays, murderers, possessors. They are the human response against the supernatural."

"Huh... This kinda makes sense."

"Just be glad that chick wasn't a stray one."

"What...?"

"Oh, yeah. Those." She grimaced a little as she turned her eyes to a side. "You see, just like devils, there's good and 'bad' Exorcists. The 'Good' ones are the ones whom take care of the 'bad' devils, while the 'bad' ones, we call them stray, just kill devils regardless of their karmic side. Those ones work alone or stick with other stray creatures."

"So... That girl who attacked us was a stray?"

"No. She probably just misunderstood things up. Devils don't have a good reputation back in Europe. But again, they used to be a lot more violent back then." And she finished her sentence sipping again on a milkshake. Stray Exorcists, huh? "I'll order some more. Do you want something?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Suit yourself. I'll bring a coke to cheer you up, red."

And she stood up and walked her way back to the ordering line. Not that I'm alone, I have finally some time to think how much everything sucks now. At least in the beginning, I just had my sisters and grades to care about. But now? Devils, angels, stray Exorcists, and probably many many more. All because of this Boosted Gear. I wonder if Issei-senpai had the same problems back them

No, Ichijou! Stay in the game! Shut up! Don't go all emo now!

'Here's your order! Thank you for your choice! Please come again!'

'Surely.'

That voice reached my ears in a second, as I lifted my head, that was miserably on the table, to look up and around and try to pinpoint the source of that familiar voice. After a while, I finally took a glimpse out of purple locks passing by.

"Ah! Kamiyama!"

"Oh, Tsukino-kun." And there she is, Kamiyama Shiori, just passing by my table carrying a grey plastic board with some fries, a cup of juice and a hamburger. She stopped on her track and turned to me. Again, I felt a sting of pain in my heart and my lungs shrank in my system. She was wearing a light-green sleeveless shirt under a purple tracksuit jacket falling for her shoulders, with also sweatpants and her long purple locks were wrapped in a ponytail. I wonder if she's been running around. Another thing: everything seemed... Too tight on her. "Good afternoon."

"Y-Yeah... Good afternoon for you, too." I spoke back with a little cough. This uneasy feeling again. To not to be rude, I turned back to her and smile. "So... Doing a little jogging, Kamiyama? I mean... By your... Outfit... Is seems like it."

"Yes. I usually run around the park on weekends to keep myself in shape. It trains my lungs and body and keeps me in good mood." She said, still standing up with her food board. I silently offered the empty seat in front of me and she accepted with a nod. Now, we're facing each other... And. I'm sweating buckets. What the hell, Ichijou?! What the hell did you just do?!

"S-So... Uh..."

"I saw you running around the park too, Tsukino-kun." She said, eating her fries. Oh, yeah... That little jogging. I hope she didn't saw me hitting Gremory dead on the spot.

"Ah... Ahahahahah... And... Uh...?"

"... And you suck at jogging." And now my face met with the table in front of us. Ugh! Yeah, I'm not that athletic, and I've never been on a club of those. My only physical activities are usually pick things at the grocery store and cooking. Basic stuff. However, when I turned back to her, she smiled. My world stopped after that. Kamiyama Shori just... Smiled! She smiled to me! She's smiling at me! Is a serene and small one, but it's a smile nonetheless! "But you're not too bad in rhythm. You just need better training."

"Ah! Ahahahahah...! Really? Wow, thanks." I gave an uneasy chuckle, taking a giga-sip out of my shake, and laughing nervously. That actually felt nice. And this is for the first time I can feel she means it. No red-dragon stuff, no lil'bro stuff. An actually compliment from a stranger. "This... This really makes me happy."

"But you'll need work. Like I said, you suck hard." And she took her time to take a sip out of her own. We shared a moment, and then we laughed, she muffing her own with one hand. This is weird. She just mocked me, but I don't feel any malice. And I don't feel any anger inside of me.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"No need to." And she returned to her typical stoic persona, now focusing on her hamburger. That one bright my day, even when I can't shake those feelings off. Anxiety, trembling hands, sweaty neck and beating heart, all of this when I'm near this girl. I want to reach her hand with my own too. Is this love people speaks of? It feels really nice too. I'm confused, but the good kind of confused.

"Hey~, dragon. I'm back." There she is, the greenette I call Anna, balancing two food boards on each hand and nonchalantly calling me 'dragon'. She turned to me, and then to the girl in front of. "Oh, aren't you Kamiyama Shiori from class 1-B?"

"That is correct." The purple head in front of me said.

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Annabelle Hellsing from class 1-C. But you can call me just Ann-... Belle, for short." The ninja smiled, tossing her meals on the air, and kicking them to the seat next to us, all without any fail and landing on complete order, the. Cracking her pointer finger with her thumb. "*CRACK* I'm a ninja, too, by the way."

"Oi, Belle...!"

"Huh, 'Belle', 'Dragon'. Aren't you two close." Kamiyama wondered, staring at us with a curious look. She finished her hamburger, picked her things and stood up from her seat. "I guess I'll be going, then. It was nice to chat with you, Tsukino-kun."

"Ah... It was... Nice... For me, too." I blushed, as she turned to me and smiled again. This gave me the feeling to smile back, so I did just that.

"See you tomorrow in class." And she turned around to dump her trash in a bin nearby, walking to the exit after it. Before she could vanish from my sight, she turned her head around in a true SHAFT manner, smiled one more time and said. "Farewell... Dragon."

And she left. I'm dazed now. Silly smile plastered on my face, tamed demeanor, looking at the invisible horizon of nothingness waiting for the world to end. It could end for the all I care, I talked to Kamiyama Shiori! We had such a great time. But I hope I didn't end up like a creep. The feeling of cold feet just vanish too. Maybe I can only think straight when I'm away from her. Ah, she's a school idol, and I'm a... Meta-normal highschooler too. This is the normal thing to happen. She also called me dragon. I wonder if she's gonna use it regularly. This way I can avoid uncomfortable questions whenever Gremory or Annabelle slips those away again.

***SLAP!***

"Ouch!"

"Hey there, freaky face!" Out of the blue, taking me out of my own, Belle just slapped me on the back of my neck. It didn't hurt that much, but the scare was the breaking point.

"What's the idea, Belle? And what the hell is with 'Freaky face'?!" I said, massaging the affected area.

"You. You're the one who's with the Freaky face." She said with a sly smile, eating her French fries while giving me a look on the edge, seating next to me. I made a question mark for that. What does she means by that?

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, reaching for a napkin in the other side and readying it to clean up whatever was on me.

"Your smile, dragon."

"What about it?" I frowned.

*CRACK!*

"Say, have you ever smile like that to anyone else?" She poked my cheek with a smile on her own, cracking her middle finger. I slapped that assaulting hand way, and was ready to say something when it came to me: no, I didn't. Huh, that's neat. Not that I didn't ever smile before, but it has been a while. I touched my face, and suddenly that upward line on my lips vanished. So I did smile. "Truth, I've been around you not for long ago, but all you did until now was frown and grunt at others."

"Really...?" I gave a nervous sip on my juice, only to realize there wasn't any of it left. Belle smiled and passed me a cup of diet coke. "I didn't realize it. Is that really a big deal?"

"I don't mind. But as a Ninja, I have to keep close eye on my surroundings. Gremory and that fox are always smiling near you, too."

"Gremory is an idiot, she's smiling all the time. Akabane... Is just having fun teasing me."

"Huh, well, you know the best, dragon." And she finished her meal right before my eyes. Huh, so what? I'm just the red dragon for them, the mere memento of a legendary hero. It's different with Kamiyama: she doesn't know about this whole thing, that I'm the current host of the Boosted Gear. I would be different too with a childhood friend. I looked to my left arm, the dragonic arm, and smiled. Yeah, I can make friends and comrades without they knowing about this thing. "So... We better be going, then."

"Hah...? Where?"

"Isn't it obvious? Let's do some training!"

.

~~x~~

.

It took us fifteen minutes, but we're finally here. I remember this place. The old building of Kuoh Academy, the Rundown place near the current place. I never really wanted to come here since people say is haunted, but I'm a devil now, I don't fear those anymore. Truly, the fact that a vampire-ninja-devil is with me helped a lot, but I'm still fearless... For now.

"Any good reason for you to bring me here, Belle?" I coughed again. I'm getting used to call someone by name. This is good. She said nothing, continuing her trip to in the Forest. That pissed me a little, but. I sighed and continued to follow. In the end, we stopped in a clear soil, with no grass or trees, only a sandy floor, big enough to be a amateur football ground. She stopped, and turned to me.

"Practice time." She said, crossing her arms and puffing her chest up. I gave her a question mark. "You're still far too weak to call yourself the legacy of Issei-sama! Let's train a little, you and me. Rhythm, breath rate, stamina. This whole thing in one place, in this sacred ground where the occult research club, the legacy of lady Rias Gremory, once stood!"

"..." Oh, brother... You're the ones who's been calling me the legacy of Issei-senpai! But, oh well, if I want to people to stop tormenting me, I better get stronger. I summoned my boosted Gear, and put myself in a battle stance. "Okay, let's finish this quickly!「DRAGON BOOSTER」!"

"Summoning technique! Albert!" When I was ready to counter whatever she throws at me, she smacked her palm on the floor, and a curtain of smoke lifted right there. Well, always with a trick under the sleeve, typical ninja. When that cloud vanished, beside Hellsing, there was a strange, green, Gigantic shell of a turtle, almost reaching her waist. A head poked out for a second, and then retracted in after. Hellsing smiled, and tapped the tip of that trap a few times. "Hahahah! This is my familiar, or animal guardian. I call him Albert. He's a friend of mine."

"Whatever." I turned around and looked to another direction, scratching my cheek in nervousness only to almost rip it due to the dragon claws sprouting out of my fingers. "Now, what?"

"Well, Albert here will be the one training you. Long exposition short, you just have to dodge and attack him as much as you can handle. Pretty simple, right?" She said, pointing at the giant reptile next to her. I approached myself next to it to take a quick glance, and poked it a few times. This shell sure is a hella hard.

"Is it really okay for me to plummel your pet turtle? I mean, I won't have any animal protection on my ass, right?" I asked her one more time. She chuckled again, and jumped in to the air, landing on a branch of a nearby tree.

"It's okay! He can take quite a damage! You should be worrying about yourself instead!" She screamed at a distance. Well, whatever, this is just a training, so I guess I can make a little effort at this. Nonchalantly, I kicked that she'll out of my sight, and it simply rolled to a side.

"Seriously, Anna, I can't figure it out where you want me to g-..."

***SMACK!***

"Yeouch!" And before I could complete my sentence, I felt a strong bat against the back of my head, making me falling face-first. When I stood up, a little dizzy from the attack, I saw that green shell land next to me, still spinning. Ugh... Was that... That shell? What the hell~? Again, I kicked that thing with all of my strength, and again, it rolled to a tree. However, when it hit it, it bounced to another one in a way that could gain some height from the impact, and then came back to me! "Oh, no! You don't!"

**[BOOST!]**

***PUNCH!***

I punched that thing square in the right side, and again hit and bounced back to me. I tried again to punch it, but it was so fast that it hit me right in the stomach! Good thing I only had a shake, or else I'd be seeing my lunch again. Ugh~...

"Hahahah! Not bad! You lack speed, but your reflexes aren't too shabby, dragon!" She said, jumping from the tree and walking to beside the turtle shell. "Trust me, this is a lot harder than it looks. My Albert is a Ninja Turtle. He has the speed and the reflex of a human, and he is also a good strategist. Of course, his memory spam is minimal, but if you're not careful, he'll bite your ass like a gecko."

"Huh..." I stood up again, regaining my balance and breath, and stretched myself for another session. As if I'll let a turtle mock me!

[**BOOST!]**

"Let me ask you something, Tsukino Ichijou." She lifted her hand in a hold manner, and out of politeness and curiosity, I stopped on my track. She's calling me by my name. Good thing, this is not. "You said that Dragons can be cool, right?"

"Yeah, I recall that... So?"

***CRACK.***

"What kind of cool? You're the protagonist, and because of this, you have to be cool, but what kind of cool?" She asked me, cracking her little finger. "I mean, there's a lot of archetypes of cool. We have the loser-cool, the cool-cool, the lame-cool, random-cool, and the awesome-cool. It all depends in how much you put effort in a thing. For example, if this was a novel, Gremory would be the random-cool, the kind of character that is cool because she's unpredictable, you can't possibly expect something from her, and yet she impresses with how much she can do in a spam of a second; that fox girl would be the lame-cool, she does simple and boring things, yet she's still cool doing exactly those. Finally, I'd be the cool-cool. I was born cool."

"What are you saying?"

"Basically? Gremory would fit a lot more in a shounen comedy-action manga; that fox would fit perfectly in a sports manga, I would fit better in any kind of manga as long I'm the rival or the foil of the protagonist. The problem now is you, Tsukino Ichijou." She pointed at me. "If this was a novel, what kind of protagonist you would be, and what kind of cool you fit the most? Is it the random-cool, the awesome-cool, the loser-cool? Issei-sama was unpredictable, pragmatic and a total dork by the eyes of the viewer, making him a trinity of this tropes. Now, you're uptight, lame and pessimistic, but you have potential. This makes you... A sour-cool type, the character that fights not because he wants to, but because he needs to, regardless of your karmic side."

" I don't get it." I really don't. So, I'm the sour-cool type of hero. Those usually with a tragic past and the destiny they have to fulfill. I kinda have the one without the other.

"You don't need to. Following character archetypes is a pain in the ass, and usually they lead to a short serialization. For a genre, you're the disinterested-type, the protagonist that doesn't want to do anything. Can't say those aren't popular, since we have series like ONI-ani and Maoyuu, though, but. I doubt that yours is fitting here at all."

"Hey! Stop categorizing me!"

"I'm not, I'm just trying to figure you out. You see, people usually are born here to be awesome and do awesome things as protagonists. Not you, you're just a normal highschooler wanting nothing more than a quiet day and a cup of tea, while others are destroying worlds and getting women by the second chapter of so." She crossed her arms and grimaced to in her clothes. "I wonder if you're a kind of protagonist fitting for a harem series such as here. No tragic past, no will of fighting or revenge story, no anything."

"Hey! Stop that!" The gauntlet announced [BOOST] again, and I dashed to the turtle, now punching it with all of my strength and making it destroy some trees and bounce to another one. Because of the distance, I could see from where it was coming, so I charged once again and punched that damn shell again to out of my sight. "You're saying that I'm the kind of protagonist unfitting for a series like this? That my kind is not fitting here?!"

"Not quite. If you look around, those are pretty common in place like this, but the way and pace that you're getting your harem and powers are... Frustrating. As a sub-heroine, I can say that yours is slow and almost jarring." She shrugged, While I dodged that fast shell to a side. So what? For All I care, I don't want a harem!

***SMACK!***

Back of the neck again. I kissed the floor again, and that shell fell to my side, spinning back to Hellsing. She chuckled. So, Apparently, I'm not fitting in this universe. That's sad, even. I mean, she said that my type of cool and personality is not uncommon here, but my pace is slow and frustrating. So...

"What kind of universe I belong to, Hellsing?"

"Hell if I know. You'd be the back character of a harem series, the foil, or the sour protagonist of a seinen manga. Even so, they usually don't care about the protagonist, they're more interested in the heroines. Why do you think there are so many substitution-types around here? They viewers don't care about you, they care about them. You're safe for now."

"Oh, I get it. Since this is a harem series in your head, people don't care about me as long as there's girls around. This is why harem-genre has so many blunt protagonists."

"Exactly. So much that OVA's and spin-offs are usually about the heroines, no matter how much importance they hold."

So... This is how it is, right? Being simply a tool for others to imagine themselves into. No matter how much I try to stay unique, no matter how much I think on my own, people won't care a damn about me, they will only care for the heroines. They'll only draw fanarts and make figures out of the girls, never the lame, idiotic protagonist. They'll never use the lame protagonist in fanfics, only a substitution-character to fight alongside their favorite heroines. I guess this is the fate of a simple protagonist of a harem-genre, I guess this is my fate...

...

...

Y'know what? I'm sick tired of this stuff...

"I had it."

"What?"

[**BOOST!]**

"I had enough of this!" I screamed as I stood up running and kicked that shell the hell away from me! "So what if I'm the protagonist of a harem-genre?! So what if I'm the lame protagonist?! I'm still a character! I deserve some respect, damn it!"

**[BOOST!]**

"Who said a fanfic with the canon-protagonist can't be good?! Isn't solar God the best around here?! And who the hell said that my pace is slow?! I'll move and get stronger on my own way, damnit!" I kicked that shell before it could hit me on the head again. It bounced, it destroyed some trees, and came back for more. I just uppercut that away.

[**BOOST!] [BOOST!] [BOOST!]**

"And so what if I'm lame and uninteresting for a protagonist of a series such as this?! Just watch me! This story will be an awesome shounen with an awesome protagonist and his crew, and not a harem-story with that annoying guy with the heroines!"

[**EXPLOSION!]**

"Just watch me! I'll be the center which everything spins around here! JUST WATCH ME!"

***BOOOM!***

And right before my eyes, I opened a crater right in front of me, that turtle shell buried at least 5ft down the ground. **[RESET!]**, the gantlet announced, and all I could do was to sigh. Huh... For all of that, I guess I'd be just the lame, weak protagonist. Others have tragic pasts, special lineage and super powers since the beginning, while I'm stuck here being saved left and right.

"Not bad, dragon. Although, your counterparts already can do better by this time." Hellsing, sliding down the crater for me, said with her hands on her pockets. "But, hey, don't need to be upset. You're a sub-character, too. This means people will be paying attention to you."

"I guess so. However, I still respect senpai, and thinking that I'm his substitute makes me feel bad. I bet he was the best protagonist of the whole universe."

"He was... Unique, to say the least." Unique, huh? No wonder. I sighed. I'm really boring.

"Well, he was turn into a legend. He's on another level."

"Yep! To think he was also a lame, perverted human before all of this..."

"Yeah..."

...

...

Wait, what?

"H-Hellsing... Did you just said... 'Human'? Issei-senpai?" I turned around to her, and she eyed me with surprise.

"Oh! Didn't you know? Issei-sama was a human before discovering about his Boosted Gear. No tragic past, no abusive household, no destiny to fulfill. He was just a normal, if not perverted, boy."

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I kinda know he couldn't be totally a supernatural creature since Gremory said that you need to be at least a part human to have a sacred gear, but... Come again? He was a total human before? Not anything worth mentioning?"

"Aren't you mistaken him with Lord Vali Lucifer, the descendant of the original lord of the Demons, holder of the Divine Dividing, the Sacred Gear of the White Vanishing Booty Dragon Albion, and grandson of Rizdevim Lucifer the harbinger of... Ops! Sorry, no human material here."

So... Wait, wait! Issei-senpai, the same issei-senpai who had an harem of dozens, the previous holder of the Booster Gear, the devil turned legend... Was a simple human in the beginning?

"You're not kidding with my face, are you, Belle?"

"Why would I? I don't have any reason for this. Truth to be told, Albert did already the job in crushing you. And you repaid him quite well, too."

Huh... That's neat. This means... I can be just like him! Yeah. If issei-senpai became a legend despite being born a human, why not me? This boosted my esteem off chart.

"So... This means I can be just like him, right?"

"Just like him? Meh, suit yourself. I bet you can."

She gave me a thumbs up. This is cool, this is really cool!

Now I have another new reason to admire my senpai!

.

~~x~~

.

"I'm home."

"Good night, Ichijou." My big sister Satsuki greeted back, waving a small spoon next to a caldron of soup. It's almost dinner time, and I spent some time with Hellsing to train. Although my physical strength is yet to be desired, at least I'm having more control over my breath and cardio, not to mention that now I can maintain a single boost session for a longer time. Truly, I passed out in the middle of the training when it announced [**BURST!]**, but aside from that, the bruises and the sore knuckles, I think that I'm okay. "We're having veggie-soup today. Shion is still on the host club, but Minatsu and Futaba are around with your friend. Go take a bath while I finish the meal. Don't take too long, though."

"Alright, sis."

"Hey, What's up? I'm coming in, too." Oh, yeah, for some reason, despite the ridiculous gap between then and now, Hellsing is coming for dinner too. Satsuki gasped seeing another girl home. "S'up, sister. My name is Annabelle Hellsing, and I'm a classmate of your brother here!"

"Ichijou~...!"

"Oh, look! I'm dirty as hell! I'll be in the bathroom if you need anything! Belle, if you need something too, ask Akabane! Bye!" And before she could nuke me, I dashed to the bathroom, picking my towel and some of own personal things on the way. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to knock, and then...

"Phew! I'm saved!"

"Oh, Ichijou-kun!"

"Grem-?! Ah! Fanservice!" And here I am, facing the back of a completely naked Gremory, who's sitting on a small plastic stool, washing her body with... Is that my sponge?! Wait, wait! Calm down! Don't scream. Scream, and they'll come here only to misunderstood things up and beat me to a pulp. Just relax, turn around and apologize. "I... Uh... Sorry. Should've knocked."

"Nah, no worries, I don't mind being naked in front of my servants." Oh, yeah. We've already slept naked. It kinda lost it's novelty since then. Yet, her nudity now it's making me uncomfortable. Geez, what a day. "Say, can you wash my back?"

"..."

"Pretty pwease~? I'll forget what happened this morning and give you a 'thank you' kiss~!"

Deep breath, Ichijou. You can't see breasts if they're by the other side. Besides, I really want that forgiveness. So I pulled another pink plastic stool nearby, sat on it and picked the sponge full of soap and foam. I took a quick glance at her back, only to notice the wall of hair in front of me.

"Could you please wash my hair, too? Sometimes it's a bother to do it myself." And now she passed me the shampoo bottle. I sighed, picking it up, pouring some of the lotion in my hands and now passing through her crimson locks. They're surprisingly smooth and soft, like I'm passing my fingers on some quality silk. I scrubbed her head a little and continued to turn and washed her hair with all the care I have. Don't be surprised, I used to do this all the time when I used to bath with my sisters, and since this hair is impeccable, is a lot easier then those times. I finished soon after and then picked the small shower to wash the foam away. "Brrr... It's cold."

"Sorry, but the water needs to be warm to not damage the hair. You don't want double-ends, right?" I said, finally reaching normal temperature and washing the remaining shampoo. Gremory then chuckled.

"Heheh... Ichijou-kun does know a thing about women!"

"Shut it! I live with five women! If I didn't, than I'd be retarted." I pulled her hair in a single braid and pushed it away from her back, picking a sponge and washing her from behind. For some reason too, she has some scars here and there on her back. That actually makes me feel sad. "Hey, Gremory, those scars..."

"Ah. You don't have to worry about those, Ichijou-kun." She said, giggling a little after I touched a spot on her back. "Those are just so training accidents. It happens."

"..." So Gremory has those, huh? I couldn't even imagine. She's giving her best too. "Say, Gremory... What kind of protagonist I am?"

"Huh...?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking out loud. Forget what I said."

Yeah, no need to drag her into this. I mean, it would be bad for her to know I'm not the suitable kind of protagonist of a harem series. She sees Issei-senpai on me and wants me to be just like him, so I better not to crush her expectations.

"Huh~... Ichijou-kun... Aren't you being a little too aggressive?"

On the other hand, according to Anna, Senpai was a complete normal human before all of this Boosted Gear thing, and this kinda makes me happy. Just imagine what he could do, and what I'll be able to do!

"Ichijou-kun, you're being a little too..."

***SLIDE!***

"Kyah!"

But again, I wonder what kind of motivation he had to continue even with all those things around him. Did people could see pass his Red Dragon status and see him as a friend? Gremory said that he had a Harem, but she also said that he was a nice guy and that chicks digs dragons. Isn't that kind of paradoxical?!

***GROPE! GROPE!***

"H-Hey... Ichijo-Kyah! Ichijou-kun~!"

Lady Rias, lady Akeno, lady Koneko and even a nun! How the hell is that even possible?! Was he the kind of protagonist that just makes women gravitate around him?! He was just sitting there while the opposite sex just land on his lap on the daily basis?!

"S-Stop it~... Ichijou-kyun~... Those are m-My weak spots...!"

***PINCH!***

"waaaaah~...!"

Ah! What the hell am I thinking?! Since when I want a harem?! I don't want it, damn it! A lot of series can be good and popular without harem! I don't need it, I don't need it, I don't need it at all! AT! ALL!

***MAXIMUM GROPE OVERDRIVE!***

"Hyaaaah~!"

"Huh?"

***K.O.! GREMORY LOSE!***

And just now I realized it: my hands just slid up to Gremory's chest and now they're groping her with all I have, while my face is glued to the back of her neck. Oh, no. I've been so deep in my own thoughts I think I just assaulted Gremory without mercy. Fast as I could, I jumped away from her, and then she and collapsed on the floor, completely red and taking deep, hard breaths. Oh, shit...

"Ah, ah! Sorry, Gremory!" I said, washing away some of the foam in my face and hands and picking a towel to wrap her with.

"That was awesome!" But before I could do something else, she stood up from the ground and facing me with starry eyes. By her tone too, this 'awesome' is pretty innocent. "So this is the legendary 'Boob-grope' of the red Dragon. Is more intense that I could ever imagine! You're really on the road to be just like Issei-sama, Ichijou-kun!"

"R-Really? Huh, thanks, I guess." I turned my head to side to avoid looking at her naked figure, I scratched my cheek with a finger.

"Now, we must continue our intimate session to see if you're capable enough!" She picked a small plastic bucket and washed all of the foam and soap out of her body, opening her arms. "Now, come, Tsukino Ichijou! Show me the way of the man and touch me all the way to my-...!"

"You're clean, right, Gremory? So, so long and thanks for all the meal!" And before she could finish her sentence, I pushed her lightly with my foot and let her slid all the way to the exit, I closing the door soon after and holding it still with my back.

Phew... What a day. It was an interesting day. I looked again to my left arm and sighed, and in the end, I smiled. Looking at the mirror, I could only wonder how alien a smile is on my face. I frowned, and suddenly the feeling of relief filled my heart. My default expression, typical of a sour-cool type of protagonist...

I'm still wondering if I can be just like senpai...

.

~~x~~

**.**

**Yep, sorry about that. I think. I just went all meta back there. But this is what you get when your characters have at least minimal knowledge about the world they're in. Being completely honest, Ichijou was suppose to be the loser-cool of protagonist, but now I decided to leave him as the sour-cool protagonist. His goal for now is to be Just like issei, and there's nothing wrong with this, really.**

**Now, about other thing: I just updated my poll in my Bio chart! Now, you can choose 'Kamiyama Shiori'! Tcharam! How about it? By the way, I changed the name of the second daughter and Ichijou's second oldest sister, "Shiori", to "Shion", to avoid confusion. I hope you can all understand. **

**With all being said, well, stay golden!**


	11. Call me auntie Kyou!

**now, let'd turn a little for the comedy part and introduce a little sol-chapter about mama Kyou finding out about his son's adventure. I dunno, this chapter came out of nowhere, but I had such a great time writing it. It was very funny to write it. Anyway, the action will be continued in the upcoming chapters, as they'll try to create the new ORC, but for this chapter, a little comedy. So... Good read, stay golden, DxD does not belongs to me. Y'all know the drill. Smiley, smiley!**

* * *

It goes without saying that I'm a terrible mother. I love every single one of Hajime's children, whatever they came from me or not, and harm them is a one-way ticket to hell for me, but I can't shake the feeling that being absent for the longest time will take a toll out of them, specially the little boy. Ichijou has been always surrounded by females, and for the run, Hajime is too busy being the everyday busy Businessman he is. And I can't simply ignore when he wants some honeymoon with me. That man is trying to hide and forget his problems by behaving himself like a teenager. That poor husband of mine.

Back to topic. Since I'm back to my dear home, Hajime traveling abroad to make up for our expensive vacations, I won't knock this time. After all, mommy's surprise visit and comeback are always welcomed by warm arms by my dear children, specially the small, snarky and frail Ichijou. Satsuki, Shion, Minatsu. None of them are my children, yet, I love them dearly, And sometimes I wonder if they return this feeling despite me being their longest step-mother. Not to mention that troublemaker I call my deear daughter Futaba. Well, she's still going to school, it's a given, I guess...

And now. I'm opening the door, ready to surprise my children and make some delicious meal with the oldest on-...

"I've said and I'll say again, Yoko-chan! You can't use grenades on my characters! You're spamming attacks!"

"Oh, well, if the producers didn't want the players to spam them, why they're there to begin with?"

"Fuck this game! Shitty spammer!"

"Don't you think frogs and ramens are a good take on the soup? Trust me, ninja knowledge! Not to mention some snake skin and toad warts...!"

"Hellsing-san! This is highly inappropriate!"

And instead of a warm welcome, I receive a mess of a wave of information. Two girls that I've never met are fighting and talking with my daughters about video-games and cooking, and none of the sides seems to be on a same level. This is such a mess. I don't even know what to do. Living with and loving five children since their birth is easy; dealing with such newcomers is going to be hard...

Before they could notice me, I turned around with the intention to close the door and let Satsuki explain the whole situation before letting me in. She has been always the responsible big sis, of course she would do just that for her poor mother.

But when I was about to turn around, that tiny, blond girl with a strange eyepatch appeared from the frame of the doorless passage with a stoic expression, and blinked twice.

"Oh, hello mother that looks like Moritaka Chisato." Okay, this is beyond healthy flattery. I'm not that pretty, am I? Before I could say at least a 'thank you', she came closer and hugged me. Wow... This is awkward. I thought, since I'm an adult, I would have the right response for this situation. Yet, I don't. And now, this little girl with a bow sniffed me. "Huuh~... Yes, this same scent. You're definitely the mother of my dear wife."

"H-Hah~?" First, she calls me a super-model, now she says that I'm the mother of her... Wife? "Excuse me, miss...?"

"Akabane Yoko is my name. But you can call me 'Yoko', dear mother."

"O-Okay, I guess. The name's Tsukino Kyou. You can call me 'auntie'."

"Tsukino Kyou..." She said, releasing me from her embrace and than facing me. She frowned soon after. "Tsukino Kyou... Hammer's spawn(Tsuchinoko)."

***BAM! BAM! BAM!***

"Always! This! Freaking! Name!" I hammered my own head against the nearest wall, trying and failing to calm myself after that. Of course, it's always like that. 'Tsukino Kyou' sounds a lot like 'demon Snake'! This is one of the only downsides in marrying that man. It's not the first time, and won't ever be the last!

"Oh, mother!"

"Oi, it's mother, everybody!"

"Hey, ya old hag. Welcome back."

"Hey there, Romi-Park-like Mama!"

"Hey, girls, I'm bac-..." It took a while, but my brain finally loaded a new information: there was another, unknown voice among Satsuki's, Minatsu's and Futaba, again flattering me with this absurd compliment. There she is! The tiny girl with green messy hair! What it's happening? "Who are you, lady?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about it." And she gave a chuckle, cracking her fingers with her thumb. "My name is Annabelle Hellsing. My friends and my friends' parents call me Belle. Nice to meet you, Mommy Tsukino."

"Yeah~... Nice to meet you, Belle. My name is Tsukino Kyou. Please, you can call me auntie."

"Tsukino... Kyou...?" She stopped midtrack to put herself on thought, and then her face paled. "Yamada no Orochi!"

"From where did you pull that off?!" I said, scratching my head and trying to pull all of my forces to contain myself and not punch that girl square in the face. Yep, maybe the psychologists are right, Ichijou and Futaba's violent genes came from me. I sighed, and pulled myself together. "Sorry. But that's not the case."

"I know. I was only joking around, mommy." She said with a mischievous smile, the colors returning to her face. I reached her head and pat her.

"Call me 'auntie', Annie."

"Hey, pet me too, dear mother." And the blonde entered my affection zone and bowed for me. I don't know what's with those girls, but I think they're okay for now. I reached her bow and pet her too.

"Okay, okay. But, please, call me Auntie, Yoko-chan." And when both girls were satisfied (I think I heard Yoko-chan purring.), I turned my attention to my true daughters... Oh, right. I forgot. Well, mom is mom. After a quick 'hello' to the girls in the living room playing video-games, I reached for the oldest one, Satsuki, and greeted her, seeing the big bowl of soup on the oven. "Hey, Go-chan. Soup, huh."

"Yes, mom. Or else the vegetables would rot. Not to mention, I think we've been eating too much meat. This or Futaba is finally emerging from her origins."

"Fuck you, Go! You tightass mama's girl!"

"Hey, Futaba! Watch that language!"

"Sorry... Whatever..." And now she sank in her seat on the sofa. Oh, my adorably stupid little daughter, how much I love you. I smiled at her, and she blushed even more. She doesn't hate me, and vice-versa, we only have a... Complicate relationship. I returned back to my oldest one and said in a whisper.

"Hey, Go. Who exactly are those two strangers? They're not your lost siblings, are they?" Satsuki then turns to me and take a quiet look on my face. Meh, you never know, do you?

"Those are... Ichijou's friends." I frowned a little at that. Only girls? Just girls? Truth to be told, I was expecting some boys around. After all. He lived his whole life with seven women, his father either abroad on work or going on a vacation with me. How curious...

Also, I think I'm missing the only boy around here. Shion is probably still on her job at the host club, but I don't see little Ichijou around. I hope he's okay. He has been always the fragile one and the temperamental one too.

"Oldest sis! Do you have some clothes to spar-... Oh!"

"Huh...?"

"..."

"..."

"Well, good night, mother that is probably Julia Roberts in disguise."

There's a naked foreign in my house! Why is there a naked foreign in my house?! And what the hell is wrong with those girls and their stupendous compliments?! She's all wet, too! She'll catch a cold! Quickly as possible, I dismissed my blazer and covered her with it. That wet floor is going to be a problem later, but not for now. I have three others to deal with first. A greenette one, a blond one and a redhead one.

"Uh... And you? Who are you suppose to be?" I asked her. She stopped messing with her hair and then smiled at me, bowing soon after.

"Oh, my bad. I mean, hello mother! My name is Berolina Gremory! I'm your son's king!" Oh, so Ichijou is into that stuff, huh? Kinky. I can't say anything myself, but this girl seems too innocent to be taking such role. Oh, teenagers. She politely bowed again. "Pleased to meet in your acquaintance."

"What...?"

"Nice to meet you."

"Oh..." Shit. I'm an adult and yet some of those complicate words mess with my head. I gotta say, her Japanese is perfect. And she's cute too. Whoever she is, Ichijou has a pretty good eye for women. I do recall someone called Gremory, but it's probably just an coincidence. "Nice to meet you, too. As you already probably guessed, I'm the mother of those trouble makers. Call me 'auntie Kyou', for what is worth."

"Kyou... Ichijou... Tsukino... Kyou... Tsukino Kyou... Jörmungandr!"

***PUNCH!***

"Enough of these Goddamn names!"

"Weeeeh! Does everybody in this house likes to hit me?" It took me a few seconds to realize that. I just punched a girl right in the head. Oh, crap. There's no excuse for this. I hope she doesn't hate me after that one. Who Am I kidding. I'll be luck if she doesn't press charges against me. Out of regret and pity, I tried to reach a hand by her head and pet her a little.

"I'm sorry, Rina-chan. I'm just still not used to be called anything and those nicknames are st-...!"

***DODGE!***

"What...?"

"Hyah!" And before I could pet her hair, she just back stepped away from my reach. She blinked a few times and then tighten her grip on my jacket, blushing a little and giggling. "S-Sorry, mother, but I don't like people messing with my hair. Trust me, I can turn pretty violent."

"Uhh~... Okay. But I'm sorry, Rina-chan. I'll make it up to you any day." Violent, playful and just plain cute. Not to mention those two other girls. Ichijou is either a very lucky man or just a walking timer-bomb. Is he trying to be like his father? I hope not. It didn't work on Hajime, it won't work on him.

"Atchoo!" Typical. Not a moment and she's on the verge of catching a cold. Rina-chan sniffed and scratched her little nose, probably trembling in that blazer on mine. I nodded to Satsuki and picked Gremory's shoulders, leading her upstairs.

"Let's go, Rina-chan. I think Ichijou has some spare clothes. You can use mine, too." And took a quick glance to inside my own coat, seeing how large her breasts are. Anywhere between C-D-cup. I'm on my forties, yet just a few centimeters away.

Youth... I hope Ichijou's taking good care of her. She's an easy target for perverts.

I picked up my luggage and then guided the redhead to Ichijou's room, and once there, I made her sit on his bed as I put my luggage next to her, opened it and search for anything for her to wear. Figures, I don't have anything for her to wear since it was a three-month honeymoon. Perhaps Ichijou's own clothes will work. Futaba is too... Tiny for her, and the others are either too big or too large for her to wear without an uncomfortable of ripped cleavage window. Ichijou seems more like it , he's skinny, but his shoulders are broad, so I opened his closet and picked up a few clothes.

A stripped boxer, a red shirt and some Black sweatpants. All of them well organized and well lined. Huh, my children... Oh, right... The children are doing well in being alone. To think I still remember wet blankets and awake nights just to wait for them to sleep after a nightmare. I extended the clothes to Rina-chan, and she dismissed my blazer and put those on.

A girl's wearing my son's clothing. Holy shit, I'm getting old...

"Better dry that hair up. I gotta say, you have a pretty hair, Rina-chan." I said, as I searched in Ichijou's closet for some towels. The redhead was playfully swinging her legs back and forth as she waited. She's probably wondering in being in a young man's room.

"Thank you, mommy. This is my most precious thing! It reminds me of my heroes!" Aw, how cute. She's either a Chunnibyou otaku or that hair reminds her of a relative or something. To think I see myself on Ichijou with those big green eyes and spiky brown hair of his. Damn it, where are the towels? This is a man's closet, it should be a lot easier to find things! "Looking for the towels? They're on the upper shelf!"

"Oh, right. Up there. Thanks, Rina-chan, and please call me auntie." I said to her, handing her that blue towel. I hope Ichijou doesn't mind. After all, she's a guest, somehow. Talking about it, I wonder where he is. "Say, have you seen Ichijou around? Go-chan is finishing dinner and I don't want him to be late."

"He's in the bathroom taking a bath. Don't worry, he'll be out soon."

"Ah, thank you, Rina-chan. He's taking a bath, huh? Makes sense, since... Wait a minute." Yeah! Wait a minute! He's... Taking a bath? So why is Rina-chan naked and wet? Wait, let me think...

Ichijou's bathing... Naked and soaked girl out of the bathroom... Machiko Kyo is the main star of Rashomon...

"Wait... Rina-chan... If you're naked and wet... This means...!"

"Oh, no! No! No! It's not what you're thinking, mother." She dismissed my own thoughts with a wave of her hand. I sighed in relief, but she yet continued. "He just washed my back and grope my breasts, nothing out of ordinary."

***BREAK!***

"..." Oh, what's that? My mind just shattered. I looked at the mirror, and yes, I'm still the same short haired, green eyed brunette of always. For a second I thought that I was already in my eighties because there's no way of my Ichijou to **JUST GROPE A GIRL'S BREASTS WHEN HE WAS RESENTFUL ABOUT THEM JUST THREE MONTHS AGO!** Teenagers are moody, I know that much, but that was a total 180° for him. Is this Hajime's plan? Darling, are you afraid of not having any descendants? But better mask this with a smile. Don't be the troublemaker mother. "R-Really...? My, aren't you two close? And when you say 'out of the ordinary', you mean as..."

"Yeah, we sleep together ever since. Also, I don't mind being naked in front of my servants." Awawawawah~, my son is having an active stud life with a foreign. Not to mention, he's the servant and she's the king. This is weird. I've always thought of him as the more dominant type. Oh my God, my son have some sick mind.

"R-Rina-chan... When you say 'servant'..."

"The ninja is also my servant. And I was wondering in putting the ninetails too, since she said that we can have an agreement if Ichijou's dragon powers are strong enough." 'Ninja', 'servant', 'ninetails', 'dragon powers', am I really that old? Is that how they're calling those nowadays? And now she said that the ninja is also joining... What the hell is all of this?!

"R-R-Rina-chan...!" I said, reaching for her and landing my hands on her shoulders, probably looking pathetic and desperate. I could feel I was trembling with all of this. There are some questions that don't need answers, but I want them anyway. So I gulped all of my pride and said. "Could you... Please explain... All of this for me? Please..."

"Oh, sure. It all started when..."

"GREMORY...!" **BAM!** The door exploded wide open, and the by the other side, there is my dear, twisted son Ichijou, blood in the eyes, wearing black sweatpants and a red shirt. He run-walked passing by me and picked Gremory by her collar to then pull her in front of him and force her to walk outside. "Out of my room! Go away before you can say something stupid to mum!"

"Eeh~? But I was going to explain for her about you being my que-...!"

"Out! Out! Go away and eat my sister's special dish OF VEGAN DOOM!" And now he kicked her out, closing the door and putting himself against it, letting himself slide to the ground, sighing. "Holy Molly... If Satsuki-nee didn't warn me about it... I don't want anyone traumatized anymore..."

"..." I stood there on the bed, looking at my dear son across the room. He had grown a little since I remember him. He looks healthier too. Too much boob overdrive, maybe?

"Oh..." And he lifted his eyes to stare at me. He gulped, and then turned purple, and then groaned, and then facepalmed. I know my son pretty well to know that he's thinking of an excuse or an explanation. It would be rude of him too if he leFt me in the blank. "Mum... I can explain."

"I know you can."

"But you won't understand."

"I know I won't."

"So... Uh~... Let's just say that girl, Gremory... Things happened... So she's staying with us... For the time being..." So much yet nothing is hovering around my head right now. Teen pregnancy, abusive household, slavery, kinky fetishes, LARP taken too far. My eye won't stop twitching, and I think I just break a stroke. Well, regardless of the situation, he's still my son, so I have to guide him to the right way, no matter how mess-up he is. I'm an adult, after all. "Damn it... Look, whatever it looks like..."

"It looks like what, Ichijou?"

"I don't know!" And he hid his own face and misery behind his hands. Yep, he's my son, alright. I came closer to him and bend over in front of that bush of brown messy hair. I pat him. "Jeez... Don't treat me like a child. I'm 16, now."

"You look like a child to me. Even if you already have a son with that redhead, I'd still think you're that bed-wetting baby of mine."

"Oh, shut it!" And now he tried to slap my hand away, but then I picked that assaulting arm pulled him in a half-hug, snuggling my face with his own.

"Take a joke once in a while, Ichijou." I said, smiling. "Do you ever smile, mr. grumpy bear? Geez..."

Instead of the usual blushed grunt, he blinked and gasped, and like a fish, he opened and closed his mouth a few times, only to turn his eyes gloomily to a side and sigh. Is he pondering about something? Great, now I've upset my youngest. I kissed him on the cheek and pinched it soon after.

"C'mon, son. Let's eat. I'll swallow everything as long as you can control whatever you're doing."

"I don't need you to be throwing innuendos at me too, mum."

Oh, my dear youngest child.


	12. Red dragon prince is not quite the word

**Hey, there. Thank you for reading it so far. And welcome to the serious part of the story. I was actually hopin to reach this part of the story. It was going to put some action and development in it. You can call it the 'medaka Box development', but don't worry, we won't go all meta and stuff. So... Let's do this. I'll try my best!**

**Again, Highschool DxD does not belongs to me!**

**And to show you all how much I love my own ego, I just wrote some of my characters down into the DxD fandom wikia. Ahahahahah... I'm so embarrassed, but it was so cool to do this. Hahahah, could you all check it out. I hope you like it! And stay golden.**

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

I've already said it, and I'll say it again as many times I need to.

Everything sucks...

Almost two weeks with those people, and so much had happened. Me turning into a devil, discovering my Boosted Gear Thing, getting engaged, twice, learning that a good chunk of my classmates are actually abominations... Just like me, fighting ninjas and ninetails, not to mention the amount of meat I've been seeing lately. At least now, with Belle's training, I'm having less difficulty in controlling my Boosted gear. Now I can hold it for a minute of so. Not bad, if you ask me...

Worst of all, Even my mum thinks I'm too... Inexpressive. Thinking about this clutches my heart. I gulped, now looking at the skies above in the gardens of Kuoh Academy. This time, I have time to eat my lunchbox that tastes like diabetes from mum, and while trying to put my sanity in check, I was wondering about the other day...

'_Do you ever smile, mr. Grumpy bear?'_

Geez... Even mum thinks I'm nothing but frowns and grunts. But At least I have an excuse, even though I can't tell her. Her son now is a devil on the service of Lady Berolina Gremory; the new host of the Boosted Gear and on his way to become the harem princ-...

"WHAT THE HELL...!" I screamed. Did I really just thought that? No! It's just mirror motion, just like a yawl! It's harem this, harem that, it sticked on me! Yeah... Just that. Besides, I kinda already have a girl in mind... Nah, that's creep's thinking. I looked around, and every single one of my present classmates around were looking at me. I gave them a nervous laughed, and a wave to say without words I was okay. Some of them dismissed soon after, others kept looking for a while with a very frighting expression. I sighed. Gremory isn't even here. Maybe I'm starting to lose it.

Ah! Whatever. I'll be going back to class. Maybe a little nap before second period will cheer me up. Since my immunity to the Sun is better, I think I'll sit on my original seat now. I need to get use to another thing: Kamiyama Shiori.

I stood up from the ground, stretched a little and sighed. My arm made a small *CRACK* sound, but that was probably just some articulations forcing too much. I picked my lunchbox, wrapped back into that baba-knot and started to walk to the new building. The door was closed, so I touched picked the knob and pulled it down, unlocking it and then pushed the door to enter the place...

***STEP!***

***JAM!***

The moment I took the first step, I felt an ominous aura in the place that suppose to be the interior of Kuoh academy. Under closer inspection, I noticed that there was no one around, and all of door were sealed shut, not to mention the nameboards above them were blank. Before I take another look, the door behind me also closed right before my eyes. I tried to opened, but it was no use, it was sealed shut.

"This isn't normal... Not at all." I said as I summoned my Boosted Gear, that dragonic armored glove appearing in a show of lights, and suddenly, the lights flicked right above me, as the light from my own Sacred Gear strangely rippled through the hallway. In a second later, everything went back to normal.

"Yahoo~... Tsukino-chin~..." That voice suddenly echoed through the quiet place, and I turned my head to where she originally came from. From one of the door, a long, slender leg stepped into the corridor, and little by little, a new figure showed itself. A tall, slender, well-endowed young lass, probably older than me since she was also taller, wearing a black button-up leather small jacket enough to show her bellybutton, black pants and a matching witch hat at the top of her head. Purplish white short hair with straight ends, pale skin and violet eyes staring boringly at me. She closed the door shut behind her, and put one of her hands on her hip. "Well, well... It looks like it's the time for you to think 'what kind of girl is she?'."

"Huh...?" I tilted my head to a side, confused. She shrugged and sighed.

"I mean... I did call you 'Tsukino-chin', and this is a strong hint that I might be the 'Dojikko'-type of girl. But I also have light-colored hair and pale skin, also hinting that I might be a more 'emotionless' type. You're probably confused." She said, still with that same expressionless face looking at me. I blinked once, twice, now wilding the gap between my eyelids in total confusion. My Boosted Gear was put in standby.

"Excuse me...?" I questioned her again.

"Well, you are the current Holder of the Boosted Gear, as I've been told and now I see. This probably means you'll build a harem and have smoke hot sex every single day with your bimbos, just like the previous users. 'Bet you'll want me into your sex-playground." She stuck her tongue out and licked the tip of her fingers, probably in a mocking way since she was still with that poker face. One of my eyes twitched with that declaration. Is that another of Senpai's legacy? "Tell me, what types of girls are still missing in your harem? The tsundere? The Kuudere? The dojikko? The ojou-sama?"

"None of them." I deadpanned, probably looking too serious for my own good. She blinked a few times, her eyes wilding in surprise. She probably wasn't expecting that.

"Come again?"

"I'm not building a harem, I'm not collecting types. I don't even like girls that much, really. I'm just a normal... Boy, trying to live his everyday life without a single problem." I crossed my arms, leaning my body forward and saying those words in a kind of lecturing manner. I was telling the truth, I respect senpai, a lot, but I don't have any plan to follow his steps. I just want to be strong as him. She frowned a little, and tilted her head to a side.

"Does this means... You swing that way?"

*BAM!*

"No! Not at all!" I unconsciously punched the wall next to me. If we were in the real world, I'd probably had open a massive hole in it. But this is a normal reaction for this kind of situation.

"Your reaction is highly suspicious. Maybe you're still in denial."

"F**k you!"

"Oh well, no matter." And when I recovered from my rage state, she extended a hand to me and frowned even more, as a scarlet magic circle appeared in the palm pointed to me. "I'm here just for one thing. Whatever is your business, I don't care for now."

"What...?"

I asked her, but seeing that circle shining made me wake up from my reverie and jump out of it's way. As I was expecting, a true inferno came out of the magic rune in front of her hand, burning part of my jacket and not me by an inch. I fell on the ground, but quickly stood up.

"What the hell are you doing?! That could've killed me!" I screamed to her, as I stood on the burned and blacken floor. I can smell the flames behind me, but my attention now was all hers. She just crossed her arms, looking bored as ever.

"My name is Tasha Campbell, and my family is known for having one of the most powerful fire spells in the wizard world." She said, now extending both her hands to me and making two magic circles appear. "I'm here just to test if It's strong enough... To kill a dragon."

And the moment she said that, the magic runes in front of her hands unleashed streams of fire at my direction. I put my arms in front of me in a 'X', as the resulting force pushed we backwards. My feet almost lost contact with the ground, but I was strong enough to stay in place. For some reason, only the sleeve of my right arm and the lower parts of my clothes were burned. I took a quick glance at my opponent and she was crossing her arms again. Is that how she recharges her energies? No matter! I have to defeat her! So as fast as I could, I stomped hard on the ground and ran for her. I clenched my Boosted Gear hand hard and jumped into the air, ready to punch the hell out of her! As I descended from the air, she looked at me with that bored expression, as I prepared a punch. In the end...

**[BOOST!]**

***BAM!***

***CRACK!***

"Huh?!"

"Predictable. You really is a big dumb dummy." She said. I don't understand! My hand suppose to hit her, put instead, I stopped on the air, and my fist is just a few inches away from her, yet, I can't hit her, it's like some kind of force field is preventing me from doing it. A few seconds of silence, and then that same force that prevented me from hitting her pushed me away. I landed by my back, but as soon as I did it, a strange, small orange glass sphere fell next to me. This can't be good, so I rolled to a side, put myself on three and jumped away from the witch...

***BOOOOM!***

As I was expecting, although I'm still surprised, that ball exploded in a pillar of flames, I finally stood up as more and more of those keep coming from me, being created from the magic circles around that Tasha girl. She was tossing them like grenades, and like them, they would explode a few seconds after launched. I ran and ran from those, as she pursued me through the deserted corridor.

"Knock it off! This is not funny!" I screamed, as a glass ball of fire exploded next to my ankle. It was enough to make me stumble a little, but that little game of rat'n'mouse continued without problems.

And now she unleashed a stream of flames together with the magic fire grenades, I looked back and saw that enormous wall of flames and sparkles heading to me. This is just ridiculous! I stopped midway and turned around, facing now that hazardous ball of chaos as my Boosted Gear announced [BOOST] for the seventh. Well, it did worked once, I don't see why not again. Besides, if it fails, that Tasha chick will leave me alone. Okay, here goes nothing...! "I said... Knock. It. OFF!"

**[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY!]**

***VOOSH!***

***BAFF!***

"What the...?! GYAAAAAH...!"

Huh... It worked. I don't know how, I don't know why, but it worked. I just moved my arm in a blowing way against the flames, and for some reason, the spikes around the core jewel on the back of my hand just turned silver, and then arrow-like lights emerged from in and clashed against the wall of fire. I looked like a barrier was formed in front of me, as the blazing meteor disappeared and I could hear Ms. Tasha's scream. After that, a curtain of black smoke lifted, as everything went to black in front of me.

Well, that went... Better than I've expected. I sighed, looking at my now discharged Boosted Gear, as it announced [RESET], and the energy sipped from my body. Yeah, as long as I believe I can, I can, apparently, this is the rule of the world that I'm in, now. But that was weird, as now the spikes in my sacred gear returned to their natural golden. What is it shouted again? 'Dividing wyvern fairy'? Is that a new move? I wonder, I wonder. It saved me, it's the given.

*ZOOM!*

*STAB!*

"Huh...?" In a second and no less, suddenly, a crimson-black sword crossed the cloud and smoke and then stabbed me in the chest. It didn't hurt, I wasn't harmed at all.

*BOOM!*

"GAAAAAH...!" But put of nowhere, that same red lance exploded in a show of lights, and then bursted me away. I was launched backwards, and ended up on the floor. The explosion was enough to burn all of my jacket and part of my shirt, so it was only one sleeve hanging from my shoulder. What the hell was that? The curtain of smoke cleaned, And appearing from it, there was the Mage, with all of her clothes burn out, leaving her with only her undies, and with several of that same flame spears hovering around her.

"Impressive. To think that the Boosted Gear would still have the power of the Vanishing Dragon and [DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY]... I'm impressive. Really. Those sacred gears are really God's creation." She monologued, as I prepared my Boosted Gear for another round. The first boost announced, and I could feel the remaining stamina within me. I wouldn't last long, I have to finish this quickly. She frowned even more. "Well, no matter. This only means more credit for me, killing two dragons at that."

"Kuh... Just try." I tried to look tough so that she would be intimidated. Maybe is this [DWF] is strong enough, I can even deflect those lances. Those can take a punch out of me, so I'll have to charge myself, maybe that will have me deflect better. I'm thinking too much. Just be reckless and idiotic.

"Y'know, Tsukino-chin, I think I've finally found my role in this story." She said, as she summoned more and more of those apparatus of her, magic circles creating grenades of glass balls and red lances. I gulped, yet didn't faltered. "I'm the character... THAT DEFEATS THE PROTAGONIST AND MAKE HIM-...!"

***ZOOM!***

***CRASH!***

"Huh...?!" Before she could complete her sentence, a flash of light crossed from behind me to her and effortlessly destroyed on of her magic circles. We didn't had the time to react to that, as more on those flashes appeared from behind me and destroyed every single one of her fire weapons and summonings, until there was nothing left. She gasped. "What the hell is that?!"

"Correction, darling: you're the character that is sacrifice for the new, true threat to appear in the most fashionable way possible!" And a voice echoed behind me through the corridor, as a new flash of light crossed it and cut Tasha on the shoulder. She grunted in pain, reaching a hand to the affected area.

"Why, you're...!" And again she was interrupted when another flash of light stabbed her on the hand. She screamed in pain, and more of those flashes, now I could see there were actually swords, cam flying from my back and flying to her in her speed, until she was pinned to the wall across the corridor. Despite this, she was still alive, only with her hands holding her still on the wall, the rest of the swords circling her like a silhouette. She was so scared after that, she just passed out.

"And that's that. It wasn't that hard, but it was fun." That suave as silk voice said right behind my back. I froze, gulping hard and trembling a little. Why did it target Tasha, and not me? How did she thrown all of those swords in a blink of an eye? I couldn't run, I couldn't fight. I just... Stopped, as I could hear steps coming closer to me. In the end, a hand reached for my shoulder, and a face snuggled to my cheek. Despite all of this, the feeling was really warm. "Don't you think, lil'bro Ichijou?"

"..." I gasped. How did it know my name? It probably knew about my Boosted Gear.

"Eh...? No reaction. Huh, you're no fun." A feminine voice said next to my ear, making me shiver to the core of my heart. It had no malice, it had no hints of sarcasm. It was actually kinda motherly. I heard a chuckle, and then she spoke again. "Oh, well... Better do this the hard way... Oh, my."

And then the grip of that hand suddenly tighten on my shoulder, as it forcibly made me turn around in a quick move. As fast as I could, I summoned back my Boosted Gear and got ready to a future conflict. Might as well try for what is worth... In the end...

***BOING BOING!***

"Huh?! Hnnnnnnfff...!"

"Heheheh... How's it like? It feels good, right? First-rate boobs of a older woman brings all the boys to the yard~." And now, The epic battle turned into a motorboating session. Before I could blink, right before my eyes, a pair of giant breasts appeared out of nowhere, and hands pulled me into that marshmallow heaven. I have to admit, it felt great, but soon In was suffocating from it! My hands flew around aimlessly, until I could put two with two and then push those enormous bags of milk away from my face. I stumbled a few steps back, but I was strong enough to stand up. "Seesh... Already giving up? Although gramps would have died from blood loss after that."

"Huh?" I took a deep breath, and turned my attention to the owner of those... Huge... Tracks of land: a pretty, tall and slender young woman, with long, bright blond hair in one braid coming from the left side of her head and going down to her shoulder, she also had a hair antennae like that other girl I know. She has fair skin, green eyes and the aforementioned big breasts, wearing a wine business suit, a revealing cleavage due to some exploded buttons and matching business pants. I was again mesmerized by the beauty of that woman, but then it hit me: if she's here, She can't be normal. I prepared my Boosted Gear. "W-Who are you?! How do you know my name?!"

"Wow, calm down, lil'bro."

"I made a question!"

"Seesh... Tightass..." She crossed her arms with a grunt, pouting a little. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared behind her and, faster as I could see, a sword came down flying to me! So fast, the blade of the sword was just a few inches from me, so I didn't had the time to dodged it. Instead, I lifted my Boosted Gear and clashed scales with blades, reflecting it away.

***CRACK!***

**[BOOST]**

"Nice reflexes. Not bad for a rookie." She said with a smile. Not a sarcastic smile, but a genuine, proud smile. I grunted in response. What is she planning?

More circles appeared behind her, and all of them were sprouting blades at me. Two more were launched, and I dodged them. Not bad, maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the Boosted Gear. This little self-praise ended when now four more swords came down to me! "But can you dodge four at the same time?"

"Ugh...!" One passed just millimeters away from my face, but that was actually a decoy, as another one aimed directly where I would be after I dodged. I again used my Boosted Gear to defend myself, and it did reflect the incoming attack attack as I fell to the ground. A third lance was about to fall where I was, but I barrel-roll'ed fast enough to only pierce my other sleeve. However...

***CUT!***

"Gaaah...!" That was also a decoy, as I stood up and a blade cut me deep right in the leg. Blood split out of the wound, as I fell on my knees, the damaged leg not being able to support my weight. Damn it.

"Gotcha!" And she summoned another sword from that golden magic circle, aiming directly at my direction. Damn it, if I try to dodge it, I won't be able to stand again. My hand hurts, but out of instinct, I picked one of that fallen swords, swing it in front of me and clash it against the upcoming bladed missile.

**[BOOST!]**

***CLASH!***

***CRACK!***

***BOOM!***

"Ah, shit!" It took only a second, and both of that swords shattered after a explosion caused by their clash. The recoil forced the handle out of my numb hand, and some of the shades from the blade clashed on my uniform, but I was okay somehow. I looked at my opponent, whom was just as impressed. "What do you want from me?!"

"Lil'lol me? What? I just want to know if my lil'bro is good enough to be around people I like. Just that. Just... That." That doesn't even make sense! Who the hell is she talking about? Probably Gremory, but she's going too far with this! Her magic circles sprouted again new blades, now several in each one, all pointed at me. "If you want to be just like gramps, then try to dodge those!"

[BOOST!]

And before I could ask who is that 'Gramps' she speaks of, she pointed a finger at me, and soon after, all of those blades launched at high speed in my direction. There was no escape, even if I drag myself to a side, any side, it would still hit me with some royal damage. I picked another sword, a small one with cylindrical handle and deformed blade that cut me earlier, with my left dragonic hand, and stood up one more time to point one of it's edge against the rain of blades in front of me.

Maybe that's the time, the time where a Man see his death right in front of him, yet, it doesn't falter in the face of. After all of these years being called 'unmanly' and 'useless' by my sisters. I think this is the time I prove, even if only to myself, that I can stand and don't cower in the face of my own demise. That time that I'll not regret a thing about myself, that time when...

Who am I trying to fool?! Let's [DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY] this bitch!

"Dodge?! I can't dodge those!"

[BOOST!]

"So... If I can't dodge...!"

[BOOST!]

"I HAVE TO GET THOSE THE HELL AWAY FROM MY FACE!"

[**DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY...!]**

It happened again, the spikes around the central jewel in my Boosted Gear shined silver. This time, however, the sword next to it shined as well, and soon, it was engulfed in pale silver light, a mysterious aura dancing like a flame from the hilt to the tip of the blade. Well, time to test this one...!

"DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY...!"

***SLASH!***

**"[... BLADE!]" **me and my sacred gear screamed in unison, as a slash of pure white aura with green flames shot out of the blade of the sword in my hand, and flew right against the rain of blades in front of me. I thought that flying slash would only block or blow away some of the swords, but as it came closer to the other swords, suddenly, it divided in five more slashes, forming a wall of them right in front of me. They collided with the swords in front of me, and in an explosion of white light, the slashes exploded, making all of the swords falter in their ways, falling to the floor. I was out of breath, as my enemy, that blonde, had a surprised expression on her face, looking at her fallen blades, now disappearing in dull yellow light. In the end, for some reason, she smiled warmly.

"Not bad. I guess gramps could've done better, but you're in the right way, kiddo." She said to me, taking a first step to be walking in my direction. I frowned, putting the blade again in front of me.

"S-Stay away from me!" I screamed, coughing a little soon after.

"I wouldn't do that If I were you." She said, as my Sacred Gear shined again, the boost of energy instead making my body heavier and my vision to blur.

"One more time! I'll do this one more..."

[BURST!]

"Time~..." And I reached my limit. My body imploded with the sudden fatigue, and I coughed a little of blood. That move really took a toll out of me. My wounded leg faltered, and soon I was falling to the ground. However, a pair of soft, fluffy marshmallows eased my fall, and now, I couldn't move, my vision blurring ever more.

"Don't worry, lil'bro. I'll take you to the infirmary after I break this annoying barrier..." That soft voice spoke to me...

And now... Silence and blackness.

"For now, rest... **Sekiryuuoji**..."

.

~~x~~

.

Sheesh... I better still have all the clothes on my body, or at least the remaining of them, because getting stripped is getting annoying. I opened my eyes, and the first think I faced was a white, pale light coming from a lamp in a ceiling of the same tone. No sound, only the soft bed and the fluffy blanket. Still laying in that, I took a quick glance at my surroundings. A curtain, white walls, a white tables and some shelfs with books and medicines... Yep, I'm in the infirmary. It was the only logical conclusion...

...

...

*VUPT!*

Phew, no naked girl this time. Only the smell of oilment and a bandage wrapped around my leg. Good thing it wasn't a arrow, or else my days of adventurer would be over...

"What are you doing, Tsukino-chin?"

"Gah!" That sudden voice awoke me even more, as was one of the last voices I heard before passing out. I put myself sit on the bed, and turned around, only to see that same witch girl Tasha laying around on the bed beside me. She was still staring at the ceiling. For all I care, I don't, really. "What... What are you doing here?!"

"Calm, much? This, infirmary. We, shout, do not, here." She said in a deadpan tone, as a vein of rage popped on my head. Is she mocking me? "Calm down, Tsukino-chin, that busty onee-san fried my magic circuits with those swords. I won't be able to use magic for a while. Even move will be a problem."

"Hah! And makes you think I should believe you?!" I said, now jumping out of my bed and standing up, ready to activate my sacred gear if she moves even a little bit. She just gave me an aside glance and an annoyed sigh.

"You must not many friends with this kind of attitude, mr. Grumpy Bear. Although I did attacked you first." again with that. Goddamnit...

"Who the hell you think you are to say something like that? You don't even know me!"

"Some people know others by words, others, by sex or just gestures. I know them by actions and encounters, and by my point of view and sense, I figured you must be a very lonely guy." I grunted at that, although I said nothing back. This is getting really annoying really fast, her deadpan, stoic voice giving the impression she's mocking me. "You're also thinking that I'm mocking you or something, correct? Just to clarify, I'm not. I just saying what I'm feeling, just that. You may or not trust me. I don't care, I can't do a thing, really."

I twitched my eye, probably looking nervous, idiotic, or just plain freaked out. I dunno, she just read my mind so easily. Am I the kind of character that people can easily read what they're thinking? Well, yeah, first-person for what it matters, but this is really annoying for just that. Being predictable it's the worst thing that a teenager want to be.

"Say, Tsukino-chin, are you... Still human?" She said, now turning her head around to face me. I backed up a little, still suspicious about her behavior.

"No... I'm a devil now." I said back, crossing my arms. This is an question I can answer without problem.

"Oh, this means there is a king in this school. Figures, I thought maybe the story would vary a little, and you would be a brave saint. Don't worry, though, sometimes using the same formula is the best way. Don't fix what isn't broken, the saying goes... Isn't it?" And there she goes, going all meta again. Belle said that senpai was once a human, too. Despite what people might think, he ended up being a good example of a person whom reached legendary status despite humble origin. Yeah, he had the sacred gear that now I hold, but Rina said that not all of the other users were legends, and when there were, they were not even close to Senpai's...

Did I just called that girl by her nickname?

Ugh... My mind is a mess. Stupid witch, stupid sparring...

"Tsukino-chin, if I may ask, do you think that maybe your king will accept me into her or his peerage?" She said, now returning her eyes back to the ceiling.

"What? Now you want to be my friend, after all of that?"

"I was just testing my own strength against a force similar of a dragon. And now that I've lost, I learned that is still a long way to go. Maybe if I stick with you and devils long enough, I'll learn a thing or two. Besides..." She blushed a little. "You can use a tsundere and a magical girl in your harem."

"I'm not building a harem!" And that one was louder that I was expecting. What is it with everyone saying that I got to have a harem? This is getting really tiring. Man, are devils really that lonely? What's with this harem thing? Regardless, I'm not interested. My dad tried to be a harem king, and now he has four daughters, one son, three ruined marriages and a book of unlearned lessons. To ended up like that... I'd rather have only one girl, thank you. Knowing Gremory, however, she will be my comrade soon enough, that's for sure. Ugh, annoying. I wonder how it would be if I ever was chosen by Serena-Kaichou. She's a devil, too. "Sorry, I didn't meant to yell. Just stop with this harem thing, this is really getting on my nerves."

"Huh... Suit yourself."

"What happened?" Suddenly, the school nurse slid the curtains open, a concern look on her face as she looked around for any serious problem. I'm standing up without problems, but Tasha...

"No. Sorry, no problems. We're just having a little... Heated discussion." I said, waving my hands just to assure her. She looked at me, and then to the witch behind, and sighed. I blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Please, do not shout in the infirmary. People might think we have a serious problem. You almost gave me a Heart attack."

"U-Understood..."

"Hey, Tsukino-chin..." The witch behind me said in a whisper. I turned to her and she looked at me back. "Tell the nurse I need to take my own medicines two hours from now. Oh, and I need to call my mom for her to know I'm at the infirmary."

"Huh...?" Well, that's lazy. I mean, the nurse it's right there, she can say that herself. I frowned at that, while the woman in white labcoat in front of me looked just as confused. "Tell her yourself. She's right here."

"I can't. I don't speak her language." She said, still deadpan. A vein of rage popped on my head, and I would say something if the nurse didn't tapped my shoulder to call for my attention.

"Huh~... Tsukino-kun, right? Do you know... What that girl is saying?" She asked, genuinely concerned about the girl. I blinked a few times, turned my attention to Tasha, who just shrugged a little. Wait... She can't understand her? What does it means? So how the hell can I understan-...

'_Oh, can you understand me?'_

_'Oh, good. Since The Church back from were... I mean, where I'm from sent me hear... Here! I were afraid that I couldn't... Wait... Wouldn't be able to talk to others!' _

_'Could you please take me to the mall?'_

_'Can you understand me?'_

_'How about now... Three Russian men walked down the street?'_

_'Now, try to understand this...'_

...

...

"Miss nurse, Miss Tasha Campbell needs to take a certain medicine two hours from now. please, understand."

"Oh, okay."

"And she'll need to call her mother too. Please, let her use the phone of something. Get some clothes to her too."

"Alright."

"Also, have you seen that redhead girl from the first-year, Berolina Gremory?"

"Oh, that big-breasted lady? I saw her walking to the student council room. She was also walking with that girl with one eyepatch and a seaweed head."

"Thank you..."

...

...

***SLIDE!***

***STEP!***

**"GREEEEEEEEMOOOOOOORY...!"**

And I don't care if my leg is screwed up! I ran the fast as I could from the infirmary, like a lightning, to the student council room. What the hell! She said she can speak with others from other countries, not that devils are polyglots! Oh, I'm gonna bump her so hard that she will not know if it's blood or her hair!

Finally! Here at the student council room! I could see some shadows from the translucid glass window, but I don't care! I reached for my hand to the handle to slide that door open and give her a piece of my mind! However...

*BAM!*

"What do you mean I can't make a new another Occult Research Club?!"

"Huh...?" I stopped midway hearing that familiar voice by the other side. That's Gremory, for sure, but she seemed so mad. That was so alien to me, I just stared at the silhouettes by other side.

"I already told you, Rina. You can't create a new O.R.C. Because we already have the student council to take care of the supernatural around this part. Besides, first-years can't create clubs as long I'm the headmistress." Another one, softer and calmer than Gremory's said back. She sounded too close to Gremory. "Understand, Rina. You're still too young and unprepared to take care of anything."

" Shut up! I'm already grown up enough to take care of my own club and my peerage!"

"You stole your pieces from me. I told you that I would Give them to you when you are ready. This and the fact that you made the current holder of the Boosted Gear your queen without his consent is proof enough for me to say that you. Are. Still. A. Brat!"

"What the hell, sis! That's not f-..."

"Shooo... Rina..."

"Huh...?"

"There's someone... Listening to us... By the other side of the door."

"Whoa!"And before I knew it, a magic circle appeared in the middle of my chest and the door abruptly opened in front of me. Before I could even react, an invisible force pulled me in, closing the door soon after. I stumbled a little, but I maintained my balance by taking small skips forward. In the end, I almost landed on... Breasts again. But I had enough strength to pull myself straight, now facing the personnel which those breasts belongs to: a tall, mature, serene looking lady with bright violet eyes, fair skin and a great body, wearing a red dress with a black jacket and furry scarf. Her most noticeable feature, however, was her bright crimson hair, long, crimson, wavy red locks reaching the midway of her back. She looked like an older Gremory. "Errr... Hello?"

"Ah! Ichijou-kun!" I looked around, and yes, there she was, my stupid king Berolina Gremory, between Akabane and Belle. And there was not only them, but Serena-Kaichou too, and... that blonde onee-san from before, beside the older-looking redhead!

"Yo, lil'bro! Howdy?"

"You...!" I again summoned my Boosted Gear, readying myself to maybe another combat, however, before I could do anything, Kaichou stepped in front of me.

"Wow! Wow! Stop right there, Ichijou-kun!" She said, laughing nervously soon after. Gremory then touched my shoulder and I looked at her confused expression.

"Ichijou-kun, you know Aria-nee?"

"Aria... Do you know anything about this lad?" The other redhead asked to the blonde behind her. She laughed it off and crossed her arms.

"Yep. It was on accident, but I found him fighting with a witch girl around. You can have my word, he's the real deal. Rina-chan is telling the truth, after all."

"Is that so? Well, now that I'm seeing it with my own eyes, I can't really say anything now." The redhead with calmer expressions that walked to my direction, pushed her 'sis' away and looked at me for a whole, only to chuckle a little soon after. "And to think I was saying that you were another of Rina's delusion. So sorry about that, mr. boosted Gear queen."

"Uh~... No problem, ma'am..."

"My name is Nemesis. Nemesis Gremory. I'm Berolina's older sister, and the current headmistress of Kuoh Academy. Pleased to meet you, Tsukino Ichijou. Can I call you just 'Ichijou'?"

.

~~x~~

**.**

**Yep, let's put some of the jokes and comedy down for now, and focus in the first serious arc in this fanfic. It might not be the most original development, but I'll... I'll try my best. I hope you people can cheer for me, or at least give a little read. Thank you for your interest. Stay golden~...**


	13. Melancholy is not quite the word

**Now, on a sadder chapter, Ichijou will have to face a problem that is maybe not well explored in the series properly: the master-servant bond and the family bond. Granted, I guess this was already too explored, but I wonder what will happen If I do that? Hehehe...**

**DxD does not belongs to me!**

.

~~x~~

.

"Oh, hey, Ichijou. Home already? You can still take a bath before dinner Tim-..."

"Ughh~..."

"Ichijou? Darling, what's wron-...?"

"Leave me alone, mum. Not now, please..."

And as I dismissed my mother and my sisters, I walked to my dear room on the second floor and collapsed on the bed, not bothering to even remove my shoes. Again, everything sucks... And yet again, I can't believe that Gremory actually went there back then...

.

**~~ BACK THEN...~~**

.

"See?! He's the real deal, sis! The real legacy of Hyoodou Issei-sama!" And right after headmistress Gremory, Nemesis, presented herself to me, the other redhead pulled me back to her embrace, as she hugged my head. The other one, Nemesis, simply sighed, looking back at the blonde next to her. Aria, if I recall correctly.

"Well, I can't argue with that, he's really the new host of the Boosted Gear. Congra-freaking-lations, my stupid sister." Nemesis-san, in return, clapped her hands slowly, as she was mocking us. Instead of my usually angry response, I was confused. I thought our Headmistress was miss Morimoto Shizuka, a kind-hearted blue-haired lady. Well, yeah, she could use an alias and a disguise, but...

Wait... Nemesis... Gremory...? Nemesis... Sis... Shizu... Shizuka... Gremory... Mory... Morimoto...

...

I really need those poetry classes...

"You won." I said out of nowhere, extending a hand to Nemesis-san. She looked at me puzzled, and then we shake hands.

"Thank... You...?" She said in response. I crossed my arms and retuned myself to my usual moody persona. I took a glance at the others, back to Kaichou, back to Gremory, back to Nemesis-san, back that bitch Aria, and then to my own group.

"Okay... For starters, what's going on?" I asked aloud. Gremory was the first to call my attention, however, when she was about to tell me something, Nemesis-san simply slapped her away to the wall and turned to me.

"Tsukino... Ichijou-kun. Since you're the Queen of my stupid sister, as well as the Current holder of the Boosted Gear, you must be aware of the Occult research club, an old club which a relative or ours, Rias Gremory, once lead, right?" She asked me, that voice smooth as silk hitting me deep and making me blush. Now that she mention it, Gremory did said something about this club, Lady Rias' own personal club that was actually a facet to hide the demonic true nature of it's members.

"Yes, I'm somehow aware." I said back, turning my head to another side in embarrassment. However, Nemesis-san picked my chin and made me turn back to her. Seesh, forceful, those Gremory's are, isn't it?

"Well, then, since you probably know her the longest, I can say that you know that my stupid sister wants to create a new Occult Research club." I nodded, turning now my gaze to the other redhead who was walking to us, being helped by our other... Friends. (Cough, cough...). Nemesis-san then sighed. "My response to that, of course, was a 'No'."

"Huh?" I said, kinda surprised. "Why not?"

"Because she's a bossy, manipulative big sister that wants nothing but pain and suffering to her little sister!" Gremory, out of nowhere, gripped tightly her hand around Nemesis-san's wrist, making her let go of me.

"Rina, you're hurting me." The other redhead said, the lack of expression in her words enough to make me uncomfortable. From where I stand, I could see that my King really wants to hurt her sister.

"Why can I make my own club, sis?! Why are you pushing me so...?!"

"I said let me go!" And before Gremory could finish her sentence, an enormous, black skeletal arm sprouted from Nemesis-san's shoulder and slapped Gremory away, with enough force to push her against a wall. After that, before Gremory could reacted, the skeletal hand trapped her in between it's massive fingers, pinning her on the wall.

"Hey! Let her g-...!" Out of instinct, I summoned my Boosted Gear again to try to defend the helpless Gremory. But then Akabane and Serena-Kaichou stepped in front of me, as Aria-san hooked my neck around her arm.

"Ichijou-kun, please calm down!" Kaichou said, approaching me and putting her hands on the sides of my head. Too close! I blushed instead. "Calm. Alright. You wouldn't like to take Headmistress on like that. That arm... Is her special ability."

"What?"

"Nemis' arm is not a summoning or an astral projection." The blonde who was pulling me to her chest said."That arm of hers is actually The power of destruction taking physical form. You try to cut that thing away, it'll burn anything in it's way. Do anything, and Rina might ended up in the bad side of this."

"..." I gulped, biting my lips a little. So Gremory have also this kind of sister, this makes me feel a little more comfortable... And pissed off for some reason. However, in a flash step, a green ray of light simply snatched Gremory away from the hand's grasp. Nemesis-san blinked a few times, as the green lightning landed right next to us. There she was: Belle carrying our king, bridal style.

"So sorry about the delay reaction. But cool characters always appears on the nick of the time, right?" The greenette smiled. Gremory wasn't unconscious, but she ended up standing up and completely ignoring her savior. That was out-of-character and rude, if you ask me.

"Huh... You have loyal servants. That's good, Rina." Nemesis-san said, clapping sarcastically again. "Doesn't mean I'll let you create a new O.R.C., though."

"Whatever! Looks like I can only rely on one last alternative!" Berolina Gremory was so scary now. Her green eyes were pointing furiously to the lady in front of her, and them it was her pointer finger going just that. For a split second, the atmosphere here got cold, and in just one more sentence, our fate was sealed. "Nemesis Gremory of the Gremory House, I challenge you to a Rating Game!"

Suddenly, the ambient turned quiet. Not just any kind of Quiet, an ominous, disturbing kind of. A gush of cold wind blew down my neck, and all of us were dead quiet. The only ones still somehow Unscratched by the sudden change of mood were the Gremory sisters. Nemesis-san lifted her face in a way her bangs casted a mask of shadows on her red eyes. And then she spoke...

"My, first disobeying my orders, then stealing back your Evil pieces and using them without my permission, and now challenging me to a Rating Game. Does your arrogance knows no limit, my stupid little sister?" The taller redhead said, taking steps closer to the short one and now staring down on her due to the height difference. "An insect like you wouldn't even be allowed to talk to me if it wasn't for our father."

"Gremory's dad?" I once again felt the rising tension around, making me uncomfortable as well.

"Rina-chan's dad is... Uncle Cohen Lucifer, one of the current satans of the Underworld. Moreover, Grandmaster Millicas, the most powerful devil around is also her grandfather." Serena-Kaichou spoke, pulling me closer and whispering to me, probably to avoid any contact with the sisters next to us. "Think of Uncle Cohen as the final boss of a Good ending and Grandmaster Millicas as the final boss of the True Ending."

Oh... Scary. So Gremory is more than just a rich girl, she's a royal rich girl. Figures, treating everything as a game and everyone as a pet, I wouldn't be surprised. However , what is this Rating Game they speak of?

"Please reconsider, Rina. You don't want to end up with more scars that you already have, right?" Nemesis-san finished her sentence with a hint of worry and sadness, a faint, minimalist hint. She turned back to the hostile aura soon after. Gremory, on the other hand, started to fault a little, trembling and sweating buckets. "You still have a pair of arms, legs, breasts and functional eyes. I'd be a pity to lose them. Your queen showed that he's no match against my own, either."

"Nemesis-san's queen?" I said, turning my attention to the Blondie that was holding me back. Aria-san smiled to me, letting me go since I wasn't struggling anymore.

"That would be me, bro."

"So what?! I bet with some training, he'll be able to kick even your own ass!" I remember Gremory being this passional before, but with all of this rage and hatred, it looked so out of place. She was still trembling, looking back at us from time to time to make sure that we would support her. I was too busy trying to figure out what this would lead us to. "I even think that my peerage... Would win against yours any day with proper training!"

"My, oh my..." Despite the threat and the screaming, Nemesis-san didn't seem affected at all, more like she was bored in dealing with Rina. "Say, Rina, how many people are in your peerage?"

"Three. The ninja, myself and Ichijou-kun, a knight, a queen and me, the king. Ninetails will join me when Ichijou-kun is strong enough." I looked at Akabane, who was just mumbling 'so sorry' to the redhead next to her. She looked at me, and sighed, motioning cutting her own neck with her thumb. This can't be good.

"Only three. You expect to defeat me with only three members, when I have a full set of special pieces, more than twice as much. I must say, you're either brave or a complete idiot." Nemesis-san said., reaching her hand to the other redhead. "But if you're willing to be defeated for a lost cause, I guess father can arrange a mock-RG. I would never thought the first Rating Game of my stupid little sister would be against m-..."

*SLAP!*

"Don't... Touch my hair." But before Nemesis-san could reach her hand to touch Gremory's lock, the former simply slapped her hand away, grunting after. The taller redhead sighed.

"Anyway, as a handicap, since you have only three members for now, I'll give you this: you can train your peerage during the Golden Week, and by the end of it, we will have the RG. Is that enough for you?" Nemesis-san facepalmed, probably completely bored and wanting to get out of her current situation as soon as possible.

"Yeah! Of course! Just you wait, Sis! I'll just need those days to properly train my peerage to beat you!" Gremory said, still with an angry look on her face.

Wait... Did she said that we will train during the Golden Week? The WHOLE Golden Week?! But... But...!

"Gremory!" I lifted one of my hands and called for her attention. However, she just lifted her hand in a stop sign.

"Not now!" She demanded, as I could feel my own rage rising. I would say something, but before I could do a thing, Gremory called a magic circle and took a step into it. "It is decided then, sis! I'll be waiting home and then we'll call papa! Don't you dare run away!"

"As if, stupid sister."

"Gremory! Wait up! Golden week is whe-...!" And... She's gone. Before I could even blink and finish my sentence, she dived in the magic rune and disappeared in thin air. "But... But golden Week is when me and my family have the special... Trip... To the beach..."

And I faltered to the ground, kneeling on it and feeling the angst building inside. Really? The whole Golden Week training with Gremory and the others? But this is the only time in the year me and my family(with the exception of dad, since he's usually overseas, not that is a bad thing.) can have some time together. No work, no school, no responsibility, just us and the beach. Granted, my sisters still treat me like crap there, but at least we have fun... And trade this for... Hellish training with that lass...

"Ichi... Jou-kun... Right?" From the ground, I lifted my sight to above my head, and saw Nemesis-san staring at me. She offered me a hand, and I tried to reach for it. When we touched, however, she pulled me in a hug. "I'm sorry."

"Huh...?"

"If Berolina ever did something that made you upset or sad, I'm sorry. She's dense like that, please forgive her." She said, letting me go soon after and patting my head. She looked me deep in the eyes, and sighed. "We'll be seeing you in the Rating game. Please, do not resent me."

"Haaah~...?" And just like Gremory, the older redhead summoned a demonic rune and stepped into it to probably travel back to the Gremory house or something. Huh... Now, I feel a lot better. I turned around and saw Serena-Kaichou, Akabane, Belle and Aria-san just pondering within themselves. I approach them just to get myself into the conversation. "So... Any of you mind explain to me what this Rating Game thing is?"

"Sure, Ichijou-kun." Serena-Kaichou smiled, tapping my shoulder. "Since Aria-neechan, Yoko-chan and Seaweedninja-chan are with us, I guess we can explain it to you in a minute."

"I have a name, y'know. I'm a ninja, after all..."

"Hahahahah..."

.

**~~NOW...~~**

.

So, in short, I'm the second-in-command in a war against Gremory's big sister and seven other individuals, and being a queen piece, unable to back off the conflict. This alone would be 'kinda' okay by me, since I'd be able to test my own strength and power against true veterans, but the real giver was the fact that she didn't even took my personal life in consideration. The whole Golden week... With them... Missing the whole trip to the beach, the hot springs and the peace of the ocean...

My only moment of zen during the year... Lost.

*TOC! TOC!*

"Hey, Ichijou? What's wrong, darling?" I heard the voice of my mother by the entrance of my dark room, since I didn't bothered to even flick the lights on or close the door.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong, mum. I just... Need a moment alone." I said, face in the pillow, probably looking pathetic. I really hate that. My sisters would probably shrug my absence off, but mother will make questions, and I hate to lie or even make her upset.

"Ichijou, something is up. I know that you're a teenager, and you have your secrets, but as a mother, I have, and I want, to ask again: what's wrong?" Damn it, damn it all. By her manner of speech, she's either upset or worried. Sometimes I wish my mother was the aloof kind, just like of those protagonists' from light novels. When they're not dead, that is. I sighed, I just have to come up with some bullshit and expect her to buy it. Or just say the truth vaguely, just like last time. I put myself sit on my bed and stared at her figure resting her back on the frame of my door.

"Well... Something happened... And now, well, I can't go to the family trip this year." I coughed a little, feeling the razor words passing through my throat. It hurts, it hurts a lot. The face of my mother was covered in the shadows since my room was dark and the only light was coming from the corridor of the second floor, but I could see her eyes first wilding in surprise, then narrowing in thought, aimlessly hovering around my room, and then closing to let her sigh.

"It's about Rina-chan, right?" I gasped when she said that, as she took her way to my bed to sat beside me. Damn it, she figured it out. I turned my eyes to another place, trying to escape her gaze.

"Yeah~..." I said, defeated. My head was down in shame and regret, but when I lifted it to face my mother, she was making a serene, comfortable smile to me. She reached her hand to me and pat my head.

"Okay, okay. I understand. Ichijou, my baby, I know that you're growing up, and after what happened to Julia-chan and Nina-chan, ten years ago, I thought you wouldn't like to make friends ever again." She touched that subject again. Damn it, damn you father, damn you childish innocence. I lost two of my only friends because of this. I sighed. "I'm glad that you're being social again, and this calms my soul a lot. It's good to see you hanging out with them, with your friends."

"..." Damn it, shut up mom! Stop saying this! They're not my friends! And I'm not being social with them because I want! Damn it, I just want to tell her! I'm a devil! I'm a slave! I'll fight for a cause I don't even follow! Damn it! I gulped my own angst and despair, as my mother pulled me closer into a hug.

"But, no matter what you do, never forgets that your mother loves you deeply, okay?" She hugged me, and suddenly, I had the urge to scream, to throw a tantrum, to simply lose it. I... I'm losing my humanity against my will... I've become simply a weapon... My mother, my family are the only one who still see me as someone, and not something. Mother let me go, and smiled awkwardly. "Ahahahahah... That was so old-fashioned, right? My bad, I'm just so hammy sometimes..."

"..." I said nothing, she just patted me one more time and walked out of my room.

"Rest for now, Ichijou. I'll call you when dinner is ready. I'll make your favorite." And she closed the door, leaving me alone with my own misery. I laid on my bed with my stomach down, covering my head with the pillow.

Everything is so quiet now. I hate this, I hate everything. This Boosted Gear, this legacy, Gremory and... No, I can't be like this. No, I don't hate everything, is that I'm just so frustrated. That redhead didn't even considered my feelings about this. I was dragged into this against my will. Sigh... I wonder if senpai had that same problem...

*SIT!*

"Huh...?"

"You have a great mom, dragon." I heard from above, as the height of two somethings landed on me. "Mine used to thrown me into a bottomless pit when I was seven. Ninja training, of course."

"What do you two want?" I said, grunting. Ninja was sitting cross-legged on me, while a white fox went from my back to in front of me, to sniff my face.

"I'm just here to see my wife. I cleaned things up, and I won't be part of Gremory's peerage. I was just around to see you grow." The fox said to me. Huh, figures. I knew since the beginning, she was just interested in my Boosted Gear. "You seem down, darling. What happened?"

"Just leave me alone." I muttered. Fighting now is useless. I just want a good night of sleep. Suddenly, the height on my back vanished, and Belle sat next to my bed, arms crossed and looking at the ceiling.

"Say, I'll also be fighting there, dragon. We're war buddies." She said, turning to me with a smile. "Anything you want to say, I'll be here until midnight. Don't worry, 'Kay? I'm a ninja, after all."

"Same here." And the fox vanished in a cloud of smoke, and in its place, there was Akabane Yoko, wearing a pink kimono, her fox ears sprouting from her head and nine fluffy tails from her back. She pulled me into a embrace and made me fell on her. "You can use me as your pillow. Just sleep for now."

Haaah~... This warm sensation~... Suddenly, everything is so warm and slow... It's nice, being surrounded by this feeling...

Almost makes me think they really like me...

"Hey, darling, are you crying?"

"..."

"...?"

"No... I'm not."

.

~~x~~

.

"So, you're going to be traveling around with your group during golden week. Seems like a good program." My classmate and secret crush said to me as we walked side by side to the entrance doors. Since she wanted to know what I was planning to do during Golden Week, I couldn't let that change escape, and now, we're walking like this. If it wasn't for the subject, I'd be jumping in euphoria... Huh, I'd never guessed I'd so lame.

"Yeah, something something like this. It'll be a great program, I guess." I sighed. This is a lie, if only she knew. "You?"

"I'll be around. Grandma is a sick woman, but she's strong. I'll go to the club or just walk around the commercial streets, nothing too fancy." She said back. Oh, right, I'm now a lot closer to Kamiyama. Granted, only a few words per class, but at least we're going somewhere. I hope she doesn't find me a creep or something. I also discovered that she lives with her grandma since the death of her parents, hard stuff, but she doesn't seem too bothered.

"I hope she gets better." I said, offering her my sympathy. She turned to me and tilted her head to a side.

"Me too." She said back, followed by an awkward silence. Tch, almost two weeks with this, and we always end a conversation like this. I dunno if it's her or me, but I don't like it. We walked in complete silence until a crossway, the place where we part ways. Once there, she turned to me. "So... I'll be seeing you. Be careful on your trip, Tsukino-kun."

"Happy Golden week for you, Kamiyama." I said back, turning my red face to another side. This feeling again. It's really starting to bother me, in a wrong way too. Before I could take my way, she waved for me, and when I turned around, she extended to me a small bracelet. "Huh~... What is this?"

"This is a lucky charm." She deadpanned, giving that piece of jewelry to me. Taking it a small scan on my hand, I figured it a pretty silver chain bracelet with some blue in it. I put it around my wrist, and it fit perfectly. "I'm giving it to you as a token of our friendship."

"Well... Uh~... Thanks?" I said, now completely red from head to toe. Wow, this is really sweet, but I don't have anything to give her! "Sorry, Kamiyama, but I don't have anything to give you right now... But I'll think of something later!."

"..." She looked at me again, tilted her head to a side, and smiled. "You are... You are a good person, Tsukino-kun."

"Eh~...?" And now she turned around, waving me a goodbye.

"Don't worry, dragon. It was my idea to buy you something. Don't think about it too much." She said, waving goodbye by her back. I was going to say something, but suddenly, my cellphone beeped. I picked it from my pocket and flipped it up, showing a message from Belle.

.

_FROM: Annabelle._

_We are already at the training ground at the Gremory territory._

_If anything, use the magic circle we imprinted on a paper on the kitchen table. We'll be waiting._

_. _

I sighed. Yep, whatever I wanted or not, I'll be sacrificing my Golden Week to train for my first rating game. This sucks. When I was about to call Kamiyama back, she was already gone. Well, she doesn't want a gift, but I think I'll buy her one anyway. She's also... A friend of Tsukino Ichijou, and not the Red Dragon emperor.

Well, better to home... I wonder if my sisters and mom are having fun...

I really wanted to be there too...

.

~~x~~

**.**

**Aaah~... Poor Tsukino-kun. Remember me during my study sessions to college. Hard stuff to think about it. But no more about me, go pity Ichijou-kun, because he needs it.**

**So... What do you guys think? Too angsty? Too emo? Emo enough? I liked this chapter, it was fun to write, but what about you all? Anyway, stay golden. The next chapter... A training arc(?)!**


	14. I'm Gremory's knight, after all

**Short chapter, but just preparing things that are yet to be. I dunno, sometimes I can't just write a saga without a short chapter for an introduction. Sorry about it, but I hope you enjoy it. Stay golden!**

**DxD does not belongs to me!**

.

~~x~~

.

It's morning...

No, by the position of the Sun and the dim light coming from the window, I can say that it had been morning for a long time. Maybe it's already noon, for what is worth. I should probably get out of the bed, do some stuff for my king or just train a little, but...

"Kyuu~... Kyun~... Kyun~..."

"Zuu... Zuuu... Zuuu..."

I can't, because there's two naked beauties sleeping on my arms, sandwiching me between their breasts. My arms are frozen, and I can't move very well. Jeez... Had we sleep through the whole morning?

"Nemesis, could you please wake up? I can't move my arms." I said to the redhead on my right side, my dear Crimson King. She yawled a little, and shot a poisonous glare at me, still a little sleepy.

"How dare you to give me orders, Nero. If you weren't my lover, I would castrate you." She said, Pouting and snuggling in my chest. Sigh, it's not my fault that she's a heavy sleeper and not a morning person, but she has to remember that she's the next head of the Gremory clan, and so, she has duties to fulfill.

"It's your fault for keeping us up all night, you horny devil~..." The blonde by my left side said, doing the same and smiling sweetly on my chest. Well, it's their fault as well, since I have to "work" twice as hard for them, not that I'm complaining.

"Look, I couldn't care less for you two sneaking into my room to rape me all night long, but we all have things to do, and something says that being all day in bed won't help." I said. Despite all of these... Privileges in being a devil, servant of Lady Nemesis Gremory, I still have my code of Knight, not just as her knight, and duties must come first. My redhead lover looked at me again with those red poisonous eyes, and sighed.

"Okay, fine." She grunted, crawling out of the bed and stretching a little once standing up. Even from behind, she's gorgeous. I put myself sit up on my bed, Aria was still hooked on me by the neck. Nemesis turned to me. "Talking about duties, Nero, I want you to take a look at my sister's peerage."

"Hah? Really?" Rina-chan's peerage? That's odd. I mean, Nemesis only lost four Rating Games until now, why would she be so worried about her sister's peerage? "Worried? That's so unlike you."

"It's not the match I'm worried about." She said, covering herself with a white robe and sitting next to me and Aria on the bed. She looked me deep in the eye, like she usually do when she wants a serious talk... Or something kinkier. Last time was a combination between eatable panties and an electric toothbrush. Brrr. "Nero, I want you to evaluate Rina's pieces."

"Huh?"

"I'm actually worried about her pieces. Especially that boy." Oh, the new host of the Boosted Gear. He's the one I want to fight the most. But from Aria's perspective, he's still very green. "Her knight might be top-tier, but that lad... He's weak."

"What? But Aria said he has potential." I retorted.

"Potential and actual strength are two completely different things." She frowned at me, kissing my cheek and sighing. "Besides, if he doesn't follow the most likely path, he might end up a mediocre devil, a mediocre fighter that not even the Boosted Gear can save."

"You might be right. It's Rina-chan's first time. We must guide her or at least help her." I said, but then nemesis pinched my nose. "Owowow~... What's the big idea?"

"Don't say such suggestive things when talking about my sister." She said, releasing me and shrugging. "Let's go. I might be a little sore, but this won't stop me."

"Hay, hay, my king." I said, mockingly saluting her. But before this. "Hey, Aria, could you please let me go?"

"Nope~..."

.

~~x~~

.

It was like a nightmare~/ and it painful for me~/'Cuz nobody wants to die that fast~/ Ah! Nothing like hopping from tree to tree while hearing the most fitting song for the occasion. And I'm not kidding, a titan may be walking around as I think, but for now, let's just enjoy this little moment of bliss.

Since Dragon is not around yet, Gremory let me take a walk around the Gremory territory next to the mountains. So much trees and nature, perfect for an infiltration mission. I wonder if I can summon Albert here, he'd love to hit around...

"Damn you, GREMOOOORYY...!"

"Kyaaah~. Oh, no. I'm falling."

I stopped the moment those voices reached my ear. I looked up into the sky, and as I was expecting, I saw two blinks on the air falling down. One soon revealed itself as the red Dragon, and the other was... A busty purple-haired witch girl? Anyway, the girl pulled a broom out of her skirt, and then eased her own fall by floating into the air, while Dragon was still free falling...

...

...

Can you pretend that red dragons at the noon sky are shooting stars~./ I could use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now~...

*BAM!*

"Ugh!" And there it goes my song, "Ichijou" just hit a tree, but he couldn't grip it in time, so he slid to a side and fell for it, hitting and falling on several others branches as he descended like a pachinko ball. "Ow! Ouch! Sonova-...! Ugh! Why?! Hurt! Bleh!"

As much is amuses me how much he reacts to his misery, I don't him to be hospitalized on his first day of training, so when he was low enough, I tossed a kunai knife in his direction, and as always, it hit bullseye, the right spot of his black jacket, making him hang from there. I'm a ninja, after all...

"Thanks, Ninja." He said, still with his head down. This actually made me surprised. Did he see me while falling? I jumped again to the tree he was hanging from, and stepped on a nearby branch.

"How did you know it was me?" I said, amused. He lifted those green orbs at me, and sighed.

"Only you would have some decency to help me. Gremory would probably say that I was suppose to endure that fall without problem or whatever." Well, that wasn't very nice. I know Gremory is kind of an idiot, but I don't think she would let him suffer because of this. I removed my knife out of his jacket, and he put himself up, balancing from the branch.

"Don't be like that, Dragon. Gremory might be a little dim-witted, but she's alright." I chuckled, trying to lift the mood. Man, he's moody today, and when he stood up to clean up his clothes, I noticed the deep circles in his eyes. He has been crying. Tch, what a crybaby.

"Your friend here is kinda neat, Tsukino-chin. Is she part of your harem?" I looked behind me, and yes, that witch girl was still around. I would obliterate her if she had any sense of danger coming from her, but no. She actually had a very boring expression and voice, while hovering around us on her broom.

"Yeah. I'm the ojou-ninja-snarky-cool-cool-mixed-blood-foreign-former-enemy-current-ally type. Annabelle Hellsing is my name. Nice to meet you." I said crossing my arms and smiling at her. She just tilted her head and crossed arms under her bosom. Pretty purple eyes staring at me.

"Pleased to meet you as well, Anna-chin. My name is Tasha Campbell, and I'm the witch-kyonyuu-magical-emotionless-playful-nickname-giving-former-rival-ally-to-be type." She said, bowing a little and hiding her face with that witch hat on top of her head. She has nice tits, I want to grope her one of these days. "Oh, wow. We're worth at least three harem characters."

"Hell yeah we are." I said, then we high-fived. I have the impression that we're gonna work so well. She also said that she was ready to be an ally, does this means she wants to be part of Gremory's peerage? I turned my attention to the dragon Next to me. "Hey, red, who's this chick? She seems nice."

"She the witch who hospitalized me by burning me almost to death. Now, she wants to be part of Gremory's peerage, aka, our group and followed me home just for that." He deadpanned, not sounding even a little bit excited. Well, granted, he did say that she burned him almost to death, and now she got Vegeta syndrome. Like I said, Tsukino Ichijou is not the type of character that would accept a former enemy as an ally off the bat, like any typical Shounen hero. Hell, I bet he wants to punch her into unconsciousness.

"Well, aren't you popular with the ladies?" I joked, patting him on the back and giggling a little. He just put himself quiet for now. "I'm proud of you, dragon! You're following your path as Issei-sama's heir! You're gonna have so much fun training and being spoiled by Gremory like he did!"

"..." Instead of his typical grunt or at least a comical outburst, he just gave me an uneasy aside glance from his shoulder and sighed. For some reason, that alone was enough to make me shiver a little. He waved to the witch beside him. "Hey, Tasha, would you kindly take me to the ground?"

"Sure, Tsukino-chin. Hop on." She leveled herself to him, and he jumped on top of her broom. They descended to the ground after it, leaving me alone in the branches. Well, better keep up with them, so I jumped again from spot to spot until ground-level.

"Let me take you two to the training ground. Foxy and Gremory are already there." I waved for both of them, and so they followed me deep in the woods. The rest of the walk was completely silent, with only me dropping some jokes and snarks at my two companions. Tasha would eventually crack a small smile and giggle, but Red was a bit... Off, today.

We finally reached the stairway to the Gremory house, at the top of the mounty valley. Before We continued, however, I stopped midtrack and looked at Ichijou, landing a hand on his shoulder. He stared back with an "what?" Expression. I can't help it. He has been leaking bloody murder since he came, and by his record, I can assume his prey is Gremory.

"You're not gonna... Punch Gremory as soon as you see her, are you, Tsukino Ichijou?" I said his full name to let him know I mean business. He gave me another aside glance, making me remove my hand from his shoulder. He's upset. He's really upset.

"What makes you say that?" He said, turning back to the stairway and waiting for my instructions. I'm a ninja after, so I can feel the uneasy aura coming from his very soul. Now, I couldn't care less about how Gremory sees the world as a whole, but I won't let anyone harm her while I'm still her knight. Not to mention, I didn't even groped her yet.

"Look, whatever it is, remember that I'll be around to back you up, red. We're partners, right?" I smiled to him, giving him my sincerest vote of friendship, at least the best I could come out with since I'm a ninja, and this finally calmed him down a little. While still with that frown, his killing intent disappeared. "Besides, we are... Friends."

Huh, I did say it...

"Friends, eh?" He monologued with himself. Red calmed down, that's good. He has been like that for too long if foxy's claims are to be believed. That witch, Tasha, suddenly locked his head with her arms and touched his cheek with her own, blinking a few times.

"That's good, isn't it Tsukino-chin? You win harem members just like that. You're probably the puppy dog type of harem king. I'm surprised." She said, releasing him soon after before he could explode.

"Let's go. Gremory is waiting." And I waved at those two to follow me. It wasn't that hard of a walk, though, only a bit too vertical, with stairs and all. Finally, we reached the top, and from there, I can see the whole Gremory manor, a three-store building in old Victorian style with a even more spacious ground, surrounded by trees and mountains. It liked this place, it kinda looks like papa Desmond's place.

"Oh, a Gremory territory." Said the Tasha witch, who was hanging from Red's neck since she grew tired of climbing the stairs. He wasn't very amused, as I could see. "I've heard about their wealth even after the war, but I can't believe they can still afford a place such as this on-..."

*BAM!*

"Oh, no. And there it is a teleport gate." Faster as I Could see, a yellow flash passed beside me and, in a swift move, tackled the witch away from the boosted gear lad. With this description, I can't miss. There she is, the Ninetails with tiny boobs, taking Tasha's place as Red's hanging girl friend, her tails cuddling with him. "Welcome, honey. Had a safe trip? I hope yes."

"Oh, I see. A jealous-type. Those ones are a risk to be around, but the funniest as well." The purple-head didn't express any emotion with the sudden attack, standing up and picking her hat to back to her head. "You're well-loved, huh? With already two girls in your harem, plus that busty nee-san..."

"Hah? And who you're suppose to be?." Foxy said back, almost barking out. Oh, yeah, she doesn't trust anyone besides Gremory, mommy Kyou and Dragon, since everybody is essentially weaker than her. Even though we're okay for now, she can only relax with those three. "I felt a fair scent coming from my husband, but I'd never thought it was another individual, a witch, of all things."

"S'up. The name's Tasha, and I'm a fire witch. I'm her to try to join your King's peerage, if it not ask too much.", She said simply. Foxy took her time to take a close good look at our new companion, and looked at me. I nodded, signing that chick was okay to be around. Besides, I've already set traps everywhere in case of some emergency. "I can cook, bake, clean up the toilet and wash the dishes, plus I like to talk a lot and My friends says that I'm good friendly-shoulder. Please, take care of me."

"Are you introducing yourself or training to talk with your future arranged husband?" Dragon deadpanned. I couldn't resist, that one was clever. Tasha looked at him with a puzzled stare, and then blurted out.

"Threesome with me, you and the fox girl?"

"Not a bad idea, I can try new thing since I have these tails..."

"What the hell, you two!" I bursted out in laughs, as the newly-founded pervert duo was teasing the brunette. This is just golden! Red is blushing, while the stoic witch was casually talking with foxy.

"Ah! So you finally came, ichijou-kun!" We lifted our eyes to inside the mansion ground, and there she is, King Berolina Gremory, wearing a PE school uniform with zip-up sweat-jacket and running shoes. Golden as ever, my king is. She opened her arms to the higher ground and circled around a single spot, dreamily leading our eyes to the mansion behind her. "Welcome to the Gremory training territory, where we can train a lot and surpass that stupid sister of mine."

"..."

"By the way, who's that?" And then she pointed at the witch by Dragon's side. As always, she picked the front part of the cap of her hat and Bowed.

"Howdy? I'm Tasha, and I wannabe part of your peerage. I'm a level-21 fire Mage with high dexterity, accuracy, wisdom and luck, but poor attack and defense."

"First time, you were a villain, the other time, a harem member, not too long ago, a fiancée, and now you're a RPG character? Make up your mind!" Ichijou said, scratching his head in frustration. King Berolina, however, beamed with excitement and joy as she bolted to us and opened her arms to welcome the witch.

"My, oh my! You came in the right time!" Our King said. Foxy snickered, and dragon flicked her nose. "We really need a bishop right now! Miss Tasha, you fill my heart with joy with your unexpected news! I'm elated by your presence!"

"Weeeh~, I'm important." With that same bored expression and that monotone voice, Tasha lifted both hands and praised the sun, imitating our dear King. Being the fox she is, the blond giggle a little under her breath, but the dragon simply sighed. He's now emanating an extreme aura of hopelessness. I don't know much about senjutsu, but I think I'm reading his chakra flow right now, and things are not pretty, he seems troubled. I looked at foxy, and she nodded, patting him with her nine tails.

Red sighed again, and now his aura calmed down. We resumed our walk to the mansion in front of us, as Gremory walked the witch with her, happily talking a thing or two about her future position and her fight with Nemesis-san. In the end, we stood up in vertical line in front of a wooden podium, in which Gremory stands now.

"Well, welcome everyone to our new training ground! Here, we'll pass the entire golden week to improve our own abilities and capabilities even more for the upcoming Rating Game, the first Rating game of the new Occult research Club!" She said enthusiastically. With that, I felt the enormous uneasy feeling crawling under my skin coming by my side. Red dragon is having that look again. "And as Your King, I beg all of you to, please, give me your support and strength so that we can defeat our enemies and reclaim our titles as the legacy left by the legendary group that was the Former ORC!"

"Yeah~." We all applauded her, in different tones of enthusiasm, claps and amazement by her rousing speech. The only one who wasn't clapping was Dragon, since he was eyeing the redhead with disdain, deep eyes of disdain. Suddenly, the fox next to me tensed up, and turned to us on the nick of the time.

"And so... Let the training ground of the new Occult research Club...!"

"Everybody! Get down!"

*BAM!*

*PINCH!*

*PINCH!*

"Veffin~!" Too fast! A fast flash of light crossed between us in a matter of seconds, and in this small space of time, out of desperation, foxy pushed me, dragon and the witch to the ground. The moment we knew, a new figure, and adult male with black spiky hair and fit figure wearing a tuxedo was standing behind Gremory, smiling like an idiot and pinching her rosy cheeks.

"Yahoh~, nice to see you again, Rina-chan." The man said, releasing our King from his pinch of doom. Gremory brutally turned around and gazed at that man with eyes of fear. She was caught off guard, and that's a thing, but from my perspective, he's something else, to put fear in someone like Gremory.

"N-Nero-niisama!" She said. Wow! 'Nii-sama'? That handsome dude is related to Gremory? The redhead in question stumbled a little after turning around to face him, but regain her balance soon after. "W-What are you doing here? Did... Did Sis ordered you to follow me here?"

"First of all, your sister is quite submissive to me during some aspects. I just follow her orders during rating games." And now I have a stupid smile on my face just like him. Foxy eyed dragon with a sly smile, and his response was a 'I'm tired of this shit' expression. Witch gave zero effs. The man known as Nero then turned to us and smiled a genuine grin. I couldn't feel a piece of malice in that hot face of his. "Second, I'm here to just take a look at your peerage."

"W-What do you mean?" Gremory asked, confused. Instead, still facing us, he landed his eye on me.

"Huh... Pass, barely." Nero said nonchalantly, landing his gaze now to the witch. "Meh... Not pass." In that same tone, he turned now to foxy, who hugged Dragon's neck even more. "Pass, definitely." And now, to dragon, in which he tilted his head to a side. "Almost, almost, but not pass."

"Nero-niisama...?"

"Oh, my... How can I say this... Rina-chan, no matter what you do..."

_Your peerage has no way to survive a rating game with Nemesis._

.

||~~x~~||

**.**

**On That day... The DxD fandom received a Grim reminder...**

**Shinmai maou no testament is getting a new season... Just nine months after the first one.**

**What are the odds, right? I mean, I liked the series, I really did, and the novels are just as good. Sure, I followed firstly becomes it looked like a rip-off of Highschool DxD, and... I still think that, but the characters, their quirks, the descomplicated story(So far, we got only demons, angels and heroes, no complete lores to choose from), and the ATTEMPTS of fanservice(sometimes, it was good, othertimes... Ugh.) kinda made me like the series. Plus, the fanservice is shameless as any other unsucceful ecchi manga, and Basara is a beefcake, not to mention the cute censor chibis. I wan a keychain out of those. So, yeah, I'm happy, but at the same time, dissapointed that series, and not others like Medaka Box, KHR!, terraformars or even Ping-Pong, is getting a new seanson, but those aren't. Ugh, getting a feeling so complicted...**

**BTW, One-punch man is getting an anime too... HNNNNNG! [FANGIRLISM INTENSIFIES!]**

**But enought about my rant, yeah, this is Nero's resolve for the new Gremory team for now. A short chapter, yes, it next chapters are going to be longer and full of some action and drama. I just need to know how to balance those two. Hahaha, wish me luck and stay golden, you'all.**


	15. Meta-concepts are hard, after all

**Hey again, dxd fanon! Miss me? Well, I guess not. But At least I wrote the new chapter, and now I have a total idea what I'll make out of this fic! I won't be a comedy anymore for now. But I'll introduce the new concept in this chapter! I hope you enjoy! **

**Again, dxd does not belongs to me!**

**.**

~~x~~

.

"W-What...?!"

***TOSS!***

***ZING!***

***PICK!***

"Nice toss."

"Nice catch." And after shared formalities, the air of hostility returned. It was just a sporty shot, I threw a Kunai in his direction out of sportsmanship, and like I was expecting from someone related to a Gremory, he effortlessly caught it with his fingers. "Don't mention my abilities, I AM a ninja, after all. But mr. Nero, I think you're being pretty rude saying those things. I have you know that we have the legacy of the Hero of the Underworld, Hyoodou Issei, right here. Not to mention... I'm a pretty good ninja. I can kill you from where you stand."

"Oh, really?" Gremory was too shocked to move, and Nero-san was still smiling. To prove that I'm just as much of a threat, I reached my hand to inside my clothes to pick one, two, three throwing knives, just to gasp in surprise when I found nothing of them. I turned to Nero-san again, and seeing my reaction, he chuckled and extended both of his hands to us, opening his hands to let several ninja weapons with my name labeled on them to fall to the ground. "I wonder if you can do that without those."

*FLASH!*

"What the...!" He flash-stepped out of our sight, and then reappeared behind all of us.

"The truth is, I've already fought with ninjas before. Not very tough, but they can be sneaky when they want. I salute you for being such a good girl." Still with that same innocent smile, he flash-stepped to behind us in a blink of an eye. We turned around and backed out of him. "Wanna hear my story? I was a knight from an Arthurian order back in Europe, more specifically in a small town in Italy. I hated demons and stuff, I guess it was because of my up-bring, church and some stuff. I grew up wanting to purge every single devil from our world."

"Charming." I Said, doing my own flash-step and preparing a high-kick on him. However, he simply dodged it and slide-kick my supporting leg, making me kiss the ground. He jumped away soon after.

"I was considered the best of my group. And because of this, they sent me to a place where a devil was residing." He continued. A firefly-like sparkle landed on his shoulder, and he quickly dispensed it as it exploded soon after. Others sparkles of light followed soon after. I took a look around, and they were coming from Tasha. So, she's a fire Mage, huh. "Alas, that devil was Nemesis, and despite her awesome rack and impossible beauty, I tried to slay her anyway."

"Bad knight. You should ask her out on a date before stabbing her with your sword." Tasha said, as Nero dodged and avoided every single one of her mini-bombs. He jumped up high and landed on a tree, now flash-stepping from tree to tree and using them as shields to explode the bombs instead. Soon, they were out, and before Tasha could spell more of them, he flash-stepped in front of her and tackled her to a tree.

"Well, it was almost that. We fought and fought, but none of us could win, actually. We were both too strong for ourselves. The next day, we did it again, and again none of us won the battle. We continued like this for quite some time." we continued, and like he had eyes on the back of his neck, he dodged a vicious attack from the fox, who was now using her nine tails as extra limbs to attack him. Even with that, he could still dodge and defend himself without much effort. " I guess it was during our hundredth match I develop feelings for her. I guess you can say cross-fire can light the bonds of our hearts. The next time, she ambushed me from behind and said that she loved me, and then... Things happened. M-rated stuff..."

"Fascinating. I should try this with my own darling sometime." The fox said, now blowing fox fire out of her mouth. He knight couldn't dodge that, and ended up with his arm burned a little. However, when foxy left her guard down, Nero-san penetrated her defenses and uppercut her, lifting her from the ground. After that, he picked some of her tails and entangled her with them, kicking her out of the distance.

"Things happened, I was purged from the order, and then Nemesis accepted me into her peerage as her knight. Things happened, and end. Not quite a good story, But I guess it is okay." He smiled as we gathered around him one more time. However, instead he turned to dragon, who was in a rather standard battle pose, his Boosted Gear drawn in one hand. I was expecting him to be trembling, but instead, he was actually really calm, if not a little unstable. "What about you? What's your story, dragon?"

"Four bully sisters, an idiot father and a crazy redhead on my tail because of my arm." He deadpanned. I really wanted to root for him, but for some reason their auras were contrasting: dragon was exhaling a dark, eerie aura of emptiness, while Nero-san had a pretty normal one with playfulness and easiness. He didn't wanted to harm us. For some reason, he really didn't. "I have to say, a tragic story for a guy who just wanted to be left alone!"

"Huh. Not bad, but bad background don't make the protagonist. Besides..."

*FLASH!*

"... No matter how strong you think you are, you WILL get Worf'd one day."

"What...?!"

***SNAP**!*

It was just a small flick. Just a small snap of his fingers, yet, I could feel the Earth trembling, the sky shattering, the ocean wavering. The soundwave were so strong that I could see it the air around Nero-san's finger rippling, like a three-dimensional water puddle after a small pebble. Dragon, however, got it worse: all of his skin of the left side of his head, the side next to Nero-san's assaulting hand, paled in an instant, and in another one, his eyes became dull and red veins became alarmingly noticeable. The Boosted Gear deactivated in thin air, and Dragon fell on his knees.

"Relax, this won't kill him or blast his eardrums. I just harmonized it enough for his brain to shake up and shut itself down. He's unconscious, to say the least." The knight said, looking down his little victim, who was trembling, but didn't move at all. The next moment, Nero-san just kicked Ichijou in the head, making him fly to the Gremory house, coming down smashing a wall, and being pinned there by the scrums. "Also, he can't feel pain. It'll be a bitch to deal with the bruises, though."

"You...!" I turned to a side, I saw a strange golden aura taking shape like a fox next to foxy. Tasha's still down in the trees, and Gremory is too shocked to do anything. Foxy, however, is very, very livid. "You'll pay for making Modern art out of my wife!"

"Wow, wow, miss! Those things are too adult for you to do yet." Nero-san returned to his innocent self, only to receive a flying kick from the fox right in the face. For a second, he smiled, but then foxy's foot was cover by a red aura, and before I knew it, Nero-san went flying away some meters away, eating dirt as soon as he landed. "Puah! What the hell?!"

"Not so tough now, huh? C'mon! Let me show you what happens when your opponent is a demon fox!" Foxy said, charging at him while her fists were on fire and her nine tails were wiggling all. Is she using her fox flames together with senjutsu? Seems like it! She jumped high in the air, and then was ready to stomp her enemy with everything she have!

"Oh, no! If only a Deus Ex Machina could happen to save me now..." Nero-san said, changing his expression to his usual calm one, as he continued to stay down on the ground, apparently helpless against Foxy's assault. Before she could go any further, I tossed a ninja star to a tree and used the string attached to it to slingshot her out of his reach. Nero-san grinned looking at me, and mutely said 'clever girl' under his breath.

"What the...! What did you did that, Seaweed? I was gonna win that one!" The ninetails fox roared at me, while I dusted the dirt in my uniform.

"Don't you find it odd that Nero-san, the guy who just kicked our asses in seconds, would be in that state of broken gazelle for this long?" I retorted. She crossed her arms in frustration.

"I hit him with fox fire and a bit of senjutsu!" She said back, pointing at him. "It should be enough to knock out even a high-class devil, even a king. To think that a knight would-...!"

"Would what, little lady?" Before foxy could even finish her sentence, that lad flash-stepped in front of us, smiling like always, to close in so little time. Without losing at second, we backed up and drawn our own weapons, but he did not seem too scared or concerned about it. "Wow, wow, easy there. What's with those weapons? Do you two want the story to end? I mean, you can't kill the protagonist, right?"

"Huh? Kill... The protagonist?" I asked in confusion, as foxy tilted her little head a little, probably just as lost as me. Nero-san just laughed a little, and from his pocket, he picked a small green ethereal orb. For the first time, my dear, busty sexy King stepped up and joined us in the situation in question.

"Nero-nii-sama! This is... This is...!" She gasped, in a mix of concern and surprise. Nero-san only smiled once more.

"Yes. Your precious Ichijou-kun's Protagonist essence. Without this, he's only an background extra, a supporting character at best." Okay, this is confusing. What the hell does he means with 'protagonist essence'? Is that some kind of superpower? A power-up from the Boosted Gear? I turned my attention to Gremory.

"Hey, Gremory, what does he mean with that?" I asked her. She was too shocked to turn to me, but she finally spoke after a minute or two.

"Nero-nii-sama stole Ichijou-kun's... Character." She said. I frowned a little because of this half-assed explanation, but after a quick breath, she resumed. "Nii-sama has a sacred Gear from the time he was human called '**Role**-**playing** **Game'**, and he can steal the 'identity', the 'essence' of others with it. In other words..."

"Your queen no longer has the traits of a protagonist, nor can use other typical gimmicks or abilities of such." Nero-san finished it for her, as he toyed with Dragon's green globe of meta-powers. Does this means Ichijou can't rely on Deus Ex Machina or coincidence anymore? "In other words, he won't gain a new ability on the nick of the time, or be saved by newcomers, or any other coincidence, lucky-shots, sudden awakenings or unlock of new potential typical of protagonists. Another thing: if he dies, he can't resurrect. Game over."

I gulped. This means... Dragon became just a red shirt? A mook? A stormtrooper? He can die at any time now! Protagonists never die during the story! Only at the end or at the beginning, like YuYu-Hakusho or Bleach! Damn it. I looked at the fallen ex-protagonist, and he's now struggling to stand up.

"Wow. You are strong, moving like that after that attack. But, I must say, you do have potential to be the protagonist, from what I can see." Nero-san said mockingly, looking at the small green orb as images appeared from it. "Let me see... Family hates you, born with the power, forgotten childhood friends, hates one family member. Not bad, nothing special, but nor too ordinary. You have potential to be a protagonist, although not an ordinary one with tragic past, hidden lineage or those typical things. Better than that scum called hyoodou Issei, though."

"...?!"

***CRACK**!*

"What... What did you say?" Suddenly, the atmosphere drastically changed, the air became heavier, and if the intensity of Ichijou's aura could be measured, we'd all be by the center of the Earth right now. He calmly lifted from the ground, and stood up by his two feet, as the massive amount of energy began to double the gravity around him. "What did you say... About senpai?!"

[**BOOST**!]

"Oh, did I poked a open wound or something? Well, it's not like I'm wrong or anything." He said, still with that call voice of his. For a second, he turned around and flashed us a quick Wink, as he returned to Ichijou a flash later. Oh! He wants to test Ichijou's current state... Or something. "Well, yeah. I mean, Issei-sama was a great devil and all, but without the Boosted Gear, what he would be? A nobody. An idiotic pervert without any redeeming qualities!"

"Stop it..." Ichijou said, as we could see his green orbs shining under the shadow casted on them by his bangs. Nero-san reached his hand by his back and gave us a thumbs up.

[**BOOST**!]

"I mean, do you really think a good-for-nothing pervert like him would change if a pretty girl suddenly asked him on a date? Yeah, right, he would probably take photos of her without knowing to jerk off to them all night. Worse, he would probably glue her face to a dakimakura and hump it like a filthy dog he was!"

[**BOOST**!]

"Stop it!" The ground around Dragon suddenly weighted too much, and he opened a crater right there, cracking the soil around it and Oozing a green aura of pure rage. His Boosted Gear was also out of control, shining it's jewels on almost blinding levels.

"Oh, please. Still thinking that your Hero wasn't anything but a molester-in-training? That the previous user of that gauntlet In your arm was a cute, if not perverted loner, that just needed a right start? I bet you can smell the stink of his sperm printed on the Boosted Gear! Say, do you unconsciously move your hand in a jerking off motion for no apparent reason?" Okay, this is going too far. I don't like Issei-dono that much, but even I am offended by Nero-san's harsh words on him. Looking by my side, Berolina was on the brink of tears, while Foxy was quietly reciting a calming mantra to keep control. Ichijou, on the other hand, was oozing hatred, and shaking in rage, in total contrast to Nero-san's composite position and smile. When I thought thinks couldn't get any worse, Nero-san pulled the final straw. "But again, no wonder he's **DEAD**. He probably raped all the girls in the underworld and took on Trihexa just to avoid some lawsuit!"

***CRACK**!*

I heard it... I could hear it... Ichijou just snapped. For a second, the world, the sounds, the movement stopped, and then, he snapped...

He snapped...

[**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST**...!]

"**SHUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUP...!"** The earth trembled, the air became heavier, the sky turned black and the only thing I could see was a pillar of green light engulfing our Queen and shining golden lines appearing around the Boosted Gear, as it morphed even more, now extending it's reach past his wrist, reaching his elbow in Crimson scales and golden spikes and with the jewels around it shining ever more.

[**DRAGON** **BOOSTER**! **SECOND** **LIBERATION**!]

"Huh... Nemesis was right, Sacred Gears does respond to the user's emotions. However, as always, the key-feeling is hate." Nero-san said, as he Looked at New form of Ichijou's Boosted Gear, a red gauntlet reaching his elbow, covered by Crimson scales, Emerald jewels and golden spikes, dragon claws as fingers and golden linings shining at us. That was... The true form of the legendary Longinus Boosted Gear! "Now that's... That's something I want to avoid."

"In your dreams, asshole! You'll pay for saying shit about senpai! I'll kill you!" And in a blink of an eye, Ichijou disappeared from our sight. Only to reappear right in front of Nero-san, a fist ready to be buried into his face!

"Tch! Too fast! If only I was strong enough...!" Nero-san, gasping in surprise as he tried to cover his face with his hands. Too late, Ichijou was about to punch him into nonexistence!

"Die, you asshol-...!"

***KICK**!*

"Gwaaah...?!"

"Oh, wait! You're just a mook. And mooks can't ever kill one of the main villains. Phew, that was close!"

Unbelievable. In just one second... In just one second, when Dragon was about to punch Nero-san, the knight just kneeled him right in the ribs, so hard it buried within his abdomen! Ichijou fell backwards, and started to cry in pain, holding his destroyed ribcage, as he spat blood all the place. That kick probably made his ribs break and pierce his lungs.

"If I hadn't stole your Protagonist essence, trust me, I would be the one rolling on the ground now." Nero-san said, as we could only stare at him. Foxy suddenly fell on her knees, devastated, while Gremory froze, all the colors vanishing from her face. I frowned, staring at that smiled that was starting to piss me off. "Sure, you reached a new level with your sacred Gear, but even with this, you're just a mook now, a red shirt. You can only serve as a stepping stone to the main characters."

"Y-You asshole...!" Now, dragon was trying to put himself on his knees, a hand holding his ribs as he spat more and more blood and bile.

"Me? An asshole? That's rude. Besides, you already were born with enough potential to be a protagonist. Not all people, no matter how hard they train, can reach that. The moment the sacred Gear choose you as its new host, your MC status became your birthright. Meanwhile, imagine the poor other mooks in the underworld, dreaming in becoming a satan or at least a respectably-ranked devil, only to fall for the shadow of protagonists like you! I mean, imagine how's the life of any other mook in this world, training everyday only to be surpassed by a virgin within just, what, a month, a week? Imagine the hardships a simple nameless devil have to go through just to be respected by its peers, only to be overshadowed by you just because you unlocked your 'true potential' or whatnot. How is it feel to be a simple nameless extra? Do you feel the pain? Can you feel the grief? The pathetic feeling of being defeated by the main villain, while the protagonist, doing exactly the same thing, destroyed him in just a second flat? Hurts, doesn't it? Sure, people are born with different privileges and problems, but all of your problems can be solved just by your existence, while the problems of others, non-protagonists, are caused by their existence alone. Now, tell me, does it hurt?"

After that one, Ichijou gasped in horror. I just scrolled down to avoid that wall of text like everybody else. After that, Dragon was immobile, giving enough chance for the Knight to grab him by the head and lifted him above the ground.

"Tragic past, mixed lineage, special ancestry, hidden powers, super intelligence, exclusive abilities for their race, lost inherit crown, connection with higher beings. Those are the common traits of a protagonist here. Some that you lack. Some that Issei-sama lacked. And even so, both of you have the protagonist essence. Now, imagine the melancholy of those whom have these, yet, can never be protagonists." He said, still smiling. Suddenly, I saw a trait of a tear running down Ichijou's cheek. He's breaking down. "You'll either be a legend or dies as one. Them? They'll die offscreen without even being mentioned in the credits. So, how does it feel knowing that your own existence is an unfair and sick joke? That you'll be overshadowing the glory of other hardworking Devils just because you breath, you walk, you exist?"

"..." He did not said anything, but from here, I could see that Ichijou was broken. The Boosted Gear disappeared in thin air, and his struggled ended in a second. Nero-san's smile grew even wilder, as he summoned a magic rune of transportation in front of the dragon in his grip.

"But don't worry. Since I stole your Protagonist Essence with my '**Role Playing Game**', you no longer possesses such trait. However, you need to train yourself, and since you're an extra, yours will be offscreen, so good luck!" And the circle engulfed Ichijou, as he disappeared without leaving a trace. So strong... If he steals my identity as a Sub-heroine, I won't be able to teach Ichijou by being the 'cool-sis type'. Maybe that's the reason why none of the other girls are attacking either: if foxy have her Heroine essence stolen, she'll no longer be able to romantically bond with him, same goes with the Gremory route. We could only stare at him, as he took his sweet time to look back soon after.

"W-Why...?" I heard a trembling, shaken voice by my side. It was Gremory, crying true rivers as she pointed a finger to the knight in front of us. "Why, Nero-nii-sama?! Why would you steal Ichijou-kun's protagonist essence?! Did sis asked you to do it?!"

"Huh? Oh, no. It did that on my own. Y'know... I did that because I wanted him to grow even more, even with his second liberation." He said in a nonchalant way, putting his hands on his pockets and brighting his shitty smile again. What the hell?!

"Nii-sama! What the hell do you mean by-...!"

"For him to become stronger!" He shouted, the sudden lifting in his voice makes us shut our mouths. He gasped for some air, took a deep breath and resumed. "Say, how many times did you all see these scenario: the protagonist suddenly awake a new, undiscovered power, and BAM! He uses it to every single battle later on, only to be hacked by a new character, and then train again to acquire a new technique to defeat that villain, and then use that same technique again and again, only to again be hacked by a new villain, and repeat the process again and again and again?"

"I see." I snapped my fingers in realization. "You stole his protagonist essence to avoid him to grow accommodated with any new power he might acquire. Since none of his powers to-be will be enough for him to defeat a villain, he can only reach his full potential as a side/extra character, that only serves as a victim."

"Exactly." He smiled again. Huh, for some reason, that grin is a little more tolerable, now. "Mooks were made to be mocked and easily defeated by the enemies and be left hanging how the opposite team is stronger. His lack of protagonist essence, while keeping him from defeating me, will make him grow stronger with training and avoid any kind of plot block, typical of shounen. He'll be training with Aria at Mount Issei for now. He'll be fine."

"Wait! Are you saying that you... Helped Ichijou-kun?" Gremory asked, now cleaning her face and whipping her tears away.

"Yeah, kinda. He has no plot protection or lucky shots by his side. If he dies, is his end. However, as long as he stay away from any dangerous battle, he won't die. After all, mooks don't die unless is against a hero or his allies." And he smiled again. Huh, this nii-san is cool. Gremory was left speechless, while Foxy was nodding in response, a little lost, but understanding little by little. Before any of us could protest, he just turned around and opened a magic rune himself and waved goodbye. "But you all should be concerned about yourselves. After all, the rating game's still on. Train a lot, and maybe you guys can defeat us."

We all nodded in understand, as he was engulfed by the rune and disappeared in thin air. Huh... So this means that Ichijou-kun can reach his full potential now. Protagonists usually end up with a new ability only, and only at the nick of the time, Issei-dono being one of the worst offenders of this trope. Still, Ichijou can be victim of other character arch-types, and this might be harmful for him. Still, he can't win any major fights because of his now Mook status. Does this means Nero-san will return his Protagonist Essence? Why he would do that? Ugh, meta-concepts are so annoying...

"Hey, gals? What did I lose?" Emerging from the bushes, our dear lewd witch appeared, coming closer and waving a hello. "Huh? Where's dragon? Does he need his time to solve his Burst?"

"I dunno if this was a dirty joke or not, but he's gone for now." I bluntly said, as she gasped a little, and turned her yes to the duo next to us, that was now talking.

"Eh, Yuri-action is fine, too." She said. I shrugged and laughed at her joke. Even without dragon, I guess we can make it through our training, and with Aria-san training him, no doubts he'll become stronger. I waved to Tasha, and so we walked to the foxy-Gremory duo, ready for our own week of training.

After all, in harem stories, the heroines can take care of themselves with no problems...

In the next chapter... We'll return to our ordinary lives!

.

~~x~~

**.**

**So... Yeah, I've already decided what I want to do with this fic: I want to make a meta-fic out of this story! I mean, it will be so exciting seeing how much I can chew up the typical harem/fantasy/dxd universe/lore and turn it into a massive ball of meta-concepts and explanations. I mean, I can't be the only one to think that, right? Anyway, thank you for enduring the wall of text, and see you next chapter! Stay golden!**


	16. Extras are always smiling, after all

**And now, let's continued with Ichijou's meta-adventures. How he will behave himself now that he is no longer the protagonist. That chapter was fun to write, not to mention this whole meta idea is giving me new inspiration to write. Ahahahahah, I'm such a weirdo, but anyway, good read! Stay golden!**

**DxD does not belong to me, thank you.**

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

***ZING!***

"Ghah!"

***Tchibum!***

...

...

***BLUB! BLUB! BLUB! BLUB!***

**"GASP!** Afff...! Aff...! I need... Air... I need... Air..." I screamed as I emerged from some mysterious waters and grasped the first few blows of air down my system, calming me down enough to start breathing normally.

Then it hit me: didn't that asshole nii-san put a mark on me? I dunno, but for some reason, my ribs are in their place, and I can breath normally now, not that fuck-fest of blood and internal cuts. But even with that I can feel that kick, breaking my bones and ripping my lungs apart. But for now, I'm okay. The white vapor cleaning my lungs, the warm water relaxing the muscles of my legs. I see, somehow, I'm at some hot springs...

And just not any kind of hot springs. This place has a really freaky sky in a Emerald tone, and from here I can see a show of lights in a distance, like a city shaped like a pentagram-l. Not to mention I was now on one of the highest grounds of several with hot water ponds. Such peaceful place, I kinda like it... But the matter at hand still stands.

So, what do we have now? That asshole Nii-san said that he stole my 'Protagonist Essence', whatever that means... No, this is important because he stole my right to have fate on my side. Let's see, what kind of tropes does a protagonist have?

_I- Has a badass power, or at least something that differs them from their peers, which I have;_

_\- Can be resurrected, which happened to me;_

_\- Develop a new power at the nick of the time, which happened to me; _

_\- Is saved by the cavalier just in time, which happened to me; _

_\- Defeat the big boss and gets the girl(normally, but not always), which is yet to happen;_

_\- Is surrounded by beautiful, horny girls, which I am... Kinda..._

...

...

Holy shit, I'm just a amalgamation of harem protagonist tropes! This... Is expected, actually, after all, the reason why those are increasing lately is because the current otaku community is primely interested in those, and since the longevity of a series is based on these fanbases, creators have no choice but to try to rely on fanservice and overuse tropes for their series to survive. If I were in a novel, this would be my character: the protagonist. But since that asshole nii-san stole that from me, I can be considered only an extra, a supporting character at least.

Come to think of it, this is the first time ever that I'm completely alone. Ever since I was born, I was surrounded by toys, my sisters, my parents(mum, at least) and Julia-chan and Nina-chan. Now, I sleep with a naked redhead, I eat lunch with Kamiyama, I walk home with Gremory's peerage, I practice with Belle, I prepare food with Akabane, I fight with my sisters and my mum, I play video-games with everyone... But this is the first time I'm complete and utterly alone. For some reason, this makes me uneasy, yet, somehow, comfortable. I wonder if I'm growing used to my lifestyle so much that such scenario is alien to me...

"Being utterly alone..." I mumbled, as I sat on the water and let the water cover the area below my neck. This feels a lot better, but I can't lose my grip with reality here. My head is very light to hot water, so I mustn't lose myself in. "Being alone... This is actually..."

"Way better than you expected, right bro?"

A second voice enters the scenario right behind me, and I instinctively sprinted forward and turned around to see who it was. For my surprise, there she was, Aria-san, with her arms crossed and smiling smugly, wearing only a towel and a wooden bucket on her feet.

"A-Aria... -san..." I said, hiding my mouth as I spoke her name and turning my gaze to a rock, as I could hear her laugh. This is embarrassing. Does these demons have no shame whatsoever? Aria-san jumped from her rock and landed on the waters, splashing some water on me. "Could you... Please wear some clothes?"

"Why? We're at the hot springs! This is the place where your nude should be fully expose to connect your soul and spirit with the nature surrounding us!" She bombastically said, now reaching her hands to the small fold on her towel that was holding everything up. Oh, please, don't tell me she'll... "Feel the nature entering your body! Feel the spirits splashing you with life and energy! Feel everything with your naked glory!"

"Aria-san, you don't mean-...!"

***FLAP!***

"Gaaaah!" And the last thing I saw was a white towel flying in the air, and nothing else after, as I covered my eyes with my hands. A nude Gremory is fine now, but a nude chick I don't even know that much?! This is just overkill!

"Ahahahahah... Just kidding. Here at Mount Issei, I can't go all nude out of respect and pride." She said that in a calmer tone. Mount... Issei? As in Senpai? Is This the name of this place? I wonder why. Not to mention, that name sure is somehow nostalgic. Back at the topic, she seems calm enough, and I think she wouldn't toy with my heart like that. She already messed me up good the other day. So I opened a small gap in between my fingers and, yes, she wasn't naked at all...

... She was just wearing a teeny-weeny black bikini...

...

...

I lost again.

***FOOOOOSH...!***

"Well, that's a first." She deadpanned, as I suffered a major nosebleed. Goddamn the Frenchman who invented swimsuits! I turned around and blocked the bloody flow that was coming out of my nostrils. Passing by, there it was her fallen towel, floating on the hot waters. I picked up and tossed to my back. "Huh...?"

"A-Aria-san... Please put some cover?" I said, trying to sound as gentlemanly and composed as possible. She didn't buy it, as she said...

"Why? I'm not naked. I'm just wearing this bikini. Kinda revealing, but I guess I can pass." She said in a innocent, at least less teasing, tone, probably confused with my request. A few minutes later, however, her teasing tone returned with her conclusion. "Ohohohoh~, I get it. Ichijou-ototou likes swimsuits~. Tiny, colorful, fuzzy, revealing, cute swimsuits~."

"Shut up." I tried to sound imposing and powerful, but like always, it ended up sounding weak and pathetic. Great, just great...

"Can't say it is not appealing. I mean, colorful, cute, sexy or just plain provocative, there are all kinds of swimsuits. Not to mention that women are putting those with full consent to look good during beach time or hot springs. I can already say that you're a gentleman. After all, you can't be a pervert if they are willingly showing it to you." She said in that shit-eating tone, making me even redder and more embarrassed. Damnit, now she'll tease me all the way with swimsuits and bikinis. However, when the tease ended, her tone became a lot darker. "That aside, I don't think you should turn your back to me."

"...?"

"After all... I am the one whom murdered all of your family."

"..."

"...?"

...

...

"No reaction? Huh, Nero DID steal your protagonist essence." She said back to her cheerful, yet deadpan tone, as I turned around to face a towel-covered Aria-san. She was right: despite the annoying tone and her shocking revelation, I... Didn't feel a thing. I love my family, I really do, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to go on an uncontrollable rampage, like a protagonist would in such dark situation. Instead, I just stood there, rationally thinking about it. I mean, she just met me, there's no reason for her to kill all of my family. Besides, how many Tsukino's are around the whole Japan, and even out of it? She also wouldn't bring me here just to tell me that. In short, she has no reason to destroy my family. Hell, I bet she doesn't even know I have four sisters and a father abroad. "Gramps would've lost his shit by now."

"Sorry, but I guess you're right. I can't feel a thing. And after some deep thought, I can say that you couldn't have killed my family at all." I said with my usual annoyed tone. She looked at me for a few seconds, and laughed. "That was pretty dark, though. Why would you say that, Aria-san?"

"Well, for starters, to see if you're really free from the Protagonist Essence." She said again, sitting on the rocks with only her feet on the water now. She splashed some water on her skin, and messed her hair a little. This thing again, this Protagonist Essence stuff...

"Say, Aria-san, what exactly is this Protagonist Essence? That asshole Nii-san said it was what makes me a 'main character', but aside from that, I can't hold onto anything." I said, as I removed my shirt to avoid getting a cold. Brrr~, even like that, I'm still cold, so I sat down on the rock floor and let the water cover my body. Aria-san put her finger on her chin for a second, and smiled again.

"Oh, by 'asshole nii-san', I think you mean Nero Gladius, my and Nemesis's boyfriend." She said in an upbeat tone, probably not finding any problem with that. No joke, harems are a thing with Devils, and that guy so happens to be in the middle of her and Nemesis-san. Lucky bastard, that's what he is... Right?

"..."

"Well, first impressions aside, what Nero did to you was steal the causalities that would make you a main character. Not just that, he also removed from you any kind of gimmick, privilege or lucky-shot a main character, a protagonist, would have." She explained with her finger up, while I brainstormed a little more to understand all of this. "In short, you won't bump into your love interest while going to school, you won't receive a new power or unlock a new form in dire times, you won't be heard by a rich guy while talking about your new project that needs money, you won't be saved by your friends or allies if you ever find yourself cornered, and if you ever die... You won't be resurrected. Game over."

"..." I gulped with that last one. So that's how it is. I don't have those gimmicks anymore. I was relying on those alone since the beginning, after all, Gremory said senpai used to do just that: rely on his Sacred Gear, lucky shots and awakening of new powers and abilities. And now, without those, I'm powerless, defenseless, normal. Not that I wasn't all that before, but now, I'm on my worst, since even luck and the universe itself is against me. "So, he basically stripped me from the only thing that can save me?"

"Yeah, more or less. On the other side, he also took from you the element that was holding you back." She said, while I tilted my head to a side. "Without your protagonist Essence, you also won't be awakening new abilities at the heat of a battle, meaning you just need to train to obtain those; you won't defeat the main villain with just one super-ability, meaning you have to learn new ones from the root and master them to have the slightest chance; you won't resurrect if you're ever killed, meaning you have to improve your surviving skills to never die to begin with; and like you just saw, going berserk won't work a thing for you, meaning you can and have to control your anger to avoid suicidal rampages."

"..." This is just too much of thinking. Where the hell she think she is, some kind of shounen light novel? Not that it wouldn't be that out of place, after all, my new life as a devil has been a cliche after another for a shounen hero. Resurrection? Chosen one? New abilities at the nick of time? All overused. Doesn't mean they are bad tropes, though. But now, I'm an extra, a supporting character. This means I can die even off-screen. But it also means that I won't need to be beaten to a pulp of blood to unlock a new power. Mooks don't need those, they train and train to reach their full potential and die just like that. Unless they have a special ability only accessible during low health, like suicide attacks or boost in str, def, int. Wait, now I'm thinking with Video-game logic. This can't be right... But again, a peerage is essentially a RPG party. Ugh, so much thinking would create a wall of text that would pretty much scare readers away if this was a novel. "So... This means that I can unlock my 'true potential' without having to resort to desperate struggles and will of steel?"

"Yeah, kinda. You have green light for that. Now, imagine how strong you can become by fusing your break-less growing with the power of your sacred gear? Imagine you, a mook, with the power to kill a God?" Yeah, that would be nice. No plot-break, not holding-back-potential for the sake of the narrative, no power-lock. I would be like giving an one-hit-kill weapon to a mook. Now I can see how much this will help! I need to kiss that asshole nii-san one of these days... After beating him to a pulp of his own blood and bile, of course. "The question is: are you ready to become a captain in Bleach? A Kage in Naruto? That kind of character that is awesome even without those emotional boosts?"

"Well, I WILL be fighting with you. So how can I say 'no', right? I just hope I don't die in the process."

"..."

"...?"

***PIIINCH~!***

"Owowowow! Aweewa-shan, whaw awe you dowin?" I said with my cheeks stretched as humanly(?) possible, while the nee-san in front of me was pinching them with a frown and a smile.

"Smile! Say 'of course, nee-sama'! Scream 'do I?! Let's do this'! Shout 'I'm ready as all hell'! Anything. Those are exclusive of protagonists sometimes, but show some emotion, for God's sake!" She said, toying with my cheeks to the point she's almost ripping them out of me. She stopped when she saw me struggling, and let me go with another smile. "You're such an oddball, bro. I wonder what would gramps think of you if he ever knew about you being his legacy..."

"Gramps? Legacy? Are you relatives with senp-...?"

"Good luck, bro."

*FLICK!*

"Eh...?" And again I wasn't where I was in a blink of an eye ago. Aria-san flicked me right in forehead, and with the sheer force of that alone, I was launched backwards, until a cliff leading to another section of the hot springs. Before I could even scream, WASH!, there I was again in the hot waters, almost drowning in shallow level.

After seconds of struggling, I finally snapped back to reality, finding a floor to support myself and take my head out of the waters. Finally out, I took my time to regain my breath and control my cardio back to normal. But it was too late when I noticed a strange shadow casted upon me. I lifted my head, and behind me, standing up with it's arms crossed and wearing only a fundoshi...

There was a three-meter bipedal green dragon, looking at me with those big golden eyes, a long grey beard hanging from its lower jaw and blowing fireballs out of it's nose.

"Ah~... Huh~... Hello...?" I asked, as I stood up and tried not to scream or laugh at the situation in hand. A dragon in a tong, what the hell. But calm down, Ichijou. Maybe it is a friendly one? No need to panic until you are absolutely sure that it won't harm you. Think of something, start a conversation. "So... Dragon-dono, what's your favorite Weekly Shounen Jump manga?"

"..."

"...?" Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Is that the way to start a conversation?! Religion and politics would be more likely than that! I'm so screwed! I closed my eyes, and readied myself for the upcoming clash. However, after a few seconds, I heard the dragon sigh, and out of his flaming nostrils, he replied.

"It is Shokugeki No Soma, Ddraig..."

"Ah! That stupid cooking manga?"

"..."

"..."

Ssssssssshit...

"**DIE**!"

"**GWAAAAAAAAH**...!" Damn you, shounen-fan! I just pissed off a dragon fan of stripping cooks! And the moment I Turned around, it roared like a beast it was and spat a massive fireball in my direction! I dodged for a thin nail, but the impact and the explosion were enough to push me away to another section of the springs. Again, I landed on hard hot water, but even under it I could hear hard, furious steps coming in my direction. As fast I as could, I stood up and ran out of desperation. Strangely enough, that dragon don't have any wings, as he just jumped to pond to pond to reach me, like some kind of fish-King. And in a matter of seconds, he reached me, his enormous jaw ready to take a bite out of me!

"Damn it!** [DRAGON BOOSTER]**!" I called, as my newly evolved Boosted Gear appeared in my hand and announced** [BOOST!]**. Instead of a bite, that dragon came down slamming his massive body against me. The impact didn't hurt that much since I used my Boosted Gear as a shield, but the impact alone made me fly away to another pool of hot water.

I tried to emerge from that too, but as soon as I did, that green giant gecko slapped me away with his tail and made me met acquaintance with the nearby rock wall. I left my mark there and slid down to the floor. Even that, his rampage continued, as he spat more and more explosive fireballs at me! I sprinted as fast as I could from them, and for most of it, I did it, I dodged all of them, but the massive explosive shock again blew me away, and I ended up kissing the floor, the hard, rocky, sandy floor. I think I'm bleeding now. Shit...

**[BOOST!]**

The dragon, seeing I wasn't moving anymore, took a deep breath and spat yet another great sphere of pure heat and flames. Oh, crap! I can't die! I don't have my protagonist essence anymore! I won't resurrect after a fatal blow, I won't receive any extra power on the nick of time, I won't be saved by the chevalier! I am on my own now! I am completely alon-... Screw this emoness! Let's blow shit up!

**[EXPLOSION!]**

***PUNCH!**BOOOOOM!***

"Halt! Time up! Time up! You won! Sorry, Shokugeki No Soma is awesome! Kinda, please don't kill me." I said, holding both my hands up into the air and screaming surrender from the hole I opened myself with a solid punch on the ground. The Dragon jumped to land in front of me, and sighed flames, crossing his arms again.

"Yeah. And respect my choices in mangas, Ddraig..." The dragon said in a male, roguish voice. Did he just called me Ddraig? Isn't that the name of the dragon residing in my sacred Gear? Is he speaking with him? I looked at my Sacred Gear, waiting for some answer or reaction from it, but nothing. Huh? Is he really speaking to me?

"Err... Are you... Talking to me?" I pointed to myself, and the dragon grunted, visibly irritated, as he frowned the scales around his eyes.

"Of course! Is there any other dragon around? Age sure is reaching you, despite being a dragon, huh?" He said, laughing like a smartass old man after. I grit my teeth in annoyance, but for some reason, he does see me as Ddraig. I wonder why. "But, hey now, you're much shorter last Time I saw you. Being inside a Sacred Gear must've messed up with you good, for you to be all folded up there. Hahaha!"

"Tch!"

"And you two are already off to a good start!" Aria-san landed right next to me; as the Dragon laughed off. She reached for my neck and half-hugged me. "Ichijou, bro, this is Hwan Jin-Yong, he's a dragon we found around Korea some time ago. He apparently met Gramps and Ddraig sometime in the past, too. Nemesis made him her Rook. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Huh?! Really?" I'm speechless. Nemesis-san's Rook is... That massive dragon? While I'm a queen, and barely escaped alive from him. Not only this shows the extension of her power, it also makes me wonder about Aria-san's own. Not to mention... She keep calling senpai her Gramps... Don't tell me...

"Huh, of course we would get along despite his rudeness, Argento. After all, we already exchanged some punches out of sportsmanship in the past." The dragon said, chuckling. "You should've know that by now, after all, you're one of the DxD Children..."

... **Aria Argento**, the grand-granddaughter of Hyoodou Issei.

...

...

***PINCH!***

"Huh...?!" It hurts. I'm pinching my cheek as hard as I can; and it hurts like hell! The two of them looked at me, confused and concerned, as I tried to maintain my forced smile. "Bro, what are you doing?!"

"So... I'll be fighting with Senpai's granddaughter and a goddamn dragon... I really want to cry... I am really scared now... I can't even imagine the punchdown I'll give Gremory the next time we meet, but... I can't do it!" I said, as tears came down my eyes, together with sweat and nervousness. Soon after, however, all of this ended, and now, I was in peace, the only thing now is my forced smile. "And do you know why? Because I'm just an extra."

"..."

"Extras don't have important conflicts, extra don't have moments to show their emotions; extras can't do anything besides smile and look pretty within the crowd!" And finally, I did it: the other edge of my mouth lifted, and now, I was smiling. I was **smiling**. "No matter what happens, an Extra should always smile, and laugh at their problems, since the protagonist is a lot more important! No matter what... An Extra **ALWAYS SMILE**!"

"Huhuhuh~... So, that's your resolve. Can't say that I like it, but for an extra, that's a great one. Very well, me and Yong will train you here at Mount Issei, just like your predecessor did, centuries ago!" Aria-san said, pinching her own cheek to smile like me. She turned her attention to Yong. "What about it, Yong? You're in?"

"Hahahahahah!" The dragon, on the other hand, laughed it off, and nodded at me. "A dragon like me, training one of the Heavenly Dragons. Ridiculous, but it'll be a true honor to me to train Ddraig for him to reach his former glory. Yes! We can finish our business right after!"

"So, is decided!" Aria-san said. "We'll train you for you to become not a protagonist, not a supporting character, but a mook! Yes, the ultimate Mook that laughs all the time!"

After all, no matter what, extras are always smiling, always happy, no matter what!

.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**.**

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

**.**

**Like I said, being all meta and go decon-recon is quite the challenge, but is cool not the less. I hope you guys liked it. This the the most important for now. :3. Anyway, next chapter, the continuation of the training. Thanks again for reading it. Good luck!**


	17. I'm just Tsukino Ichijou, but still!

**And a new chapter in less than a month. Huh, maybe I'm hyped for the anime, giving me new ideas and good material. I guess this chapter will focus more on development than meta-ideas. Doesn't mean it'll be forgotten. It is still there, only a little more subtle. I hope that's okay for now. Well, I hope you all have a good read.**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me.**

**.**

~~x~|

.

I can't sleep...

I can't sleep at all...

I shot down all the sake I had from the minibar in my little hotel room, but aside from giving me a headache, the alcohol wasn't helping me with my sleeping problems. It's a given, really. I never thought I would miss Ichijou that much, nor that I would not sleep just by thinking about his safety. Of course I care about my other daughters, but my little boy was always the fragile one, the one who wanted to be left alone. And after the accident with the twins, I had to stay close to him so his sisters wouldn't eat him alive. Now, at least, he was surrounded by friends, and that's good. However, what kinda of hell he would unleash if they ever get on his nerves?

"Hajime, Hajime... If you could see your son right now... He'd probably rip you a new one." I said, wondering by myself as I put myself sit on my bed. I need a drink. I wonder if Rina-chan would be a good wife for Ichijou. But again, Yoko-chan is a lot more composed, and I've eaten her food, she can cook, despite the fact she would rather eat instant ramen and aburage. Annie... Don't seem to be interested at all, but they have a healthy relationship. Nina-chan and Julia-chan are probably off limits too. But the worst of all, I wonder if Ichijou would like to a wife at all. Ugh... Forget it, I need another shot. Maybe the alcohol knockout will lend me some sleep. I groggily stood up from my futon and walked with slime's pace to the kitchen of my room. I opened the door, and to my sudden realization, I saw no beer or sake around. "Oh, right. I drink it all. Silly me. I can't believe I'm so bored that I'm poisoning myself."

"It's good to be reckless sometimes, right?" I heard next to my bed. A familiar voice made me turn around and see who it was. illuminated by the dim moonlight from outside, there she was, Yoko-chan, with a bottle of sake on her hands and two platecups. I might be super drunk too, because I can see nine fluffy tails coming out of her ass,'as she was wearing one of those pretty kimonos of hers. She greeted me with a smile. "Ya-hoo, mommy. Having fun with your trip?"

"Yeah~, magoin smooth, Yoko-chan." I said with my consciousness a little affected by my late-night drinks. She giggled under her breath as poured a little of sake on each cup in front of her. She waved me to sit down, and walking by, I did that just in front of her, the sake cups in between us. She picked one for herself, but I stopped her with my hand on her wrist. "Wow, Yoko-chan, you are a healthy and cute... Fox... Fox girl, I dont wanna see ya on the dumps because of that... That single cup... Trust me, Imma businesswoman..."

"Is that so? Well, as long as I'm around an older figure, I can drink, right? Besides, I'm indoors. No problem like that." She said, as now I could see two foxy ears sprouting out of her head. Holy shit, I'm really drunk. "After all, you were the one who invited me to drink with you."

"I did? Huh, maybe I'm lonely." I spat with disgust to myself. I can't believe I invited a highschooler to drink with me. That's pathetic, I'm pathetic. Well, can't let that lass down, now, can I? I picked the cup for myself and took a quick, hard shot. Phew~... "Oh, wow. That sake sure hit the spot~..."

"Sake brewed from the seven heavens, with rice from the heavenly fields, in which only the fairests maidens can touch. If this doesn't take a mortal to heavens for a second, might as well die." She said, shooting like a pro. Huh, those chuuni kids are gonna be the end of me. "Long way to say that it is freaking awesome."

"You... You shouldn't be all that expert Yoko-chan... You are still a fine... Cute... Healthy lass... And if you wanna be with my Ichijou... Just after... After 21." I said as she poured a little more for me and I shot that one down in one gulp again. She just giggled again.

"What a coincidence, I Was actually planning to use this special occasion between you and me to propose a thing for you, dear mama." She said, making me put my own cup and as she poured a little more for it and her own. Before I could picked it up again, she touched my cheeks and forced me to look at her in the eye. She removed her weird eyepatch and our eyes met. She smiled again. "Dear mother, Tsukino Kyou, whose cuisine is heavenly as the chef of the House of Gremory, would you bless me with a contract between this Nine-tailed fox and thy family?"

Man, I'm really drunk right now...

.

~~x~~

.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

***BOOOOOM**!*

"SHIIIIIT...!" And again I was launched like a freaking ragdoll out of one of the hot springs to another. How many hours have passed? One? Two? A day? I don't know how the underworld works, but it can't be like a Hyperbolic time chamber. It looked like days since the training began, and since then, well, Jin-Yong-dono, or Jin-Yong hyung, is trying to kill me, at least in theory. The only thing I can do for now is dodge, roll, hide and defend myself. Is this the training senpai had before? Well, this IS hell, after all...

I landed again on one of the hot springs, and as fast as I could, I jumped out of it before one of Hyung's fireballs could boil me down together with all that water from that pond. I landed on my feet, which surprised me a lot, and was about to run for my life again when that massive green dragon appeared out of nowhere in front of me, arms crossed and dragon mouth in a smile.

He lifted his fist and tried to punch me right in the face, that hand of his almost twice the size of my head. Before he could do it, I immediately ducked to a side and dodged that one for a nail, as I could feel his scales cutting the skin of my left cheek. Out of instinct, I punched his arm back with my Sacred Gear, as it announced [BOOST!] again. I sinked my fist a little against his hard skin, but it was nowhere near enough, as he didn't even flinched. Instead, he turned around and slapped me away with his tail, but I was fast enough to cross my arms in a 'X' in front of my body and shield myself against that attack. Nonetheless, I flew again to another pond of hot water, splashing my way down and jumping again out of it to avoid being turned into a meat dumpling. This time I failed to land on my feet, rolling on the ground, bruising and cutting my body. In the end, I hit my back against a rock wall.

"D-Damn it..." I cursed under my breath, as I tried to put myself up. I was wearing nothing but black shorts, so the damage was pretty bad, if not a bit superficial. Once finally standing, I ran as fast as I Could to a random direction, only to Jin-Yong Hyung to flash-step in front of me again. "Ah, c'mon!"

"Super serious series: Serious Punch!" And that Otaku for Mangas Dragon punched me right in the gut, sending me flying backwards and clashing against a stone wall, leaving a giant hole shaped like myself for the... Eleventh time if I can still count the other besides that one. I slid from the wall and clashed with the floor, as my Boosted Gear announced [BURST!] and I could no longer move. Before I could pass out for good, Hyung landed next to me and picked me by the head. "Still very weak, but that punch of your did some damage. At least you're getting better in being a coward..."

I snickered at that comment. But he's right. So far I was only avoiding him, with a good reason of course, but if I don't man up and step it up against him, this will continue. Then again, Nero-san stole my protagonist essence, meaning I'm not Fate's toy anymore. I can die in any moment. Before I could say anything, Hyung tossed me to the nearest pond of the springs. I hit my body in that amount of water, and soon, my bruises and injures were healing in an astonishing pace. I didn't took long for me to emerge from there completely healed, just a little sore and out of breath.

"Incredible. A magic water that can heal dragons in no time." I said in awe, the green dragon veteran taking his spot next to me and snorting a little, releasing a small stream of flames out of his nostrils.

"That's right, Ddraig. King Tannin builded this place, created this water and enchanted it himself before his ultimate demise. A water that can Heal his dear fellow dragons while soothing their souls with a peaceful place and relaxation." Hyung said proudly, as a drop of a tear sprouted from his eyes only to be boiled down. He chuckled a little, opening his arms and sinking deeper into the water. "Of course, that Hyoodou brat helped a lot, but only because he wanted to see some boobs. That's why males and his descendants can't go all nude here. Stupid brat."

"Hey!" I frowned a little. He's a pervert, the king of perverts, but nobody talks shit about senpai on my watch. Not after what he did. Jin-Yong Hyung batted an eye on me, and laughed.

"Oh, right. He was your previous host. My bad, Ddraig." He chuckled again, as always, breathing fire away. I'm kinda still confused why he keeps calling me Ddraig, but I think it's a dragons thing. The real deal is in a coma, anyway. "But that kid... He was an idiot, but by my ancestors, that kid was a walking apocalypse himself. I thought for a second that back then you died with him while facing that abomination. Hyoodou got guts."

"..." I gulped, as I looked at my naked left hand. Another of those flashbacks, huh? Senpai was an important person. I mean, even this big dragon and Nemesis-san admires him. However, they keep telling about this suppose apocalypse. I wonder what the hell is that, and why is such a big deal. After all, it killed Senpai, one of the heroes of the underworld, but Akabane and Belle said that event was off-limits for me. Well, since the dragon thinks I'm Ddraig, might as well take a shot and go with it. "Hey... Jin-Yong Hyung?"

"Hah?"

"Well... Could you tell me... What happened back then? I mean, Ahahahahah, I can't remember at all. Must've hit my head really hard back there." I said with an uneasy tone, trying really hard to look confused and curious, like an amnesiac would. Hyung just looked at me with those big purple eyes, and sighed.

"Do you... Really want to remember it, Ddraig? Sometimes, it's better let it be." He said in a very quiet, almost concerned, tone, as he put himself sit on the rocky floor of the springs and crossed his arms, looking at me with a hint of care. Despite everything, I Took a deep breath and nodded. Hyung sighed again. "Very well. I can't recall very well, but it all happened when I was still an Imoogi..."

And then, it began: the first thing that surprised me was the beginning, of all things that had yet to come. Senpai wasn't any Shogun, or perverted Samurai, or anything like that. He was a highschooler, just like myself. I mean, Devils do live long lives, right? So how come? Senpai had a lot of friends, lovers, and acquaintances, including the satans, one of them the great-grandfather of my King, Lord Sirzechs Lucifer, and even some Angels like Michael, fallen angels like Azazel, the Great ruler Shiva and so on...

And then, it happened: an apocalyptic beast only known as 666(Trihexa) broke free from his original seals thanks to Lord Rizdevim Lucifer, the grandfather of the previous Divine Dividing user Vali Lucifer, and began to cause mayhem in the human world first. The deity Shiva sealed it again for a while, and peace reign over some time. but it powers combine with Rizdevim's and the rest of his evil organization, Quippoth, was too much for Shiva, and so the seal broke again, releasing 666 to the world.

Shock, the moment the beast broke free, it tried to exterminate every living devil, angel and fallen angel on Earth first, killing all humans in the process, which is pretty shocking but itself. But as the human realm crumbled, the others of the three factions were preparing themselves for the war against the beast and their spawns, to avoid Great Red, the current Dragon of Dragons, from destroying the universe, 666 and himself during their direct struggle. Gremory's father was in this war, and for being a survivor made him a hero and worth the title of Satan.

In the end, with all of the allied forces defeated and Great Red ready to take on 666 and destroy the universe as we know it, senpai did the unexpected: he fused with Great Red and pushed the Boosted Gear and Ddraig to the limit, giving enough energy for the Dragon of dragons to rip his apocalypse rival to pieces. However, such power was too much for him to handle, and so, his damaged soul and body became one with Great Red, while his Boosted Gear would become mine.

After the war, Ophis, the Dragon God, together with Great Red, used the rest of their powers to recreate the human world from before the first unseal of 666 and help with the rest of the three realms, reviving all humans whom lost their physical bodies by giving them new ones, and just wiping their memories from the previous life. After that, both the dragon deities went to sleep in the Dimensional Gap, the overworld between the realms, while the Angels, devils and supernaturals would continue with their lives even without the great Hero of the Underworld.

"Sure, after that, me and my other fellow dragons, once I became a full dragon, moved here at mountain Issei to take care of ourselves. Life hasn't been really hard since. Nemesis offered me a place in her peerage, I fought with that knight of hers, and now I'm one of the guardians of mt. Issei's hot springs, as well as her Rook." He continued, but after the big one, I trailed off a little. So senpai died... But before, everyone else too? Did that 666 thing really happened? Was I suppose to be just a copy of another one of the prime dimension? Which one is the real Ichijou? I'm the real deal? Suddenly, my vision began to blur, as I could feel a hot tear running down my eye. "Ddraig? You're crying."

"Am... Am I?" I said as I Reached my eyes to feel trails of tears running down from them. I snorted a few times, and wipe them off with my arm. "Sorry."

"Nah, don't sweat it." The dragon chuckled, standing up and turning himself to me. "Just promise me, you'll become stronger for the sake of that brat. He did the impossible, so can you. Just make him proud by not being pathetic and tainting the legacy that he had given to you as his partner."

"Yeah..." I said, standing up too and making a 'I can do it!', pose, while Hyung did the same. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"Get ready, then. With the warm-up out of the way, the training begins now!"

"Wait, what?"

.

~~x~

**.**

***CLINK!* *CUT!* *CLINK!***

"Head up! Parallel feet! Look at me, not the sword! Jump! Left then right, left then right! Hanging wet clothes! Robot arms! And freeze!"

"You're not a Let's Dance Game, Aria-san!" I said as I swing an old western sword to defend myself against Aria-san's barrage of blades, while listening to her advices of how reflect, deflect and avoid them. I was actually getting pretty good at this, but again, there was no way to counterattack or something. In the end, I misstepped, and Aria-san hit my sword, bouncing it away from my hand, now pointing her blade to my neck: "ah... I give up."

"Don't worry. Lotus flowers grown from dirt, anyway. You just need a good care. Unlike gramps, you have potential to learn swordsmanship." She said, pulling her sword away and creating a magic rune for her to store it away. Solomon's Gate, the artificial Sacred Gear created by former General Governor of the Fallen angels Azazel, enabling the user to create a pocket universe to store magic swords. Apparently, it can also be used as a weapon since she can launch the swords from the runes in high speeds. A deadly weapon in all ways. "I'm actually surprised of how long you can endure it without complaining."

"Well, living with four big sisters taught me that complaining can only make things worse." I said as I remembered when I Told mom about their bullying, only for them to came down on me even harder. Those were the days. Aria-san frowned a little, but said nothing. I sat on the stone platform that served as a arena in the middle of the springs, and sighed, looking up to the Emerald sky that was a little brighter now. "Hey, Aria-san. Can I ask you something? I know we're in the middle of training, but there's something bugging me."

"Sure, bro. Shot it away."

"How can you do magic, anyway?" I asked, making a grope motion with my hand. "I saw Gremory and You doing that several times, and I did... Something like that, yet, how? How can do magic like that?"

"Huuuh~." instead of answering right away, she came closer, picked a pencil out of her shorts(she was thankfully wearing a swinsuit with shorts) and draw a small circle with some strange runes on the palm of my hand. After that, she took a step back. "Here, try to imagine a fireball out it this rune. First, take a deep breath, channel some energy, feel the flow of it from your heart to your arm, to your hand, and then, imagine a fireball."

"Okay... Deep breath..." I stood up, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and imagined just that. Can't say that I'm an expert in those, so I just imagined something like a river down my body. "Deep breath, feel the energy from the heart... Or something... Fireball... Fireball... Fireb-...!"

***BOOOOM**!*

"Gwaaaah...! Hot! Hot!" I screamed as my arm burned like a candle. Holy crap! When I Was imagining a flame out of my hand, I wasn't expecting to be this sudden! The damn thing just exploded in my hand! It burns! "Holy shit! How's that even possible!"

"Wow, never imagined you would be that explosive. Your mind sure is a mess to create something as dangerous as this." She said, observing me like I'm some kind of rare species.

"Hey! A little help would be nice! Please!"

***KICK**!*

"Damn you, ARIA-SAAAAAAAAN~...!" And that bitch just kicked me out of the arena for me to dive in another pond of hot water. I emerged from there, and like always, the water cured my burns in no time while, of course, put the flame away. Aria-san landed next to me and smiled.

"So, yeah, that's more or less how magic works, bro." She said, snickering a little with my current wet self. "You imagine some runes, decorate their purpose and with a little bit of will and demonic energy, boom. It's done. Never thought it would be so literally on your side, though."

"You could at least have told me!" I screamed, my voice in a tone that mixed a whine and a furious outburst. Aria-san laughed a little. "Geez, does that mean I can't use magic without exploding it right in my face?"

"Cheer up, bro. You were the cool one hours ago, don't go all emo, or else I'll beat you." And she came closer to pinch my cheek. For some reason, I'm getting use to this. I dunno, somehow, this is different from my sisters's usual assault. I nodded at that, and she smiled again. "It's not actually that hard. It's like riding a bike. You close your eyes, try to remember the runes, draw them into your mind and then you can use magic. As long as you can remember the drawing of the runes, their attributes and balance the right amount of energy, the rest is easy-peasy. You never forgets."

"Easier said than done." I grunted, looking at my hand where she draw the runes to see them disappearing in thin air. Huh, I Guess they are only worth one shot at a time. "Wait, this means if I write the runes down anywhere, I can use magic without remembering the drawings, right?"

"Yeah, it's a way to learn, but the drawing must be flawless, and if anything happens to it, you can't use it, period." She lectured. "But that idea is not too bad. You're a creative person. I like that. Mediocre at everything, but good on the head. Master of nothing, jack of all trades..."

"... Like a mook." I finished. She puffed a laugh, and pinched my cheek again. I guess this is what people call 'love bites'. It hurts, but I can't feel any ill will from it. She's just being cool with me. It feels good, kinda. I wonder if she's doing that just to be nice. It hit me just now: Aria-san is Senpai's (great-)granddaughter. I wonder what she thinks of me. I mean, senpai did die to save the universe, and she has to know about that. I wonder if... "Say, Aria-san, do you... Resent me?

"Huh? What makes you think that?" She said, tilting her head to a side. I blinked a few times, just like her, and she snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh, yeah, gramps. You're wondering if I resent you because of gramps, because you're weak compared to him, right?"

"..." I nodded. She reached her other hand to me and pinched my other cheek, this time too hard! Owowowow! Those are not love bites! She's really wanting to rip my face off!

"Listen here, bro. I love and admire gramps, I really do. Who wouldn't? He was the best of the best. Not you, nor anyone will ever surpass him. Do you think that I am being good to you because of your Sacred Gear? Hah! Gramps would have clean the floor with you on your full-power even without his." She said sternly, her shadowed eyes grimly shining at me as she rant about senpai while trying to rip my skull in two. However, in the end, she sighed, and the serene expression went back to her face. "Doesn't mean you can't try be a best you. You suck at being a Hyoodou Issei, though."

"Yeah... Yeah, I know." I said, cheering up a little with her words of semi-encouragement, as she released me from her pinches of death. Senpai was unique, senpai was awesome, senpai did the impossible several times. Doesn't mean I can't try and train to best myself, despite the fact... That I won't ever be like him.

***ZING**!*

"Here. Take it." I looked up again, and Aria-san pulled out of her magic runes a giant double-edged greatsword. It was at least two meters in height, with a massive, large blue blade with golden linings, pointy triangular end and dull edges, not sharp at all. The handle was cylindrical and golden, and you could grip it with two hands, the hilt also colored golden morphed with the blade. Aria-san was pointing the handle to me, while holding the blade with her thumb and pointer finger. "When you can't be like gramps, use this sword. Don't worry, the best it can do is leave a pretty big mark, so don't hold back too much."

"Huh... Thanks?" As I said that half-assed thanks, I picked the sword by the handle with my Sacred Gear, and she let go of it. Suddenly, **BOOM**!, it went to the floor, crushing my fingers! "Owowowowow! Aria-san! Help! I'll lose my fingers!"

"As if. Your Boosted Gear won't rip apart because of that petty thing." She says petty thing, but the handle of that sword is seriously cutting the blood flow from my gauntlet! How's that even possible?! "C'mon, Ichijou. You can do it. Use your Boosted Gear. If not, I'll hit you with Rhongomiant myself."

"Rhongomiant...?! You also give names to swords?! That's stup-... Owowowowow!" The gravity around that damn sword suddenly got worse, and my hand sinked into the ground. Damn thing must weight some tons now.

Okay, relax, Ichijou. Screaming won't do you any good now. Just relax... What was that again? The sword is not a weapon, is a extension of your body. Mooks can handle swords. Just imagine it like that... No matter how weak the mook, they'll always be expert... Decent with swords before the protagonist shows up to clean the floor with them. Relax, relax, relax...

*ZOOM!*

"Huh?" And when I opened my eyes, the sword was gone. I tilted my head a little for that. What the hell? I did that? How? Well, at least I can stand up again. That's good. I felt the typical electric flow from my left hand, but aside from that, I was okay. "Hey, Aria-san, what happened? Where's Ron... Rhon... Rhondo..."

"Rhongomiant, the failure, the prototype sword, the forgotten of King Arthur... The ghost Holy blade. You named it." She said, crossing her arms and winking at me. I flinched a little hearing about Holy swords. I remember that, after she fought that crazy Nun, Belle explained that one of the most powerful weapons against Devils were one of those, a simple cut would leave us almost to death. And now, Aria-san is giving one to me. What?! I guess she saw through my fear, as she gave me a calm smile. "Hahah~, don't worry. It doesn't bite. That sword is actually one of the oldest Holy swords ever crafted. She has several fairy words crafted in the blade, the gold in the hilt and blade is blessed by the tears of several maidens crying for the former Lord, and the blade is dull because all the lapis-lazuli that makes it had to be made in such size to handle the seals and enchantments that the niponic deities put on it."

"Wow!"

"And that's why... That blade sucks as a Holy sword." She finished with an half-ass grin and defeated eyes. Wait, what? "Yep. That sword is still kinda impressive, but the amount of holy stuff and blessing it has ended up saturating it's efficiency. Think every power as a person and they are trying to get through a narrow door at the same time. What you get is not super men, but three stooges stuck in a door."

"Ahah... Is that so?" I said back with a trembling lip.

"But, from where I saw, you absorbed it whole. Congratulations, now Rhongomiant is in your Sacred Gear."

"What? Are you saying that sword is inside my Sacred Gea-...!" *ZONG!* the moment the thought of that sword crossed my mind, it suddenly appeared in my hand, my Boosted Gear showing up as well. For some reason, the blade is now much lighter than before. No, it actually doesn't weight at all! "Oh, wow. What the hell!"

"Sacred Gears reacts according to the user's feeling and thoughts. Believe me or not, the Boosted Gear also held the Dragonslayer Sword Ascalon, before the church took it back. Yep, those are amazing, special dragon ones." She said, looking at me kinda proud. "That one is yours, now. Use it with care, I don't want Rina crying to me saying you whacked her too hard."

"Y'know, I'm actually losing my grasp on Double-entendres since I started hanging up with you guys." I Said, while Aria-san was smiling innocently with a cat grin. That pissed me off a little, but in the end, she's a nice person. A really nice person. I bowed to her. "But... Thank you. Thank you very much, Aria-san."

"C'mon, now. Like you have any chance to defeat me without a little handicap." She grinned, laughing like a true madam. I lifted my head and snickered at that, but ended up laughing as well. Huh, I'm starting to enjoy this. Despite the pain, bruises and cuts, I'm actually liking to be around them. They're teaching me so much. I looked at my sword one more time and noticed that it had a small yellow Ribbon wrapped around the end of the handle. It was burn a little, but it was okay in the end. I picked it up. "Oh! That's Lady Akeno's ribbon."

"What?"

"Yep. That's lady Akeno's, Lady Rias' queen, Ribbon. It's... The only thing left of her." Oh, harsh. "I keep it around as a lucky charm, but I guess you need it more than I do."

"I don't know if anything you say is to make me feel good or boost your ego up." I deadpanned, and again Aria-san had that shit-eating, fake-innocent smile. But still, this ribbon is a treasure from the past. Himejima Akeno, the priestess of thunder and Lightning according to Gremory. I unraveled from the hilt and wrapped it again on my left hand, right on top of Kamiyama's gift. Another good luck charm, eh? Well, I'll need it.

"Okay, okay. Now, let's practice some magic!" And out of nowhere, Aria-san pulled a full encyclopedia out of her ass and tossed in my direction. It hit my head, hard, but I was able to snap back, put my sword and Boosted Gear aside and pick the book on midair. I took a quick glance in it, and it looked very old, very used. Inside of it, pages and more pages of runes, magic circles, formulas and letters that pretty much transcend Humanity's history! "I want you to memorize every single one of those runes, and after that, you'll try to put those in work!"

"W-What?!"

"Bonding and sharing time is over! Let's train now! Remember all of them! Memorize all of them! Be a good mage mook and do your best!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" I said, being a little fired up because of her own burst in energy. I'll do my best! I'll give my best to it!

Even if I'm not senpai, even if I'm not the protagonist anymore, I'll try to best myself even more! Yes! Senpai died for others to move on, and he knew that his Boosted Gear would pass on to someone else. Well, I'll not gonna let him down, wherever he is, now. I'll try my best to be the best me! Even when I'm just that!

Even when I'm just **Tsukino Ichijou!**

.

~**~OMAKE: Hyung is noble and materialistic.~~**

.

Ichijou - So... Hyung, there was any another reason for you to become Nemesis-san's rook?

Jin-young - Actually, yes. Nemesis-sungseng would buy my anime merchandise for me. After all, trenchcoats and cold-masks wouldn't hide the fact that I'm a dragon.

1 - I-It's that, so? I thought It was because you admired Tannin so much.

Hyung - I still respect him, but what can I say? Animes are awesome.

1 - Uh-huh... ***respect meter: -2 for Hyung.***

Hyung - What's with the horse face?

.

~~x~~

.

**And that's that. I dunno if I'm making Ichijou's character development good or just forced and kinda awkward. It is the first time ever I reach more than 10 chapters in a fanfic. Oh, my, I'm on a roll! **

**Btw, If anything, Rhongomiant is more or less Avalon from the Fate/ series. Another thing, it looks like we're gonna be having dxd censored now. But... That's okay for now, the new chapter was kinda rushed, though. But it was cool to see Sairaorg and Baraqiel, not to mention dear Kuroka and that cliffhanger. Well, enough for now, stay golden, yoall.**


	18. I just want some silence

**Yep, I'm really on the roll with this one. Hahahah, I'm really happy to write this fic. I dunno why, maybe is the adrenaline or the continuation of this arc, or anything. But I'm having fun, and I hope you all too. Please, r&amp;r, and good read.**

**Highschool dxd does not belongs to me, thank you**.

.

~~x~~

.

Well, I did it. I just ran a freaking marathon around the Gremory house and some more within the forest. 1000 laps around it. Easy-peasy the first 232, the rest is hell. But I'm a ninja, I can do it if others believe in me, and as such, I did it. Yeah~! Now I need a Drink!

I took a step inside, and stretched my neck a few times, hearing the wonderful cracking noise of my bones. I did the same with my fingers with my thumbs, taking my way to inside the mansion. An old-style, typical Victorian, I remember when Papa had to take care of me and showed me the house first so he wouldn't have to guide me to the bathroom or something. However, since I was a little... Devil back then, I always pretended to cry so that he would have to lead me to anywhere in the Hellsing mansion. It was funny to see him cringe for having to touch my hand.

Back to topic, I was going directly to the kitchen on the first floor when I noticed a massive door midway the hall half open. Huh, Gremory said to avoid open doors so that we won't attract bugs or anything. Out of curiosity, I took a peak inside, and the place revealed itself to me with that single glance: it was a giant library, a place full of books and paintings, by the other side of this door. Mesmerized, I opened it whole to enter it, and gasped in surprise. This place is huge! It looks like every book of any kind is here! This is a paradise of information! But... I wonder who let the door open here?

"Kyun~... Kyun~..." My answer came quite quickly, as I heard a small moan coming from a place somewhere this hell of paper and ink. I had a small walk around, following the sound with my vampire ears, and came to an encounter with a red leather sofa, in which the small known King of mine was resting, surrounded by several books, one of them hanging from her hands. Huh, so she's also giving her best.

I gotta say, I never thought Gremory to be this diligent, but under closer inspection, my face faltered a little: those books were actually about the Gremory house and their history. The book she had in hand was about the Rias's era. Huh... She does likes Lady Rias, huh? To think the ninja community thinks she was just an exhibitionist, with all that switch princess of ruin and stuff...

Hey, let's frolic with Gremory a bit. Heheheh... After all, sleepy beauty is defenseless just like that, and neither foxy or Tasha are around. Besides, they say that touching a Gremory's breasts gives you good luck! Okay, here we go~. I approached her a little, with the tip of my toes, and then kneeled in front of her, as I could see her breasts going up and down. Okay, just a small poke. A small lucky poke. I pointed my finger onwards, and slowly but steadily moved it to touch one of her covered nipples. Heheheh, if anything, I'll say it was Ichijou, she'll believe it, anyway. Okay, and one, and two and...

"What are you doing, ninja?"

"GYAA~nnnph...!" Holy Dracula, that was scary! I heard from behind me, and when I was about to scream in distress, a hand cupped my mouth and shut me up before I could wake Gremory up. Nice saving, despite I not knowing who it was. I looked by my back, and apparently, foxy is back. Oh, crap...

"Let's talk about this outside, okay?" I nodded, as I flashed her a uneasy look, trying and failing to find some sympathy from her golden eye. She dragged me outside the library, and closing the door, ***BAM**!* she tossed me to the ground. "Now, explain yourself."

"Well~... I was... Trying to touch some boobs." I said, with nothing to defend myself. Foxy frowned a little, but then snapped for something, only to sigh and take her way to a random direction of the house. That's new. When the dragon is not around, she's the one throwing the straight man ball. I stood up and followed her. "What about you? Your contract with the Tsukinos? It went smooth?"

"Yeah, it was okay, I guess." She said without turning to me. We walked to the kitchen, and I could finally pick my sport-drink, while she picked a glass of milk. Not much later, Tasha entered the scene, herself sweating buckets. "Hey, witch. How are you?"

"In heat and wet." She said in her typical monotone voice, picking a glass of water for herself and sitting in a nearby chair. "Training, too intense. Tired. But I'm trying my best."

"Everybody is, Tasha. I Mean, I guess~. I wonder what dragon is doing?"

***CRASH**!*

"Heh?" Tasha and I turned to the direction of that crashing sound, and we discovered that it was foxy whom dropped her glass, now millions of small fragments of it on the floor. "Hey, Foxy, you okay?"

"Hah? Oh. Yes, everything is fine. Just... Wet glass. It slipped from my hands." She said to us, gulping a little and picking some paper-towel to help her dust the glass away. That was weird. She could've just stopped the glass with her tails, or dried it with her senjutsu, but instead she just let it slip away. Like that. Not to mention, her eyes are with a very vague aura around them...

I wonder what happened...

"Hey, Ninja, wanna poke Gremory's breasts? She's asleep. She can't say no."

"Hell, yeah!"

"Stop you two, or else I'll wake her up."

.

~~x~~

.

"Hyaaah!"

***ZING**!*

"Too slow!"

"Heyaaah!"

***ZOOM**!*

"Keep trying!"

"WOOOOOOOOH...!"

***SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!***

"Concentrate. Feel the blade! Find the best moment to strike! Break my defenses!"

It has been some dozens of hours now, and I have to admit, Ichijou's getting really quick the way of the sword, while I'm here enjoying some drinks. Sure, he's handling it like a baseball bat, but at least he has stance and sense of rhythm. His stamina to withstand the constant pressure of his Sacred Gear has also improved a lot, but his hotheadness is still there: he had suffered at least ten [BURST]s since the beginning of this training, and not even the magical waters of Mt. Issei is keeping up with his recovery anymore. Worse of all, he's still very green. His stamina and instincts skyrocketed fast, but everything is just stuck. Something's missing. Something very important...

"Keep going! Keep going! Maybe like That would'll be able to break at least a sweat against Nero!" Jin-Young said, using his arms to block the impacts of Rhongomiant's smooth edges. I was seeing lady Akeno's ribbon dancing together with the blade, as Ichijou tried an aerial assault by jumping and swinging his new sword against the giant magical reptile in front of him.

"SHAAAAAAAH...!" The heir of the Red Dragon Emperor Legacy roared as he hoped to at least cut the Green Dragon with his barrage of slashes, up to no use since the former either dodged or hit the sword in a way it would divert to another random direction. When he was about to land, Jin-Yong slapped him away with his tail, as the brunette blocked just in time to ease the impact. He was launched a few miles away, but he was ready for another one. He littered jumped to a second encounter with the dragon. "Come and get me, Hyung!"

"As you wish!" The Green Dragon smirked, as his lungs burned and he spat a massive fireball against my bro. The former stopped for a second, held his Boosted Gear up and announced [EXPLOSION!], as he pulled the ribbon attached to his wrist and punched a specific part of it with all of his might. A magic blue circle emerged from Lady Akeno's memento, as a globe of water emerged from it and collided with it's flaming counterpart. I smirked at that: use the ribbon to draw some important magic runes to avoid getting distracted... Sly sonnovabitch, he's practically cheating. Can't say I'm not proud of his idea. It would be a typical one for gramps. However, the moment he hesitated a little to finally leap onwards, as another fireball crossed the white steam to hit and blew him away, I realized what was missing. Of course. The other thing that was blocking his improvement besides Narration-block. Ichijou landed next to a rock, and splashed some water on himself to cure again some of his bruises.

"Ddraig, take it easy. This water is also an analgesic. The moment the effect wears off, you'll probably be rolling around in pain." Jin-Yong warned, his eyes really shining some concern for the boy in front of him. He lifted his massive sword one more time, and spat some blood on his arm to avoid tainting the waters.

"I'm... I'm not done with you, yet!" He screamed, stomping hard on the floor and holding his blue sword. Yep, he's exhausted, he can't go on. If this dam-recon cycle continues, he'll develop some problems later. Geez...

***ZOOM**!*

"What the... Aria-sa-...?!"

***CRUSH**!*

"Calm down, will ya, bro?" I said, hammer-kicking and making him eat some dirt. Accidentally, I opened a hole in the ground, and that'll be a bitch to deal with later. But for now, some rest for my little brother. I turned to the ground by my back, and he sighed. "So... You've noticed too, right?"

"Share cuts and bruises is care, Aria-dongsaeng. I'm the one surprised. You have a pretty good eye for that." The dragon laughed, seriously, I think he has a problem regarding lungs. But he ended it and looked at the boy under my foot. He understood the situation, too. What was missing. Ichijou has the objective...

... But not the will.

I get it now. He wants to be like gramps, and that's great. But what he lacks is the proper will to do it. He thinks that training, basic exercises and just generally being a diligent boy will eventuallymake him a better him. Not that it isn't Really that wrong, but this simple-mentality might alienate him from his potential. Like Nemesis said, without proper care, he'll become a mediocre devil that not even the Boosted Gear will save. Maybe if I can get a reason out of him...

"Hey, Jin-Yong, can you please give us some time alone? We might need a little heart-to-heart conversation." I said to the dragon. He tilted his massive head to a side, and chuckled, covering his jaw with his claws.

"Okay, then. Some time alone you'll have. I needed a pause, anyway. Time to dig some hentai." And now he leaped to the nearest water pond and jumped from there to another one, like a true fish-King, until he was no longer in my eyes' reach. Now, back to the boy in hand. He was okay, I guess, so I lifted my foot out of his skull and kicked him right in the stomach, making him roll to another hot spring and splash there. He emerged from it a few seconds later.

"Rise and shine, 'cuzza beautiful morning, bro." I joked, seeing him struggle within the waters for a few moments until finally be able to stand up on it. He looked around to spot me, and then he frowned.

"What the hell, sis! Why did you do that?!" He screamed, while I covered my ears against it. He also improved his lungs, which means stronger screams. Hahahah, Rina-chan's gonna kill me. But for now, serious matters are priority.

"Sorry, but I've figured it out. A way to make you stronger. A way to crush your block entirely besides the protagonist Essence." I said. He stopped for a second, pouted his cheeks a little, and crossed his arms.

"Geez... You'd have Told me. Now, I'm embarrassed. Screw you, really." He said, blushing a little. Ah~, that's cute, I have a tsundere brother. But now, let's get down to business. "So? What is it? Some kind of magic or special training?"

"Well, if it was a special training, then I Would never told you to begin with." I said. He frowned even more, an expected reaction.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's because that you're not motivated." I finished. Now, his face faltered a bit, only to look down in confusion, and take a deep breath. He's understanding. That's good.

"What do you mean, Aria-san?" He asked.

"Again, you're not motivated, bro. Not in the slightest. I dare to say you're not even trying." No that so typical frown turned into a scowl. His green orbs were emanating a dark, grim aura, and the air around his suddenly began to slow down, like the drops of water that started hovering around him.

"I'll ask one more time: **WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN. ARIA-SAN?**!" I guess I poked him a little too hard. Pride's a bitch to deal with, sometimes. He said he has none, yet, he's livid because I questioned his efforts. He's trying, he's really trying, but for what is worth, he's stuck.

"**YOU. ARE. STUCK!**" I screamed back while that same tone. Because of my stronger lungs, he backed upj a little, scared. When he finally shut up, I came closer to him and poked him in the nose. "Stuck! Stuck! Stuck! You're not drowning, but not swimming either! You're floating. You wanna change, but lacks the guts for it! You know what, but not how! You're stuck! Stuck! Stuck!"

"Why you...!" He summoned his Boosted Gear again, as he draw Rhongomiant up high to probably hit me. However, when he was about to try to slice me in half, he stopped, blinked a few times, gasped in realization, and let his sword fall to the ground behind me. He's not clouded anymore, he can think, he can control himself, but he lacks the reason to do anything with it, and ends up doing nothing. "And now what? Seriously, do I need a reason? One will spontaneously pop from the ground anyway. I just have to keep fighting until the next ordeal. Isn't that what Bleach does every time?"

"Yeah, but at least Ichigo has a motive beyond that: he wants to protect his friends and families, plus save the world. You, Ichijou, is just being tossed around, like a errand boy." And he pouted, crossing his arms and sitting in a lotus position. He's deep in thoughts. Probably, maybe, I dunno. "Look, bro, your Boosted Gear works according to your emotions. I know it might kill you, but without some reason or at least will to do anything, you won't be able to reach new levels of your Boosted Gear, including Balance Breaker."

"Will, huh? Do I need that?" He questioned, closing his eyes and thinking. That remark actually kinda hurt me. "Frankly, yes, I'm just an errand boy: my sisters tossing me around back and forth, my father putting all of his disgusting hopes of a harem on me, and now, Gremory and her wish for me to become the new Senpai. I thought that would change with my Sacred Gear, but it looks like I'll be always the errand boy."

"..."

"...?"

***POKE**!*

"Huh...?"

"You piss me off, sometimes. You know that, Ichijou?" I poked at his forehead, while sitting in front of him in that same lotus position. Maybe talking about feelings might help. He looks sensitive enough, talking about feelings is always a good idea. "But, maybe with some conversation, I'll help you unlock even more potential here and now for you. Now, what was the best thing that happened to you? The best!"

"What's with that psychological crap? Why would I wanna try some cheap trick?" He deadpanned, soon blinking a few times in realization to the bit his tongue in shame. So cute. He thinks he hurt me. No even emotionally. "Okay, fine. The best thing that ever happened me... I've been talking with a girl that I like a lot!"

"Wow, sixteen years and nothing but quick dates with a girl?" Yeah. Sixteen years... People do much more than creepily stalk a crush in this period of time. He frowned at me again. "What? Sixteen years, I bet you didn't even kissed her."

"Hey! We're friends... For now. I like her, and I think she cares about me. I dunno. Those feelings are so alien to me sometimes that I think I might get a stroke with them." And now that one creeped me out. What? Those feelings? You mean horniness? Love? Lust? Passion? Those are strange to him?

"What do you mean by 'Those feelings'? I mean..."

"Yep. I ain't very loved around." He admitted, in a tone so calm and straight-forward it caught me by surprise. This guy? You mean the guy Rina-chan respects? Serena-chan says he's okay? The ninja and the Ninetails says are in good terms with? This guy? Don't tell me he's one of those cliche angst protagonists. "Of course, my mother loves me, but my sisters... Not so much."

"Elaborate that for me, maybe we can figure some things out to help you." Yep. Easy-peasy. I just need to hear his story a little, and find some reason for him to hook up to. I'm not just training him, I want him to have the will and strength to withstand his legacy. Even more since... The English white dragon emperor is probably around.

"Well, since I was a kid, they've always resented me. When I was younger, I had those two friends, y'know? Nina-chan and Julia-chan. I loved them, I really loved them, but their parents were too religious, they thought that I was just around to try 'my way with them.'. Hahahah... Stupid, isn't? I was just a kid." He began, tapping his fingers on his knees and just spacing out to remember his presumedly good times. However, his expressions became bitter. "Shit hit the fan when My stupid father passed me a pack of condoms and said I should try them with my Nina-chan and Julia-chan. It was a joke of course, but when I brought them saying exactly that's, their dad took it so seriously... He punched me. Really hard. When I woke up, They left the neighbor for good. It's because of this I hate my dad so much..."

"..." Harsh. I mean, this would be probably a funny story to tell during a lighter moment, and everybody would laugh with that really awkward story, by seeing how much this affected him... Kinda jarring when you look by that perspective. He continued soon after.

"He even didn't acknowledge his mistake, the mistake that ruined my friendship, saying to my mother it was just a men's joke." He sighed, clenching the skin of his legs a little, looking down and trying to hide his grimace. "After that, my sisters turned my life in hell, no offense. Futaba would pick fights with me just to beat me up, and put centipedes in my ears just for me to say I was just a chicken. Minatsu would dress me up and make me say I was a pretty princess in front of everyone. Shiori-nee and Satsuki-nee didn't do anything, but the way they would stare at me... I was just a disgusting bug, a roach for them. And if I ever tried to tell mom, they'd beat me up and and say they'd castrate me. That's also the reason I had no friends: if it was a girl, they'd scare her away with mean secrets about me and what I would supposedly do with her with my 'pervert mind', and if it was a boy, well, some stares can shatter a person. There was four against one, I couldn't do a thing for myself. I could only... Watch and find my happy place."

"I'm... I'm sorry for that." What the hell. If the situation were different, I'd be laughing my ass off by now. 'Sisters beating me up and saying they'll cut my dick off, scaring my friends away with crazy stories and death stares.', hahahah, why can't I laugh with that?

"My mother is a busy woman, so that's why she didn't know about for a while. When I was thirteen, she finally discovered my sisters' bullying schedule when she saw me crying while wearing a Princess Safiri dress. It took me three days to talk since I was scared shitless about my sisters threat, but I did it. Mother stormed to my sisters and beat every single one of them, and when she was done, she came for me... And cried. Cried. I hated that so much. I made my mom cry..." And drops of tears started to ran by his eyes, as his clenched his legs even tighter and snorted a little. "I hated my sisters' bullying, but I hated even more that I made my mom cry. She's the best mom in the world, and I made her cry, what Kind of son am I?! Their bullying are more tame now, but I only fight back just so that my mom won't cry for me anymore."

"..." I gulped. That was a bad idea. What the hell. Why am I feeling empathy for him? It makes no sense. In a lighter mood, his life would've been a typical difunctional family funny backstory, yet, my heart hurts. Why? I tried to reach for him, but the next line was the absolute worst.

"And then, there is Gremory. She killed me, turned me into her slave, made me go around and around, tries to seduce me even when she knows I'm scared of women, makes me do things to strangers, got me beaten, cut, Burned and humiliated, tossed around like a ragged doll, and the worst... She makes me lie to my mother." And now, his face was a mess. He's crying his heart out, and the hiccups just don't stop. He faltered forward, and now he's on four, sweating buckets and crying as much. "She stole from me the only period of time when I can bond with my sisters! She stole from me the only time I can have a family! All because she wanted to have her ass kicked by Nemesis-san! Why can't she leave me out of this?! Why can't she just shut up?! All I want now is for her to...! ... Ah."

"Huh...?" That was brutal. He abruptly stopped his rant, and suddenly, he lifted his head for me and tossed his hollow, dull but widen eyes to me. For some reason, his Boosted Gear began to emanate a black smoke out of it's jewels.

"I get it now, Aria-San... I know now the reason why I do what I do, why I don't have any will. Recruiting new members, trying to improve myself, beating Annie, just following Gremory and the others like someone's errand boy..." He continued, as his tears ceased, and he looked so confused and lifeless, yet looking like he just reached nirvana. "... If I follow them around, end things quickly and just stay quiet, maybe they'll shut up. Maybe things will stop for a while. Yeah, that's... That's why... I just want everything to shut up."

"I-Ichijou..."

"Yes... Just silence, like that..."

...

**[I, WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN...]**

"Huh?" No. It can't be! That hoarse, powerful voice echoed through the whole hot springs, as the floor around Ichijou crumbled. A powerful green aura began to leak out of his body, as he now was on his knees, looking at the sky, his yes turning golden and his hair being tinted with red.

[**AM THE HEAVENLY DRAGON WHO WILL ANNIHILATE THE GIFT OF LIFE AND LIGHT GIVEN BY GOD.]**

"Yes... I just want the sounds to stop... My sister's angry rants and harsh words... My mom's cries... Gremory's orders..."

**[I'LL CRUSH THE DREAM, AND RIP THE INFINITE TO NAUGHT.]**

"Bro! Stop! If you don't...!" I tried to put some sense into him before it was too late, but when I Was about reach him, an enormous crimson claw emerged from his back by ripping his skin there and slapped me away. I crushed into a rock wall, opening a hole in there, and when I tried to get me out of there, I could see crimson scales slowly taking over Ichijou's body.

What's that?! Is this really...? But didn't gramps...! Don't tell me... Ichijou's hatred is so massive he's fueling this form alone?! But... Why?! Is this... Is this... Really...!

**[I SHALL BECOME THE RED DRAGON OF DOMINATION...]**

"I want just that... Just some silence... I want just silence... Just that."

Just that.

**[AND I SHALL BURN YOU WITH THE FLAMES OF THE CRIMSON HELL!]**

**[JUGGERNAUT DRIVE!]**

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

**Yep, kill me now. I just gave Ichijou the power to unleash JD just with his hate. And my god, he has the hate. Now, for a good reason, or for a petty reason? It's up to you to decide, and according to the answers, I'll be either glad or sad about the outcome. Also, writing this chapter, I've finally understood why Kiba wasn't trying to help anyone during his stay on the ORC. Huh, maybe writing does makes you smart...**

**Nah...**

Anyway. You all know the drill. Stay golden~.


	19. I want!

**So... yeah, hyper hyped. Longest chapter so far, and apparently, thing are getting very interesting. But I guess I'll have a little pause for now with this fic. back to my originals in fictionpress. But whoever is enjoying this fic, I'll be back in no time. Maybe first I'll write a hentai, and then I'll go back with this fic. Thank you~.**

**As always, Highschool DxD does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

...

Ugh... What the hell... My head hurts...

What happened? I remember going crazy because of some memories, my mom crying, everything going crazy and angsty, and when I snapped, suddenly, everything went blank, and... Just that. I can still feel my thumbs and toes, so I'm good for now, right? Right?

When I recovered enough strength to look up and around, I found myself in a classroom, my classroom in Kuoh Academy. I was sitting in my new place, besides where Kamiyama should be sitting. Huh, that's odd, I don't remember being here, or coming here whatsoever. Moreover, for some reason, I'm wearing my uniform, and no one is around. I'm completely alone in here...

I sighed. What the hell happened? Going berserk? That's so not me. But those memories did hurt. Am I really that pathetic? Simple memories hurting me like that... I wonder if senpai had ever one those freak-outs. Better forget about him for a second and focus on me first. Is this my mental world whatever? Where I should have some kind of conversation with my dark side/evil counterpart/dark emotions, fight against and win to get out of here? Most like it.

"Hey, evil me? Dark side? Shadow-self? I know the drill, get out of wherever you are. Let's talk." I said out loud to the ceiling, hoping to something to happen. Instead of it appearing out of nowhere to scare me and state the obvious, I'll call it so we can go faster. A few seconds passed, but nothing. I grunted. Maybe if I close my eyes for a second, something will eventually happen. And waiting, and waiting...

And waiting...

And waiting...

And wait-...

"Aren't you a savvy one? Smartass, this is not a shounen light novel, y'know." I heard, a little surprised to pick a female voice instead of a hoarse, powerful one, like one of a dragon's. Since it came from my back, I first turned around in my seat to see if there was anyone there. Nothing. When I was about to turn around, I gasped in surprise: there was a pretty girl sitting on the teacher's table, wearing Kuoh's female uniform. She had crimson red hair in a short, spiky cut, golden eyes and fair skin; and the most notable thing about her was the fact that she was a FLAT redhead. Maybe it's just the Gremory sisters, but seeing a flat redhead is making me lose my mind... Oh, wait...

"G-Gremory...? No, wait, who are you? Where am I?" I asked. Those might sound cliche, but I really want to know where exactly I am. In a dream? In my head? The multi-dimensional labyrinth? The redhead in front of me sighed in visible disgust, and picked a piece of chalk to write something on the blackboard. It took a while, but she finally managed to write it down: first in kanji, then in hiragana. Reading those, it was Yagura. "Yagura... San? That's quite a name."

"Nah, not much. People used to call me arrowhead all the time. Annoying as hell." She shrugged, tossing the piece of chalk to a random direction and standing up from the teacher's desk. "But I guess is better than having no name, isn't it, mr. Number 1,879,611,363,476?"

"What the...?" Huh? What's with that huge number? Did she just called me that? That girl, Yagura, then snapped her fingers in realization, and picked another piece of chalk and wrote the number down one more time, with just one number more.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that one. This makes you mr. Number 1,879,611,363,477! So sorry for my mistake. I'll remember that next time." She said with an uneasy expression, as I mimicked her just like that, and we stared at each other for some seconds. "But, hey, at least you were your idol for just a few seconds. Isn't that great?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I questioned her. She only shrugged again, tossing her chalk to another random direction, and sat back on her place on the teacher's desk. This is ridiculous. I wanna get out of here, I have to train. I stood up from my seat and walked to the exit door. "Whatever. I'll be taking my way away from you. I don't know if you are my conscious, my evil side or whatever, but I don't have time for this. I have to-..."

"It's okay to be an extra, right?"

***ZOOM!***

"What...?!"

"It's okay to be... Just a nobody. For you, right?"

**[BOOST!] *PUNCH!***

"Tch...!" My instincts tingled in the right moment, as I summoned my Boosted Gear and sword and blocked a punch from that girl, who flash-stepped in front of me to do just that. I slid through some chair on the floor, and stopped right in the middle of the classroom, burnwheel marks on the floor and burned shoe soles. However, what surprised me beyond all of that was the fact that girl had the Boosted Gear too! Worse, she had also the Rhongomiant, or at least a copy of it! "What the... How?! I thought the boosted Gear could only have one user!"

"And I am a user, mr. Number 1,879,611,363,477. Isn't that obvious?" She said nonchalantly, shrugging and hanging that massive sword with her dragonic gauntlet like she was mocking me. I gripped the hold on my own in frustration and Anger. What the hell she means by those? Is she trying to make me angry?

"This makes no sense, and stop with this mr. Number 1,879-whatever ! I have a name, y'know! It's _!"

...?!

What the...?! _! _! _! What the hell?! I can't... I can't!

"Let's see... Carlos, George, Kent, Risa, Thomas, Dav, Hiruma, Donnatello, Ming-Ming, Tien, Akita, Maria, God Lee, Lyan Hwan, Victoria, Jaina, Tejas, Toshio, John, Reddon, Alexander, Komachi, Adolf, Liu, Michelle, Joseph, Sylvester, Marcos, Sheilla, Keiji, Kanako, Jared, Keika, Erika, Bourne, Akari, Alex, Wolf, Peggy, Amelia, Ryuichi, Ivan, Helena, Nina, Sergei, Aaron, Anastasia, Bao, chin Chun-Li, Borjigin, Hong, Eva, Isabella, Wac, Enrique, Sandra, Antonio, Rohan, Rachel, Mirapix, Friz, Marcia and, of course; Belzard, Eisha, Issei and you, plus 1,879,611,363,411 others. Those are the names of some of the previous Boosted Gear users." When she finished her long list of names, suddenly, the world trembled, and by my side, the blackboard began to shake, only to magically write down in white chalk every single name she spoke plus some more. She dropped her sword and walked there, only to risk down every single name, leaving four intact: Belzard, Eisha, Issei and my own. "Of course, you wouldn't remember not even one millionth of them, because there were just like you: extras. But unlike you, rather than didn't want, they couldn't. Belzard was the strongest of them all, while Eisha was the second strongest and Issei became the hero of the underworld. Those are whom become main characters, while the others fell into non-existence, never known, never acknowledged. Now, I bet all of them wanted to to become special in some way. Even those without the knowledge of their power wanted to be more than nameless extras. You saying 'I want to be an extra', that's just offensive for those before you. But if you want to be one so bad..."

***RISK!***

**Belzard - Eisha - Issei - _Ichijou_**

"No that you'll mind, right, mr. Number 1,879,611,363,477?" Enraged until the last string of hair, I leaped towards her with my sword at hands, ready to cut her in half of at least get her out of the way. But when My blade was about to reach her, ***BAM!***, she used her handle to hit me away, making me crash against the blackboard. "But not everyone can achieve that. And I know you won't be the one. But I want you to say one thing: Why do you fight?"

"W-Why...?" I used my sword to support myself as I stood up and coughed a little of blood. Why she asks that? If she's my other half, or even Ddraig for what is worth, she should know by now. "Why... Why do you ask? To be like senpai, of cours-..."

"So why content yourself in being an extra?" That question pierced my heart in the right spot, as I bit my tongue. Damn... She sighed, sticking her sword to the ground and frowning at me. "Let me ask you again: why do you fight? What's your reason for such?"

"It's because... It's because I want everybody to shut up! I want silence! I want...!"

***BAM**!*

"Then explain to me why do you want to become stronger? Since being strong will only make people rely on you more." She said as she hit me with her smooth-edged sword, sending me flying to the opposite wall and opening a hole with my 'help', as I bit my tongue again. "Be honest, why do you want to become stronger? What's your reason to fight? Why do you hate when people drag you around like a ragdoll? Don't worry, this place is isolated from the world. You can say whatever you want here, be yourself..."

"You... Who are you?! Are you Ddraig?! The welsh Crimson Dragon and my partner?!" I said as I stood up and clashed blades with her. The impact made us both took a distance from one another, and she only sighed.

"Like I've said, I'm Yagura. The only question left unanswered is... Who are you?"

"What?! I'm _! Shit! What the hell!"

"As long as you don't answer me from your heart, then you're just an extra. 1,879,611,363,476 others wanted to have a name, and only three of them succeeded. Since you're happy in being an extra, I guess you don't need one." She said, jumping in my direction, as I prepared my own sword and did the same. "You don't need a name of you're just wanna be an extra. Now, you're just mr. Number 1,879,611,363,477."

***CLASH!***

**"SHUUUUUT UUUUUP...!"**

.

~~x~~

.

Hwan Jin-Yong is out of commission...

All of my Bones have been broken seven times...

Praise the Phenex and their tears, or else me and the dragon would be goners by now. Ichijou is now a miniature dragon, wondering and looking around like a lost child in a strange place, his extra limbs and wings hanging from his Jewels and back, while he was destroying everything by just walking around. For some reason, instead of going around destroying and causing mayhem, he was just looking around. Sometimes he would look at his own hand and clench it a few times, sometimes his wings and extra arms would twitch a little, but in the end, he was just standing there...

"Gah... Gah... Gah..." The beast in my Bro's body grunted, looking at the skies, his wings twitching a little. I knew what he was planning to do, so I unfolded my own dragonic ones. The tail by his back slapped the ground, causing a massive shockwave, and finally he took flight, ascending in a straight line. I did the same, and in no time, he we clashed in midair, as I headbutted that helm of his and he faltered a little, losing control and falling now. However, in another second, he used his extra appendices to control his gliding, and again, he slapped me hard with his massive extra hand, making me open a crater in the hot springs on landing. I extended a hand to the skies, and a shower of lightning descended from it. He dodged once, twice, and ZAP!, the third one hit him straight, making him also fall and land on another pond. "Gwaaaah... Aaah...!"

"Same here, bro. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow." I said, as I adjusted my jaw back to it's place, cracking some articulations too, as the mini-dragon in front of me emerged from his crater and again wondered around, looking for something. I morphed my hands to of a dragon's, and prepared myself to another possible clash. I don't know, why doesn't he attack me out of the blue? Why doesn't he destroys everything around? He just keeps wondering around, like its none of his business. But if this continues, he'll run out of energy and perish. I have to stop him. Okay, Aria, concentrate... Concentrate...

...

***ZOOM!* *PUNCH!***

"Gwaaaaah...!" And I tried to punch him again, breaking part of the core jewel in his chest, but also shattering part of the dragon scales around my hand. The pain is intense, but I lifted my other hand and punched again, now shattering part of his chest armor, that flew away like scraps of metal before dissolving in the air. Before I knew better, he opened his mouth, and from there, I saw an ominous glimpse of light shining at me! Is this...!

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

[**LONGINUS SMASH-...!]**

***KICK!***

***BOOOOM!***

It hurts... It hurts like crap! I kicked with my scaled leg his jaw to close his mouth shut, and then his whole head exploded in an light sphere of pure demonic energy, pushing me away for miles until I landed on another pond of water. Not even the water is recovering me from my wounds anymore. My leg in bent in an abnormal way, with burned-out skin peeled out, and both my hands were broken. I had to swim to the surface to take some air, and when I did, I saw the measure of the power I avoided for a nail.

The whole west section of the springs, that was the size of an entire mountain, simply vanished from there, and taking its place, there was a giant pond, no, lake of hot waters, slowly being filled by the now waterfalls around it borders. That move, Longinus Smasher, just leveled an entire mountain of chains of small ponds and turned it into a lake of hot waters. I'm... I'm scared. For a nail I avoided being turned into nothingness, and for it I could've killed my bro.

"Haaah~... Gwaaaah~...!" I heard from a great distance. I took a closer look to the center of the new hot spring lake, and there he is, emerging from the waters and looking confused again, probably lost, only to unfold his dragon wings again and take flight, creating an enormous shockwave from there. I can't let him get away like this, or else he'll destroy everything and kill everybody. My body... I can't move very well, but at least... I have to...

***BAM!***

"GAAAAAOOOOH...!" And now, I did it. I can't move, my energies are running out, but I did it. I've created a super magical barrier around that pond of water. And just in time, as when he was about to get out of my sight, I lifted the barrier, making him hit it like a fly into glass, lose control over his jets and wings, and fall to the springs again, lifting a big pillar of water. And now, silence. There he was, floating downwards in the water, immobile. I thought for a second that I would have now a chance to talk to him out of him senses, but then he stood up again, as a red aura leaked out of his body. He clenched his hands, and smashed his own face against the floor, causing another crater to appear. And then, he tossed his head backwards and did something that I'll never forget. "Haaaah~...! Gwaaaaaah~...! ROAAAAAAAAAAR...!"

Even with the barrier up, even with the fact that I'm pretty away from him, that scream, that roar, almost ripped my soul into pieces. It was so deranged, so alien to me, I thought I was going to lose it as those vibrations echoed in my head, like nails on a board, even worse. and it was not just me: the earth below my feet began to tremble, and the water around him boiled instantly, lifting a curtain of steam in mere seconds. The worst part came seconds later: when all the smoke cleaned off, I saw several cuts and rips on the fabric of reality around him, sucking everything on sight and growing larger and in numbers as his screams reached a critical point. If this goes on, he'll destroy this part of the underworld! But What should I Do?! I can't move, and even if I could, I wouldn't know what to do! Damn it... Ichijou... I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry...

"Hey, ugly face!"

"Roar-...?!"

***PUNCH!***

***GWAAAAAAH...!"**

***CRASH!***

"Uh...?" When I almost lost all hope, when I was about to give up, I heard that conversation down below that hot spring lake, and before I knew it, Ichijou's Juggernaut Drive flew away in god-like speed, breaking my barrier like it was nothing and coming crashing down another small mount. And not just that, he stuck there, having difficulties to get out even with his Juggernaut Drive on! What in the world?!

"Wow, wow, not bad, Sekiryuutei! You almost broke my hand, and That's a goddamn achievement. Might as well reward you with a Purple Heart..." I blinked back where Ichijou originally was, and to my surprise, there he was: short and smooth white as snow hair, imposing, muscular frame under extremely formal wear, pale skin and violet eyes that stares at your soul to freezing degrees. He himself was countering and fixing Ichijou's reality rips with his own leaking power, with standing on the waters without his wings. There he is... **Lord Cohen Lucifer**, Nemesis's father and Lord Sirzechs's successor. "... That I'll blacken myself."

The albino by the other side smiled, as from the crater that he created a long spiky tail emerged to slap and crash the ground around it. The miniature dragon escaped, and seeing the man standing tall on the waters, he roared to him. Lord Cohen only smiled. *ZOOM!* Too fast! In a blink of an eye, Ichijou crossed the path between the mountain and the lake, creating a path of pure destruction with it, practically scarring the land with a path hole. He was face to face with the Lucifer, and was about to hit him when...

***BOOMM!***

**"GWAAAAAAAH~...!**" Now, Ichijou went to the skies, flying high on it only to crash-land not to far from his rival. Even faster than the Sekiryuutei, Lord Cohen punched him. Not just that, his assaulting fist was covered by some kind of club-like carapace, and it was on FIRE!

"Or maybe I broke my hand myself. Wouldn't be surprising, after all, The only One that can defeat me... Is me! Or I? Or myself? I dunno." He said, extinguishing the fire with the waters and walking to the floating berserk Sekiryuutei. "Now, now, how does it feel to receive a human-sized _Rainbow Mantis Shrimp_ punch?"

***GRAB!***

"Grrrrr...!" Lord Cohen were too slow to react, so Ichijou grabbed him tightly by the ankle and from it, he boosted his standing, his fists announcing [BOOST!] as he tried to punch the albino devil, and he succeeded!

***ZOOM!***

**"ROAR...!"**

"Tch! Having your filthy hands touching me, and even thinking it can level yourself to me! Have you no shame!" But it was just an afterimage, as Lord Cohen substituted himself with a piece of his clothing and reappeared behind the Sekiryuutei, kicking him away for miles with his abnormally bend Legs. And no, he didn't break them, his legs only morphed in a way similar to of a flea's. "Know your place!"

The truth is, despite the sister's surnames, Lord Cohen is not part of the Gremory family, at least not blood-related. Cohen was once a servant boy of a little lady Alice Gremory, Nemesis's old lady, who she fell in love with and married. Little did they know, that boy was not just an ordinary Extra Devil. Oh, no, he descended from a long line of now nomad Extras, the Alastor clan, former Servants of the original Lord Beelzebub, like the Lucifuge were for the Original Lord Lucifer. Since he was just a commoner, and now a Satan, the Gremory sisters inherit their mother's surname. Do they have an exclusive ability like the Bael's or Abbadon's, you ask? Yes.

_Metamorphosis_.

Being servants of the master of the flies, it was only natural for the Alastor's to have such disgusting powers. By channeling their energy into their bodies, they can morph them to of any kind of arthropod, such as insects, crustaceans and myriapods. It might sound silly, but putting in perspective, a Rainbow Mantis Shrimp's punch **BOILS** the water around it and the shockwave alone can kill a normal crustacean, while the flea has one of the most powerful legs in the animal world, jumping almost 200 times their own body weight. In short, Ichijou is fighting a devil who has missiles for fists and can jump out of orbit.

***Tick-Tick... Tick-Tick...***

"Now, now. I know you're not dead, Sekiryuutei. But where did you go? Seki-wuss-Tei~? Come out and play~." Mocked the satan, as the antennae on his head twitched back and forth. The earth trembled again, and out nowhere, a pillar of dust lifted, The Juggernaut emerging from there and descending to try his way against Lord Cohen again. Cohen, on the other hand, smiled maniacally, as he lifted his fists once again to clash against Ichijou's own. The impact of the two caused a massive shockwave, no only washing the waters away, but boiling and breaking everything around. This is just insane. If they don't die, I think they'll destroy the underworld with them!

Also, lord Cohen is not wearing pants now. He used them as a distraction when Ichijou grabbed his ankle. Why not his jacket or shirt? Because he's a pervert.

Yeah...

.

~~x~~

.

Blood on walls, blood on the ceiling, blood on he floor, blood on the desks, blood on the blackboard, and it's all mine. I've been fighting that girl for a while now, and despite being in my current state, a right hand missing, covered in blood and messed clothes, I did a number on her, as her clothes were also a mess and she had some pretty brutal bruises, but I was on the worst end.

"I give up. Just let me pass, you stuck-up bitch." I said to the girl who was standing in front of me, supporting her massive sword on her shoulder. Yagura, the redhead, simply sighed again, taking her way to in front of the exit door. I supported myself with my sword, stumbling a little for the fact that I no longer have a hand here, and walked to her.

"Like I've said, mr. Number 1,879,611,363,477, You can't go back if you're still in doubt about yourself." She said, nonchalantly putting her sword beside her to rest her back against the wall. Again this stupid stuff. What does she means by that? Why she keeps me locked here?

"I'm not, Yagura-San. I hate my sisters's bullying, I hate Gremory's orders, I want to be just like senpai, and I am okay in being just an extra, like those other users!" I said back, readying myself to another possible clash. However, Yagura-san just sighed, and signed her hands to the door. Huh, now that was fast. To think she cornered me not too long ago. Still, I lifted my blade with one hand, and pointed it to her. "What... What's the meaning of this? What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm letting you go." She said, not looking at me anymore. I frowned a little at her, and stopped on my track. I don't know what she's planning, but I won't fall for that. She did the same, and we stared at each other. "No, I'm not trying to deceive you. If you're okay in being an extra, in being simply a nameless one, just like the others, then you're okay to pass. I won't stop you. Go ahead and live your life."

"..." I gulped. I was still kinda uneasy about it, but then Yagura tossed her sword to a random direction, putting her Boosted Gear away. She's being serious, she's really letting me go. So... This is how it is, right? Easy-peasy, like Aria-San would say. At least, I can go away from here. It put my sword and Boosted Gear away, and walked to the door, while Yagura-san walked away from the exit and sat again on her place on the teacher's desk, which was slightly broken, but still standing tall and firm.

"Just so you know, I'm into guys who are honest to themselves." She said by my back. I ain't looking at her, but for some reason, I can feel her look of pity and disapprove towards me. "But for you, being an extra its okay, right? You're angry of your sisters's bullying and Gremory's orders just because, right? You want to become stronger just because, right? You're wanna be just like Issei just because, right? Right, mr. Number .477?"

Yeah... I really don't care... Do I? I mean, I can't beat senpai, or this Eisha or Belzard. I'll try to become stronger just because... Just because. Yeah... I'm angry for being a ragged doll of my sisters and Gremory because... Because. Yeah, being an extra, a nameless one, it's okay, right? Right?

Right?

Right?

Right?

...

...

***BAM!***

"No. It's not."

"Ara? What? Did you remember about your sisters again? Or did you finally realize that... No, let me ask you again: why do you fight? Why do you want to become stronger?" She asked again, as I clenched my left hand tighter, the one I punched the door with. She didn't alienate me, she didn't give another reason, she didn't even said what I truly feel. She just dig deep into my emotions, and picked the deepest, darkest root. Maybe that's what ninja wanted to say, but for a nail I avoided telling her. That chick, though, just shattered all of my masks, and now wants me to admit it myself. I hate her so much...

I gulped, turned around, seeing her giving me a sly smile, and finally said...

"Because... Because I want to beat them!"

"Hoooh~..." She moaned as she hugged herself, trembling a little. I gulped again, swallowing all of my pride, and continued.

"Not just senpai, but this Elsha, this Belzard, all the others previous users... I want to beat them all! I might not be the strongest, the fastest, the smartest, the most popular, but I want to beat the strongest, the fastest, the smartest and most popular previous Boosted Gear Host!" I said, frowning and clenching my other missing hand. Yagura now had a smile on her face, but instead of pride, it was a lewd smile, while drool running down her mouth.

"O-Oh, my~... Such determination~... I like it."

"I respect senpai... Because he was strong despite being normal, and I want to be strong despite being just normal! I want to become strong... Because I want to be more than just that 'Boosted Gear brat'! And I want everybody to shut up... Because I want to scream and shout, myself!" Before I knew it, I was crying. I don't know if it is sadness, or anger, or pride, or relief, I just keep crying my heart out.

"Ohh~... Ooh~... Your determination and resolution are melting me~... I might not even be able to control myself!"

"Even if I don't have a tragic past, I want to prove that I can be stronger than those who have! Even if I don't have a special lineage, I want to prove that I can be stronger than those who have! Even if I am not perfect, smart, pretty, strong, likable or even worth living, I want to beat all the perfect, smart, pretty, strong, likable and worthy people and show everybody that I can be stronger than them all!" I screamed, rubbing my eyes and drying my tears. I snorted. "Who wants to be an extra, anyway?! I just accepted that because I wanted to become stronger without any strain!"

"Ooh, wow~! I think I'm falling in love with you~! Just a bit more! Just a bit more and I'll be all yours!"

"I want... I want to be happy! I want to be cool! I want to be strong! I want to be the best, even if this is impossible! I want to reach higher and higher! I want to be like senpai and a little more! I want to be the special one in the crowd! I want to be more than just 'brat', 'red Dragon', 'Sekiryuutei', 'bro' and 'number 1.87-whatever'! I want... **I WANT TO BE A MAIN CHARACTER**!" I screamed my heart out, as the girl in front of me screamed as she reached some kind of peak, drooling uncontrollably and twitching until the last string of hair. "But, above all else, above anything else... **I WANT TO BE SOMEBODY!"**

"Waaaaah~! I can't hold any longer! Let's kill each other and reach for the ultimate climax!" And now, the so composed girl I met just a few seconds ago broke, releasing a true pervert, as she summoned her Boosted Gear and sword, leaping in my direction. "Come and get me... **TSUKINO ICHIJOU**!"

**[DRAGON BOOSTER!]**

**"YAGURAAAAAAH...!"** I summoned also my boosted gear and the sword, as I also jumped towards her. I gripped tightly the handle of my sword, and Screamed on top of my lungs her name. We reached each other, he swing our swords, and then...!

***KLING! KLING! CLASH!***

***BOOOOOM!***

...

...

"Wow... That was... Amazing..." It was over, and like any other time, I've won for a nail. We clashed, we exploded, we destroyed. The impact of both overwhelming powers clashing blew us away, together with the whole room, the seats, the table, the blackboard and more, as I was still standing with my arm totally broken, but with enough force to support myself on two feet. Yagura-San, on the other hand, clashed against the other wall, and opened a small crater there, now resting on the floor and her back against the wall. For a moment, I thought I was going to die. But, I guess that does it. I took deep breath, and walked to the exit door, ready to get out of here, but when I touched the small handle to slide it open, Yagura-san called for me again. "Wait! Ichijou... Ichijou."

"What...?" I turned around to look her in the eyes. She was bruised, she was cut, and her left arm was bent in a rather gruesome way, but she was smiling, and that alone was enough to make me blush a little.

"what are you... Going to do now? You have the objective, of course, but... How are you gonna do it?" She asked me, in a calm, composed, almost motherly tone. I frowned a little because of that rollercoaster of personalities coming from her, but in the end, I sighed.

"I.. I don't know for now." I admitted, taking a deep breath and looking back at her. "But nothing is impossible, since... This entire 'protagonist Essence' Bullshit was just a bluff, right?"

"Huh... Huhuhuh... You are sharp... It took a while for you to discover it, though." She laughed, still on the ground. Yep, it took me a while, but I finally get it. "Yes. There's no such thing as protagonists, antagonists, main characters, side characters, extras or anything here. This is not an anime, or a manga, or a movie, or a light novel, or even a fanfiction. This is real life, and in real life, there's no good and bad, or heroes and villains, or black karma and white karma. There's only winners and losers. And the losers are always the bad guys, and the winners, the good guys. That Nero guy just messed with you with some other kind of power."

"..."

"As long as you have power, you'll always be the protagonist. If you become stronger and famous, you can do whatever you want, and people will still see you as a protagonist, even if you're just a disgusting perverted virgin with nothing but shit and tits in your head. So I'll ask you again... How's your story going to be, Tsukino Ichijou?"

How? I wondered. In this world, power is everything. Strength is everything. You can be a hero if you're strong, you can be a super-villain of you're strong. You can make everyone bow to you if you're strong. Yet, senpai did nothing of those. He just wanted to be happy with his harem... He just wanted to live his life. Yet, he became the hero of the underworld. I don't... I don't want to stain that legacy, yet, I want to be myself. Senpai, how can I love and hate you at the same time, with you pushing me forward and at the same time making me carry that weight?

"I... I don't know. I simply don't know." I sighed in defeat. The only thing left for me to do is. "But one thing for sure: I'll become stronger, for the sake of his legacy. For the sake of the others that couldn't be heroes and heroines. I'll become stronger."

That was kinda cool, maybe not much, but it was kinda cool. This is it, right? I'll try to become the very best, and even if I don't make it, well, at least senpai will still have his legacy. I swallowed my pride once again, and stepped again to the door, but again, that smooth voice called for me.

"Huhuhuh... You're cheesy and kinda pathetic. Why does the recent Boosted Gear users are now stupid teenage morons?" She said in a mocking tone, as I felt some hands reaching for my shoulders. Before I knew it, they turned me around to face a now completed healed Yagura, as she approached herself to me. "But I guess... This is the charm that made me fall in love with you~."

"What are you sayin-...!"

***Chuu~...***

And after that... Blank. Nothingness. She just kissed me. She stole my first kiss. She mouth-raped me. And I liked it. Even though after that, I blacked out...

"Huhuhuh... Wow, passing out after your first kiss. You really are pathetic."

Shit.

.

~~x~~

.

"Phew! For a second, I thought he was going to make me take off my boxers! I wonder what happened to this lad for him to come back like that."

"This is a kind of information I want to live without, uncle Cohen!" I said, as I carried Ichijou, whose body is now back to normal, as Lord... I mean, Uncle Cohen, is now only wearing his boxers, his necktie and some black socks. It can't be helped, his escape ability is only possible if there is a substitute for the attack. But of course, he's just messed around and looked just for a reason to strip. He was using all of the pieces of a complete set, and some of them he discarded himself!

"Whatever, you're just jealous because I'm fabulous!" Seriously? Everyone could've died and the only thing you're interested right now is your mojo? "But, that lad, Ichijou, you say? My daughter's queen? He just activated Juggernaut Drive alone? I'm actually surprise, and the only thing that can surprise me is myself!"

"Not time for jokes, uncle Cohen!" I said as I wrapped Ichijou in a towel and unfolded my wings to get out of the crater. he unleashed Juggernaut Drive, fought with me and Jin-young, destroyed the whole west wing and part of the south wing, and fought a satan that is literally a giant japanese hornet. I have to take care of him! Fast! Oh, brother, I'm sorry...

I'm so sorry...

.

~~x~~

.

~~x~~

.

Huh... Your first kiss, and you pass out. That's cute, but you're still pathetic. You look a lot like dad in every regard. Don't you agree, **Ddraig**?

**[Indeed, partner. The sight of him brings me some very fond memories of my former partner. He has the will, but does he has the courage?]**

Geez, of course. He has potential, he'll become stronger, that's for sure, and with that... **Little present** I gave him, then maybe you'll see. I like him. Besides, you can't say much yourself, mr. **Oppai Dragon**.

**[Huh. Even that nickname became a dear memento for me. This lad better not disappoint us, with all the hopes you're putting on him.]**

It's best to put hopes and be disappointed than wait for nothing and let our faces hit the floor. Oh, well, he's down, better get him back to his world. After that one, Juggernaut Drive is probably out. It is, isn't it?

**[affirmative.]**

Good. This lad sure is interesting.

**[Not as interesting as your father. Am I right, miss Yagura Gremory?]**

Huh... Typical...

.

~~x~~

.

**And... It's done... Holy crap, I'm hyped for the anime, Shinmai maou's BD and this fic. I don't even know if i'm doing this right, but this is getting fun. I'm having fun with this fic, and I don't even know if I'm doing it's hurting the plot or anything. But, yeah, Ichijou is a selfish bastard. You thjink he was innocent enough? Hah, he's actually a selfish bastard who wants to use anything in his reach to be a somebody... Just like me. And issei's daughter living in the sacred gear with Ddraig around. That should be fun. As you can all see, too, yes, I'm a pretty fan of Terraformars. the anime was okay, and the whole concept is just sick. **

**Well, nothing else to say. Stay golden, and best of lucks poking breasts~(Damn, episode 3 had a good fight, but everything went so rush.)**


	20. Alice Gremory, shipper extraordinaire!

**More like a filler chaptter, but I'll start getting serious in the next one. meanwhile, please enjoy another pervert shenanigan caused by the force of third ones and Ichijou's stupidity. Kinda...**

**Highschool dxD does not belongs to me~**.

.

~~x~~

.

I don't know if I'm Dante Alighieri, but I think I'm going on the right direction, because a person can only pass out and wake up so many times. My whole body, specially my face, is numb, but strangely, not sore at all, so that's good for now. Not to mention, this pillow is really soft and warm, so much I snuggled a little on it. So comfy...

"Oh, my. Sekiryuuteis do like some spoiling, don't they?" A soft-as-silk voice reached my ear, as fingers reached it to scratch it a little. I bit my tongue to not to moan. This voice is not familiar! Who's that?! I turned around, opened my eyes and saw... Boobs.

Boobs...

***Sigh!*** boobs. My mortal enemies. The only thing that stays in the way to see the owner of that voice. And I can't shove them away, or else whoever is on the other side will think I'm a pervert. Granted, since I became a devil, girls are more willing to show me their private mounts and valleys, but this is... Not okay for now.

"Err~... Who it might be?" I said, trying to sound as polite as possible, biting my tongue to avoid any kind of indecent comment on the woman who's lap-pillowing me. I heard a madam's laugh by the other side of those... Huge tracks of land, and a head popped by them. Pretty yet mature face, red eyes, red hair in a motherly side tail and bright smile. Gremory? No, I already know the sisters, so she's probably a cousin or something. "And... Good afternoon?"

"Good afternoon, mr. Sekiryuutei. Or should I say, Tsukino Ichijou? Or maybe, since you're a man, seieki-ryuutei? Oh, I just made a joke. Huhuhuh~." She laughed at her own indecent pun, hiding her mouth with her hand. Yep, definitely a relative, because there's no way a Gremory to be this cute. She reached a hand for my ear and scratched it again. This is cool. Lap-pillowed by a hot and adorable woman. "Nice to meet you."

"L-Likewise..." I said, turning my face to a stare at the ceiling, but turning back to sideways because it will look like I am looking at her breasts. Taking another glance, I found myself in a pretty fancy-looking room: the red carpet, the fancy crystal chandelier above our heads, those pretty lamps hanging from the walls and those other rich-people things you find. Looking down, I saw that I was now wearing fancy clothes, a suit to be specific, and my body by inside was covered in bandages. I wonder what happened. "Huh~, could you please tell me where I am? I'm a little nervous because this place is new to me."

"Sure. You're currently at the Gremory House's main courtroom. I'm sorry if this place is maybe too small for you." She said, as I gasped in surprise. Why does she mean by that? This place is awesome! Way bigger than my house alone! But did she say... Gremory house? "Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? My name is Alice Gremory. And I'm your king's mother. Pleased to meet you."

"Gaaah!" The sheer surprise of that new made me roll to the ground and stay on four on the floor, now tossing my eyes to the redhead on the fancy-looking sofa. Her?! This pretty lady is Gremory's mother?! **MOTHER?!** Not even my own is that pretty! "Gremory's... Mother?! Not another sister or cousin?!"

"Ara, ara? Am I really that young-looking?" She said, blushing and with a smile, tilting her head to a side and resting one of her cheeks on one hand. "You don't need to be polite, Sekiryuutei-kun. I know how old I am."

"No! No! Not at all! You're... I mean, lady Alice is very pretty and beautiful! There's no way to mistake her from anything else!" I said. Yep, I know it sounds ridiculous, but she's really pretty. There's no denying it.

Suddenly, my arms weakened, and I ended up kissing the floor. Strange, I'm not hurt in any way and I can't see any bruises or wounds, but my body is a little 's uncool, but at least I didn't cry. Talking about crying, what happened between then in the springs and now? I mean, I remember that after a small recollection of memories back in the springs, I passed out, and then, I woke up in a strange classroom in the middle of nowhere, met a strange girl, Yagura, we fought and, in the end, she kissed me.

A girl I didn't even know... **Kissed** me.

...

...

"**GAAAAAAAAAH**~! The horror!"

"Wow, quite energetic,you are, even after entering Juggernaut Drive. I'm impressed." Lady Alice said with a smile and a giggle to my small tantrum. I stopped as soon as I heard that... Something. '_Juggernaut Drive_'? What is that? And she said I 'entered this state'? What does it mean? I put myself sit on the floor and looked back at her.

"Lady... Alice?"

"Please, drop the 'lady'. I'm like your mother now, call me 'auntie' or 'mom'." Heh, no way. No matter who or what you are, there's only one mother for me, so I guess 'auntie' it is. I gulped a little, I'm a little nervous to call someone apparently so important in such casual manner.

"So... Auntie Alice, what is this Juggernaut Drive you speak of?" I said, instinctively looking at my left arm. If there's anything new happening to me, it has to be because of my Boosted Gear. She spaced out for a second, and turned back to me.

"Oh, nothing too important. You just passed out a little during your training. Don't worry, I healed you, so you're good to go, if not a little sore." She said, patting her own lap and still smiling. I dunno, but that voice now sounds so fake to me. "You can always come here and let me pet you a little more if you want to."

"I-I think I'll pass." I said, blushing a little. Are Devil girls always this flirty. No, wait, she's married, so I guess she's just toying with me... Or not. I dunno? Does devilwomen have harems? Double standards are also a thing in the underworld? Better not think of that too much. I stood up and bowed to her. "Thank you for you hospitality and healing. I deeply appreciated it and I hope I can return the favor one day!"

"Polite. I like that. You're a good kid, or just too sensitive." She said, as I lifted my head and sighed. Talking to older people makes me nervous. Not to mention, I'm talking to Gremory's mother, so I can't take the risk to talk shit about her, not even in an indirect way. The simple fact that I'm staying in the same room with this lady is making me uncomfortable, and it is not just because of her overwhelming power. She smiled to me again. "Well, if you want to give me something in return, we can always have a cup of tea once in a while, but for now, my only request is: please keep supporting my daughter."

"..." I gulped. Well, the worst thing that happened to Gremory was myself, hitting her now and then, not to mention, I'm not exactly the best of queens. I can't say that I'm proud of that seeing how much Lady Alice cares about her. I'm Gremory's Queen, but I barely know her. Well, at least I'll have to keep my promise as a man of worth, barely, so I bowed again. "Of course, Lad-... Auntie Alice. I'll protect your... Daughter will with all of my strength!"

Did I do well? Was I too forced? Did I sounded pathetic or too fake? Suddenly, the atmosphere around the room grew cold, extremely cold, as Lady Gremory, still smiling, stood up from the sofa and shot her red eyes to me. A cold chill ran down my spine. What the... Did I said something wrong?

"Ara, ara. Isn't that adorable? Little Sekiryuutei thinks he's strong enough to say that. I'm honored, yet at the same time, not." She said, still with that silky voice, yet, now it sounded so venomous and dry. I gulped, clenching my fists. Say what? What does she mean? "Sorry, I'm kinda old, my 'support' is not 'protect'. You see, I raised, taught, praised, punished, shared moments and watched them grow. Not just 'protect' them. I'm sorry, maybe I'm just a little old to noticed that 'protect' and 'support' means the same thing, now."

"..." I gulped again, clenching my now sweat-soaked fingers and biting my tongue. Shit, I've enraged her. She's totally pissed off right now! She opened her eyes, and her expression softened a little, as she was now looking at the floor.

"But, you see; I pity you, Sekiryuutei-kun." She said, her voice a little calmer now, but still with that venomous aura around. Her own words was what ticked me off, though. She's threatening me. She leaned forward, and smiled. "If you want to protect my daughter... No, if you want to protect everyone you care about..."

***ZOOM!***

***STEP!***

"What...?!"

"You might break soon."

Unbelievable! She cut the distance between us in a second, and after that, she stomped on my foot! Not just that, she's just a few centimeters away from my face, as I could feel her breath touching my nose. I tried to back off, but the amount of pressure on my foot is too much, enough to practically pin me there. Lady Alice tilted her head to a side, and her face became calm and collected, as she softened her expressions.

"Please. As much you care about her, or anyone, don't deny them the chance to **grow**. You might break to never recover, like my poor granduncle, and I don't want that." She said in a caring, motherly tone. Granduncle, of course she means senpai, but break to never recover is a little too extreme. To not deny them a chance to grow. Oh, I get it. "Please, be aware that she has your back as well."

"I... I understand. Sorry for my arrogance, lady Gremory." I said back, taking a deep breath as the aura around the room lifted, and Auntie Alice smiled brightly again, removing her shoes from my foot. Ouch; that one kinda hurt. She patted me on the head.

"You're her queen, right? Since you're the one closer to her, Support and help her while holding her hand close to you. You might learn a thing or two. Gremories are tricky bastards." She finished, puffing the air on her lungs and sitting back on her sofa, while I found myself dumbfounded by her words. To support, and not to protect. I get it now. Of course, it's the same for senpai and me: he's my idol, but I can't rely on his model for too long. Besides, those girls have been saving my ass since my reincarnation, so it's a given I need them more than they need me. Kinda harsh and pathetic when you think about it. She reached for her small tea table and from there she picked two items that only now I noticed were missing: Lady Akeno's ribbon and Kamiyama's lucky charm bracelet... That it was shattered in several pieces. "Those were with you. I removed them because they were getting in the way. I hope you don't mind."

"No. Not at all." I sighed, picking them back and pitifully staring at the broken silver bracelet my crush gave to me. Geez, I'm glad Lady Himejima's ribbon is safe, but why the bracelet~? I feel like crying, but I sucked it up and wrapped that yellow ribbon back to my left hand, putting the remains of Kamiyama's gift underneath it. At least it will stay there. Lady Alice clapped her hands a few times to call for my attention.

"Now, maybe you want some tea? Or coffee? Boys like coffee. So I'll order them later." She said with a smile, as I nodded. Yeah, some coffee would be good. I need to maintain myself awake to the max: "Don't worry, they're coming right~... Now."

***OPEN!***

"Lady Alice, I brought your tea. Sorry for my delay." And at the exactly the same time lady Gremory finished her sentence, another figure walked into the room. That one was a short, cute blonde with several braids by her back running all the way to her feet, pale skin and blue eyes, wearing a red puffy dress and carrying a silver plate full of China ornaments and tea sets. She walked by the sofa where the mother redhead was rest, and placed the set next to the tea-table next to her. "I hope you like it. Those herbs were not easy to find."

"Why, thank you, Phenex-chan. You're consideration regarding myself melts my heart. Oh-hoh, I just made another joke." And lady Gremory giggled, while the blonde next to her drew an uneasy smile on her lips.

Wait, did she say... **Phenex**? As in Ravel Phenex? Gremory once told me that: the Phenex are one the of surviving families on the underworld, holding the title of Marquis, and one of the richest around because of their Phenex tears, a special medicine with regenerative properties. Not to mention, the younger sister of one of Senpai's rival was one of his lovers, causing the Phenex clan and the Gremory clan to form an alliance of a sorts. So this girl is either one of those DxD children or descendant of the infamous yakitori, Riser Phenex. Oh, wait, there were also the two older brothers. Was when I finished my small monologue that she finally noticed me. From that moment, her smile vanished, and she turned red, her blond hair catching fire soon after.

"Err... Hello?" I tried, lifting a hand in a gesture of friendship and amicability. "How are you, miss Phenex? I am-..."

***VOOOOOSH...!***

"Yeow...!" And before I could finish my sentence, she extended her arm to me and unleashed a true hell of fiery golden flames! With my strengthen senses, I was able to dodge it, but she kept it shooting at me for some reason!

"Get away from me, you pervert! **ERO-MANIAC! PANTIES-SNIFFER! RAPIST! MOLESTER! POOP-EATING DUMMY!"** She said as she cried and tried to make fried-bat out of me. What the hell?! Is that one of senpai's infamous titles?! And the last one didn't make any sense! But she didn't even wanted to talk about it, so I had to dodge all of her flames until Lady Alice stopped her by holding her by the shoulder and calm her down.

"Relax~, relax, Raven-chan. He didn't do it on purpose. He was unconscious, remember?" The redhead said, as the blonde by her arms was holding her tears with a pout, her face still red as a tomato. It took her some time to finally put her flames away, as I stood up from the floor. What the hell? Is this some kind of vendetta from the Phenex against the red Dragon? No, it can't be.

"Hey... Lad-... Auntie Gremory? Could you please tell me what's going on?" I asked, as the Phenex by her side entered overdrive again. Something tells me she has something to do with the situation in question.

"Well, Sekiryuutei-kun, after you fell unconscious, we noticed that you had too much burns and bruises, so we decided that maybe using some Phenex tears would be a great idea, so..."

.

**~~ BACK THEN... ~~**

.

_Now I'm with the current Sekiryuutei, who is lying on the couch, as Jin-Yong-dono is resting somewhere else. The poor lad had burn marks all over his body, not to mention some serious bruises and the fact that his left arm had scales growing directly from inside his skin, sticking out in a very painful-looking way. No wonder he's like that: he stayed in Juggernaut Drive for almost half a hour, and fought against Aria-chan, Jin-Yong and my husband. Is a miracle he's still alive._

_Glad I'm really good in healing magic. Not to mention he's very cooperative: his muscles are no longer clashing with one another, and his breathing went from uncontrollable to calm. That's good. I picked a small chair around the place, put it by one of the sides of the sofa and sat myself there, on the level of his chest and stomach. I reached my hands to him, and the healing session finally began. Some bruises were a breeze, while others seems that will leave a scar, but nothing too serious. I looked from the window, and there they are, Cohen and Aria, fighting each other. Huh, better ignore them, they'll fight their own heat and sadness away. Poor Aria almost broke down in tears if it wasn't for my dear husband to punch her in the face. Well, back to work..._

_It took some time, but I did it. Some of the larger bruises were gone, but some scars and burn marks are a big deal now. Not to mention, there's still blood running from his cuts caused by the scales in his left arm. Oh, well, but I've already called someone, and she's coming right... Now._

**_*OPEN!*_**

_"I'm here, lady Alice. I brought the Phenex tears you asked for." The younger daughter of my dear friend Rhea Phenex entered my room, carrying with herself a small pack of Phenex tears, but taking her time to gasp as she saw the lad on the sofa. Of course, the Sekiryuutei doesn't have much of a good reputation among the Phenex, since he made a mark on both the younger siblings. She's the granddaughter of the first one, so of course She'd be resentful about this. "W-What?! Is that the Sekiryuutei?! What is he doing here?!"_

_"We had some technical problems here. Nothing much, don't worry about it, Raven. Thank you for the tears." I said as I stood up to pick the small liquid treasures from her and sit back besides my daughter's queen. I picked the small glass of tears and poured the single drop on him, as his aura stabilized and his body began to heal. Yeah, Sekiryuutei, bath yourself in Phenex tears, You're good in doing this. His breathing went back to normal, and he sighed in relief, only to keep sleeping. What a cutie..._

_Oh, this just gave me an idea~._

_"Phenex-chan~, could you help me with something~." I singsong to her, as she turned her trembling self to me, snapping her back to reality. I stood up from my chair and after a small scan on my medical kit, I found it: a small old-looking jar of a special ointment. I opened it, and soon that mint-like scent filled my nostrils. Yep, is that one. This will boost his stamina, regain his strength and give him some... Service. I turned back to her. "Look, Sekiryuutei here is having a hard time regaining his strength, so I need someone to pass this special ointment on his body. Could you please be a sweetie and do it yourself?"_

_"W-W-What the... What are you saying, Lady Alice?!" She outbursted, red as a tomato and with her hair On fire. Huhuhuh, puberty. "M-Me?! Passing ointment on this... Filthy Sekiryuutei?! I apologize for my words, but there's no way in hell I'm gonna do that!"_

_"Meh~, joy-killer. Just so you know, only a Phenex can do such task without any whining." I said, trying to hide my own sly smile, seeing the girl gasp and turn her face to me. Oh, c'mon. Just a little more, and we're done with the struggle. "Yes. This task requires great accuracy in controlling body heat and total synchronization between the healer and the patient. Not to mention, this ointment can only be handle by careful, artist hands. And from I can see, you should be more than capable to do such."_

_"R-Really?!" And she picked it up. Huh, it has been always like this, but I guess some people never learn. Now, Raven-chan is beaming with excitement, her former nervousness and disgust gone. Oh~, how much I love mess with little idiots. She approach me, and tried to pick the jar in my hands._

_"But~... Since you've said that there's no way for you to stay close to the Sekiryuutei, I guess we will have to ask your father to help him out~." I continued with my teasing, as I could see my dear goddaughter divided between her natural Phenex pride and shame. She grimaced a little, pouted, scratched her head and hair, and bit her lips. In the end, like I was expecting, she crossed her arms and pouted, eyes closed._

_"I-I can handle it! Of course! I'm a Phenex! One is enough to get the job done!" She said with confidence and arrogance, as I laughed to a side. I won. She approached me and looked at the jar of ointment. "Huh~, could you please, at least teach me how to do it?"_

_"Of course!" I passed the tip of my fingers on the substance in the jar, and seeing how viscous and smelly it was, I can guarantee to have immediate results and some amusement for me. Raven-chan snorted a little because of the mint-like scent, but looked in fascination the honey-looking gel in my palm. "First... I'll need you to strip to your underwear, please."_

_"E-Eh...?!"_

_And after some more manipulation and 'big talk about the Phenex', Raven finally undressed, save her panties, and let me pass some of the ointment on her. In the end, she was soaked in mint-scent healing oil, and now on four above the Sekiryuutei, the medicine dripping from her breasts and falling on his chest. The drops melted on his body, as soon after, the skin there went back to normal._

_"L-Lady Gremory... Is this really necessary?" She said, turning her watering eyes to me. I puffed in amusement, but, yeah, that ointment is actually a powerful medicine called 'Succubus's ring'. It can be only used on individuals with the opposite gender of the healer's. It is indeed affective, and by making skin-on-skin contact plus the heat, they can share stamina and demonic energy. Not to mention, maybe this will stabilize the flow of dragonic energy on his left arm. Seeing the healing ability of the medicine, Raven-chan reached for his shoulder and touched there with her ointment-soaked hand. It made almost instant effect, as the burn-mark there disappeared after a few brushes. "Oh, wow... It... It really works!"_

_"It does, doesn't it?" I smiled as Raven-chan resumed her treatment with her guest. She began with his shoulders, and then his neck, to finally his right arm. All the burn marks and bruises were healing pretty fast thanks to her natural high body heat and high demonic level, after all, the Succubus's Ring can only reach it's full potential with high body heat. But of course..._

**_*TOUCH!*_**

**_*PINCH!*_**

_"Hyaah~..." She moaned as she finally reached his chest area. Oh, yeah, the only collateral effect of this ointment: if one feels, the others will too. "W-What was that?"_

_"Probably a small warm-spot because of the medicine." I faked a smile, and walked away from this room. For what is worth, I'm not a pedo, I just like to mess with those kids. "Just make sure to cover all the area from his waist up! Remember: only a Phenex can do such task!"_

_"U-understood!" She said, trying to sound tough and professional, but her watery eyes and trembling lips were saying something else._

_"Oh, and by the way, the warmer the spot, the faster his recovery will be!"_

_"W-What...?!"_

_And I closed the door behind me, as I could hear her gulp and nod in understatement. In reality, I just supported my back against the door, as I could hear all the action by the other side..._

_"Warm spots... What if... What if I use my breasts? Is it... Is it better..."_

_I laughed as I heard the splashy sound of skin-oil-skin, as she moaned louder. Double feeling should be already making her head blank a little._

_"I-I knew it... It was a bad idea... Better... Better use my han-Aaaaah...?! I can't... I can't get it off!"_

_Oh, she already noticed: Succubus's ring can only be removed by sweat and other fluids, or else it'll remain sticky. Huhuh, Rhea, I don't care if you burn me to a crisp later, this is so worth it!_

_"W-What should I do~? It's so sticky and smelly~, b-but I can't stop~..."_

_And the final and most special effect of the ointment: the aphrodisiac smell will make you do stupid things. So the only thing left to do is turn things pretty steamy._

_"Waaah~... What's that~? My head is getting numb~... I can't stop~... Somebody help me~! I'll grow addict to it~."_

_I remember when I said that when I was curing Cohen some decades ago. Yeah, fortunately, the effects will wear off before anything drastic happens. The medicine can only boost desire, and if none of the two are consent, than nothing will happen. This, and for the fact that I don't want Rhea to kill me._

_"Uwaaah~... It's so hot~... I'm... I'm melting..."_

_"What the hell...?!"_

_Oh, no. He must've wake up! Okay, Alice, calm down... And enjoy the rest of the show~._

_"Who are you?! Why are you naked!"_

_"Kyaaaah~! Don't move~! You'll tear me apart!"_

_"What the hell is this thing?! G-Get away from me!"_

**_*FOIM! FOIM!*_**

_"Waaaaah~! Not there~! Please~, not there~!"_

_"I can't... Take it off...! I can't take it off!"_

_"Please~, stop moving~! I can't! I can't~! IcantIcantIcantIcantIcant~...!"_

_"Please, calm down! If you say something like this that way...!"_

_"Waaaaah~...!"_

_"GAAAAAAAH!"_

_***BOOM!***_

_..._

_..._

_Well, that's enough for tonight, folks. I have several ideals for fanfictions and other stuff, so I think he's good for now. I took a deep breath, and opened back the door to the living room, seeing now the couple all splat on the floor, the Phenex Heiress panting and trembling a little on top of the poor boy with a true bloody river running down his nose. Despite my original idea, his burn scars were finally gone, and his left arm went back to normal. That's a relief, really._

_"And good work for you, Raven-chan." I said as I picked a blanket to wrap her with, and put the boy back on the sofa. Better ask for the maids to put some clothes in him, since he's only wearing bathing-shorts and a yellow ribbon on his wrist. Huhuhuh~, I'm so excited to talk about this with them when they weak up... Not the **whole** story, of course..._

.

~**~NOW~~**

.

So~... That's what happened. According to Lady Alice and her accidental overhearing, I just got steamy with a girl by accident. No wonder my body is fine even after the training. Instead of celebrating, however, I just folded myself on my chair, feeling a mix of regret, anger and self-hatred. I looked to another side, and saw Phenex-San doing the same.

"I-I'm really sorry. Should've stayed calm during that time." I mumbled, biting my lips and grunting all the way.

"No, should've never thought of that. I'm the one... Who should be apologizing." She said back, as we parted gazes and looked at the opposite direction. Between us, Lady Alice poured some tea with something that I can only describe as a Cheshire grin on her lips. She offered me some, and then to Phenex-San, and we three gulped it down. What's with Devils and tea, anyway?

"So, your Rating Game is right around the corner, right Sekiryuutei-kun?" Lady Alice asked, finishing her cup and pouring some more. I lost track of time here in the underworld, but the deadline shouldn't be too far away. I nodded, drinking out of my cup only to noticed that I already did. I'm that nervous. "Any idea how to at least survive? Nemesis only lost four rating Games, so she can and will try annihilate you and the rest of Rina's peerage. How many are they, anyway?"

"Four, including me." I said back. Lady Alice looked at me, and then she simply went 'meh', with a contemptuous half-grin. Now I see how they're related; fricking annoying. "But I guess we can do something. If anyone is really training as hard as I think, then maybe we have a chance. A minimalistic, but a chance nonetheless. "

"It's good to have hope. It's best to put hope onto something and be disappointed than wait for nothing and let our faces hit the floor, that's how my auntie used to say." Auntie? And where I heard those words before? Ah, no matter, rating game is the priority here. Lady Alice stood up from the sofa and walked away. Wait, she's gonna leave me with her?! "I'll going to see if Aria-chan and Jin-Yong-dono are okay. See you two later~. Don't stain the sofa, now, you two~."

"W-Wait! Lady Alice, can we please talk abo-...!"

*BAM!*

And she's gone. She even didn't look back, she didn't even hesitated, she simply stormed the door down, leaving me and Phenex-San alone. Now, I'm really questioning the veracity of her story. But I can't snark or say anything to her, really...

Back to Phenex-san, she's probably traumatized for being... GROPED BAH MAH HANDS! Shit! Losing control! So... Uh... Better come with something to break the ice, something innocent and pretty universal. It's always a good way to do things. I'm not that social, but I guess a innocent talk should be enough...

"So... Phenex... -sama? -Dono?" I said, as she turned around when I said '-dono', so I guess we're okay for now. At least she's a lot more humble that the tales says about the Phenex. She even apologized. Well, since now I'm on control and a little calmer, I should start a conversation with the gentle question... "Uhh~... What's your favorite Weekly Shounen Jump manga?"

"..."

"...?"

She started to tremble and shake on her seat. Shit! Shit! I mess up again! She might have a grudge against the Sekiryuutei, but nonetheless, that's a question that should be avoided at all cost! Shit! Now, what?! C'mon think of something!

"Err... Raven... Phenex-dono, I'm sorry if this question sounds stupid. It's just the heat of the moment, and...!"

"How can you...!" Before I could finish my sentence, she turned to me with disdainful and watery eyes and shout at me at the top of her lungs. "How can you be so childish?! You're a highschooler and still reads Jump?! Everybody knows that **Valkyrie Comics** and **Jump Square** are the best in Manga!"

"..."

"..."

"What...?!"

.

~~x~~

.

Making tea~, making tea~, I love making tea~. It's just so relaxing~. People said that I'm strange for that, but I like it so~ much! Specially those with strange names. What Green Gunpowder means, anyway? Who cares? It's still delicious~. I'm just in my own kitchen apart from the servants's preparing some delicious elixir to my dear guests, pouring some honey and sugar to it to help Sekiryuutei recover his stamina and energy faster.

"You want some too, Aria?" I said to the blonde who was appearing in the dark, her clothes, consisting of sports-bra, sweatpants and a ponytail, a mess, but still intact. She pulled a chair for herself and sat on it to pick the cup I was offering to her. "Sorry about Cohen. He's just really bored with his duties as a Satan. He needs to let his steam out once in a while."

"Don't worry about it, auntie Alice. I need to train more anyway." She said bitterly, picking her cup with two hands and taking a deep sip out of it. She gasped for air, and put her cup on the kitchen table. "I fucked up, Auntie Alice..."

"Language, young lady."

"Sorry. But I did make a mess." She sighed, pouring some more of tea on her own cup and drinking everything in one shot. "I should've never... Told him to recollect memories. He suffered a lot. Sure, something petty comparing to others, but it did make a mark on him. Not to mention, The springs are a complete mess."

"Look on the bright side: at least we don't need to fly all the way up to enjoy the view." I said as a joke, but she took it by heart, and grunted at me. She's worried, I can feel it. That's cute. "So~... Juggernaut Drive, huh? Hard stuff, let me tell you. I prefer **Cardinal Crimson Promotion**. Grandmaster Millicas, my father, used to tell stories about it all the time. Faster than a shooting star, stronger that a supernova, magical as the universe itself. I wonder if I can see such beauty with that lad."

"Auntie Alice, if I may, could you please shut up?" She said, tipping her finger on the table and facepalming. She's lost in thoughts. "Sorry, I'm just so frustrated. He was in JD all this time, for half a hour. Who knows how many years, or even months or even days he has left? And the one who caused this was me. Shit..."

"Well, a worthy life is not how many days you live, but how do you expend them. It's just like comparing Evangelion with Naruto. One longer than other, same impact." I said, sipping my coffee. Out of the sudden, *BUM!*, she smashed my dear kitchen table to the ground, and also opening a hole in there. Oh, my, Cohen's gonna be so mad. At least I saved the China. "It's not your fault, Aria. It was an accident. Those happen all the time. Your grand-grandfather activated on the same age, or at least one year later, than that lad."

"..." And she's now snorting. Geez, I overheard their talk and it was me who called for Cohen, yet, she's overreacting a bit. Out of pity, I reached for her back and hugged her from there. She calmed down a little, but continued to sob.

"There, there. Your auntie Alice is here." I said. "Do you want to know something? I read his energy flow. He's not gonna die anytime soon."

"W-What...?" She sobbed one more time, and sighed her sadness away to look me in the eye.

"Yeah. He's fine... Sure, I used some of his lifespan to take care of some of his injures, but overall, he's gonna live as long as Rina, if not a bit sooner." And that's true. For some reason, despite the long exposure to the power of the Juggernaut Drive, his soul and minds were somehow intact. Only his body took some major damage. Aria-chan also said that he didn't stay berserk all the time, as he just responded when properly triggered. I wonder what caused that.

"You're not... You're not joking, are you Auntie?" She said to me, gulping in expectation and fear at the same time. Maybe I should say 'no, he dies tomorrow', just to make fun of her, but she's shaken enough. Also, her Rating Game is also around, so I can't comatose her for what is worth.

"His body was a mess, but he'll live. I couldn't feel any problems with his soul, either. Maybe there was **something** inside the Boosted Gear that saved him or whatnot, I don't know. But who cares, he's gonna live." I poured some tea to myself, and put the jar back on the kitchen table... Only to it to shatter in a million pieces because there was no table there anymore. As I miserably cried over my expensive and adorable jar of tea, Aria filled her cheeks with air and sighed a good one in relief. Huh, she cares about him? That's good, maybe she can help with later.

"I'm... I'm really glad about it." She said, drying some of her nervousness tears. I smiled back to her and put my cup on the table... *CRASH!* and I forgot about the absence of it... Again!

"That's good. Seeing you upset really makes me sad." I said, looking at the other direction. "Not to mention, if that lad dies, there it goes my plan, down the hole~."

"What?" And suddenly, the atmosphere around the kitchen just went dark. I looked to a side, and saw Aria with her still bloodshot eyes turned to me, an ominous aura coming out of her very soul. Oh, dear...

"Oh, my. Did I said that out loud? I didn't mean it." I said faking sorrow, as Aria narrowed her eyes and leaked some of her own demonic power around. I being myself, didn't even flinch. "But I guess there's no problem. After all, I'm hoping you can join me with my plan, knowing you so well~."

"You...!" And before she could do anything harsh, she stomped hard on the floor, like she usually do, and took a deep breath. She knows I'm stronger than her, so she probably wants to discuss things around. Poor her, I've already made my mind. "Lady Alice Gremory. Can we talk about it? If you're trying anything with that boy...!"

"Oh my. What makes you think that of your dear, dear auntie that loves you like a real daughter?" I smiled with a bit of fake sorrow and hurt. I didn't pass her. Huh... Maybe it's the time, alright. She's getting upset too, and I hate to leave her upset. "Okay then, I'll tell you my secret plan, and maybe you can join me if you want~. My ultimate plan that..."

_... I made Specifically for Sekiryuutei-kun._

.

~~X~~

.

**And the plot thickens a little. Just so you know, Raven will not be just a one-shot character. maybe, maybe not. What do you guys think? I... I'm really forcing the T-rating, aint I? But, oih well, at least he's doing progress. Huhuh... Don't worry, kinda of a filler chapter, but the rating game begins next chapter!**


	21. Let's just end this and go home

**hey, everyone. Miss me? I missed writing this story, so I'm really happy to finally start the Ratif Game, or at least part of it. Another thing, this chapter might or might not be extremely moving in a switch-y manner, and maybe I had too much time developing each scenario and tried to crump everything here. If things went too rushed or anything, I'm sorry, and I'll correct it as soon as possible. All good? Thank you and I hope you have a good read.**

**As always, Highschool dxd does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

"Seriously, because of the recent otaku culture, mangas from Weekly Shounen Jump are becoming more and more mainstream. Since the major demand nowadays is usually moe and harems, Jump is being guided only by the otaku community, and not by general media, since the surviving in The Manga Industry depends on the popularity of a series, and to maintain a good position among them, authors are more and more turned to do generic storylines and characters than put their true potential to work. That's why monthly magazines like Square and Valkyrie Comics are superior. With the extended deadline and the absence of a poll regarding the popularity of a series, since the bigger gap from edition to edition, authors can put more thought and soul into their works without the worry of a imminent cancelation. Another flaw about Jump is their interest only in transmedia: first, the manga, then the anime, and then merchandise. Monthly releases don't care solely about that, and an anime is just a consequence for a good story. Not that I watch any, of course. Anime is a cheap way to acquire more money by milking the original idea and simply animating it to television, only to sell it later on DVDs or BDs. I already like the manga, why bother a cheaply animated, poorly voiced animation, anyway, that sometimes don't even follows the source material? Moreover..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

***ZOOM!***

"What the hell! You scared the crap out of me, Ikkun!" Oh, now it's 'Ikkun'. I swear, when I thought that her offer of a ride through the Gremory mansion was a good idea, I would never guess that she would rant about jump all the way. And we've been walking for barely five minutes. I tried to walk away from her, but she were faster and caught up with me. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"Away from you."

"It's because my choices on manga are superior that your's?! We can still be friends! How about music?! Do you like music?! Real music, like Beethoven or Mozart, and not retarted pop-songs that roots our brains! Books?! Do you read many books? Not Harry Potter or Twilight stupidity, but Kafka and Nietzsche! Those are very good! Your favorite movies are from either Kurosawa or Miyazaki, right?! Star Wars?! The hell is that garbage?! See?! We can still be friends! Despite my choices in media being far better, we can still be friends!"

"Yes, Rei-chan, we can still be friends, and I'd respect you if you really like those, but the way you're saying are giving me the impression that you only watch and read those just to look superior from others."

"..."

"...?"

***POUT!***

And she's pouting at me. Pfff... Seriously? She said she has the best choices in manga, movies and books, yet she's pouting at me. Way to break the mood, Ichijou. Rei-chan stared at me for at least half a minute, and then crossed her arms as we returned to our little journey through the corridors of the Gremory household.

This place, by the way, is Huge! Some parts are kinda destroyed and missing, sure(maybe it was that apocalypse beast when it finally reached the demon world?), but everything else was just fine. The clean white floor, the beautiful gothic-style lamps and chandeliers, several mosaic-like windows and several paintings on the wall. All of them portraying beautiful redheads and a little more.

I caught a glimpse of a bigger picture with a beautiful, pregnant, blue-eyed redhead surrounded by many other pretty women, and by her side, a man with brown hair and golden eyes, wearing a wine tuxedo and with a strange goth-loli hanging on his arm, as he was reaching the main redhead with a hug from the back. For a moment, I thought she was a relative from Grem-... Berolina's, but looking down the picture into the golden-boarded description, I saw names.

.

**' - In memorial of Rias Gremory and her dear husband Issei Hyoodou and his harem. Rest in peace. -**'

.

So... That's senpai. Huh, he's a lot more handsome that I expected. He's tall and pretty muscular, but that hair of his... Hnnng~. What the hell? Does he have a chicken for hair? Red Dragon, I'm sorry about this, but his hair is awful~. Taking another glance, I saw another beautiful bluenette with giant tracks of land and with a certain yellow ribbon tying her hair in a ponytail. I looked at the wrist of my left hand, where there was also a yellow ribbon. So that must be lady Himejima Akeno, the empress of lightning and thunder. She's also a lot prettier that I was expecting. Suddenly, a feeling of nostalgia hit my heart. Huh... Maybe some fragments of Senpai's soul is somehow printed on the Boosted Gear.

"Oh, you're looking at that one, huh?" Rei-chan called for me, taking her place next to me and looking at the painting. "Pretty one. Guess who made it? Of course, my dear Granduncle Ruval. Believe it or not, Phenex are also good painters. Hohohoh~..."

"Uh-huh...?" I digressed away from her ego-burst and returned to the painting, when something caught my eye: there was also another blue-eyed blonde that looked a lot like Rei-chan. Ravel Phenex, right? The sister of Yakitori Riser? She's also pretty cute. All of them looked so happy with each other, I'm a little embarrassed to inherit his Sacred Gear... Doesn't me I don't want it. Wait, those never work...

I turned around to see another painting, this one, however, portraying a single, tall, handsome albino with white hair and violet eyes, wearing a tuxedo under a cape with awesome shoulder armor and standing tall above a throne made out of blades and lights, some of them really similar to Aria's and one of them being Rhongomiant itself. Under it, there was simply golden plate labeled...

.

**\- ME!** -

.

Okay, there are so many things wrong with this, it's not even funny...

"Oh, you've discovered Gremory's father, our lord Lucifer, Cohen." Rei-chan appeared next to me in front of the picture. "He's our current Lucifer satan and lady Alice's husband. Since he's a commoner and now a satan, it was only a given that they would inherit the Gremory name instead of his. He's pretty powerful, though."

"Uh-huh..." Wow, Gremory's dad is really the demon king. That's kinda cool.

"Speaking of Gremory, Ikkun, Lady Alice said that you have a Rating Game against miss Nemesis, am I correct?" She said, looking a me with those blue orbs of hers. I turned back to her, but when I did, she turned her face away. What? She can talk with me in the eye, but I can't with her? Rude.

"Nemesis-San? Yeah, I have." I answered, as she made an true arc around the upper turn of her eye to look to the opposite direction without batting an eye on me. She puffed a sigh. Returning her gaze to me.

"Y'know, I could say that I'm impressed, yet I'm not. I was actually expecting someone like the red Dragon to challenge the eldest daughter of our lord Lucifer. Never thought she would be with the younger sister, though." And now looking at something by the corner of her eye, Rei-chan spoke those words. "And as her queen, for that matter. This means that you have full access to the Cardinal Crimson Promotion. If can control it, that is."

"Cardinal Crimson Promotion?" That has to be a joke. I mean, it kinda sounds silly in an awesome way, much like any Gundam series that've already watched, but the way she said made me rethink that. "what's that? Sounds important."

"Huh. Disappointing. At least show some respect for your predecessor." I grunted, but then sighed in realization. I deeply respect him, yet I don't know half the story about him. For me, he was a nobody turned a legend, with his Boosted Gear and the Spirit of the welsh dragon Ddraig, plus his harem and allies. Aside from that, nothing else. Some techniques, maybe, like the Dragon Shot, the Scale Mail and the... Bilingual and Dress-break(I just grimace right now.), but nothing else. That Juggernaut Drive is also bothering the hell out of me. Out of the sudden, the blonde in front of me pulled a pair of glasses and put them in her eyes. "Lucky for you, it just so happens that I'm also an expert in that subject. I can provide you all the information about the previous Sekiryuutei for you to drink from."

"Heh?" I curved my eyebrows in a '~', as she simply stopped midtrack on our little tour and pulled a book out of her hammer-space. She opened it and began to flip page after page. So she really wants to help me. Maybe I've misjudged her. "Why... Thank you."

"Don't worry. It's only natural for the most intelligent to help the least gifted ones so that they don't embarrassed themselves."

"..." I turn back on my words. Phenex are the worst.

.

~~x~~

.

I don't know if it's me or just the mood I'm in right now, but the aura around this room suddenly got cold. No joke, when Lady Alice said that she had a... 'Secret plan' for Ichijou, I instinctually put myself in battle stance. I know I'm no match against the Redheaded Empress of the apocalypse, but at least I want to know what are her intentions towards my bro, if she means any harm to him, and if there's any way to convince her if yes. She also said that I can join her, making me even more curious but alert.

He's still green, so of course there are people out there that want to either manipulate him to their side or brainwash and control him and the red dragon's power inside his Sacred Gear. But I'd never that that Alice Gremory, the sweetest devil there is, if not a little perverted, could think of such thing. No, I'm overthinking. Maybe it's not that serious. But since she also entered in battle mode, too much caution is absurd.

"Your plan? What do you mean by that?" I asked her, as Lady Alice was still with her calm, serene smile. She was oozing killing intent, yet no change of expressions.

"Well, since I've accidentally told you, I guess there's no more reason to hide it, is it?" She said in that sweet tone, opening her eyes a little so that the Crimson light from her orbs could stare directly at my soul. "Now, now, I'll tell you, and after that, you have two options: join me or stop me. I could brainwash you, but I know that's almost impossible."

"So... Tell me. I'm ready." I said, as scales began to take over my skin and my hand was eagerly twitching to pick the first sword that would come out of Solomon's Gate. Lady Alice's eyes sharpened seeing my determination, and she turned her smile into a grin, chuckling a little. This is it. Heaven or Hell, let's rock.

"Very well then: my ultimate plan that I've formulated since... This morning... Is to take the current Sekiryuutei under my wing..." And she turned around, and clapped her hands together, only to open then and let a show of small colorful fireballs decorate the kitchen like mini-fireworks. "And then... CR**EATE THE ULTIMATE HAREM FOR HIM!"**

***PUF!* (deactivating transformation and whatnot.)**

...

...

"Huh?!" I said, dumbfounded. Did she just say that she wants... To create a harem for Ichijou? What? Where did that...? Why did she...?! Geez! Of course it would be that! Berolina's genes must've come from somebody!

"Yes! The ultimate harem! You may or may not have noticed, but I was near the springs when his confession came to bloom! So much sadness, so much grief! His soul was destroyed because of a mistake from the faraway past, leading him to an unknown future!" She said in a bombastic, flamboyant manner, as she made circles in place and moved her hips as she spoke. "So... In order to fix his broken soul, I've decided to guide him to the Ultimate Happy ending! A whole world of women for him to enjoy! The nirvana of the perverts! The lustful paradise! Where the moans and delights of his concubines will be heard from miles aw-...!"

***CRASH!***

"Kyaaah! Aria-chan, that was my favorite Jar of cookies!"

"Holy shit, Auntie! Do you want to give me a heart attack?!" I said back after destroying a nearby furniture in pure, distillate rage. Holy Fuck! For a second I thought of committing suicide by fighting her in case she was plannin something harmful for Ichijou and maybe the whole underworld, but... That! THAT! **THAAAAAT! I CAN KILL ONE NOW!**

"Waaah~! Granzboa-kun made this jar with so much care and love~! How am I gonna explain that her favorite friend destroyed it completely~?!" She continued to mourn over her destroyed furniture, as I put myself in calming pose, fingers on my forehead, taking deep breaths and avoiding destroy anything with my leaking power. Sucked it up, Aria, she's your godmother and your best friend's mother. You've known her for years now...

"But, really, Auntie Alice? You're gonna do that for him?" I asked her that. Suddenly, she stopped crying and smiled serenely to me.

"Sure, why not? He's the queen of my daughter, and I've always wanted a son to create a harem with. He seems good enough, a little dumb and inexperienced, but we can change that." She said nonchalantly, picking a small broom to dust away her broken furniture and singsong while doing it. "Moreover, it's dangerous to fight your demons alone. He has his problems, and there are other girls with problems too, they'll figure it out things together and bond and all that jazz. Problematic girls will grow with him, normal girls will support him, and it will all end in pizza. Besides... You know another girl with identity problems, right?"

"..."

"That's what I thought. I can't reach her, her father can't reach her, her sister can't reach her. Only the person she admires the most can: the Sekiryuutei. Maybe a little shake to reality from her favorite character will put some reason into her." And Lady Alice dried a tear and sighed. She cares... Of course she cares. "Moreover, I want some grandchildren. It'd be nice to have some around~. Chibis going 'grandma Alice' or 'auntie Alice' and asking for me to play with them~. Hahahah~."

I sighed, as I picked a broom to myself and helped her dust the mess away. Rina-chan and bro... A couple? Nah~. Not gonna happen. But bro and a harem? He doesn't like women, but again, every one of them on the first time treated him like trash or a toy. Maybe if he meets a cute, gentle, sweet girl, he might change his mind. I wonder if he's gonna get a clone of grandma. Gramps took the righteous path of the pervert because of her, anyway. Maybe friends for now. I could invite Granzboa to talk to him, or even Raven, even though he might get sick of her superiority speeches. She's a Phenex, after all...

But she knows about Rina-chan's condition. I wonder what will Ichijou do when he discovers it himself. He's not that kinda guy, probably will just laugh at her or scream at her. But again, he has his problems too. Maybe pairing them up won't be too bad. Aaahh~, what the hell~. I'm pairing People up! This is evil.

**Evil~...**

"Don't you think is a little sick to pair people up, auntie Alice?" I said to her, as she dusted the remaining dirt away.

"Love and madness bloom from random places and situations. As long as there are reasons to spark a small flame, a true fire may or may not come. Lord Issei was a human, and my husband was my servant. You and Nero and Nemesis have threesomes every night and you were enemies." I spat blood at that last one. She knows! Of course she knows! Damn... I'm on the dry zone; almost a week without Nero, or Nemesis, and I miss them already. I can dismiss Najda and Akio, but not those two. "Huhuhuh~, I wonder what will she think when she becomes another slave for a Sekiryuutei."

"The word 'slave' is a little too harsh."

"Huhuhuh~, I'm a harsh person, Aria-chan, you know me that much."

Yes, I know her that much...

"Now, if you excuse me, I'll prepare some tea for the Sekiryuutei and his little friend. Raven-chan did a great job with the Succubus's Ring, she needs this special tea." She said again. Oh, so that Phenex brat is around him. And she used the Succubus's Ring on hiwhaaaaat...?! Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Geez, I knew she would do something so reckless! How the hell he's reacting to it! How the hell is that Phenex brat reacting to it?! Goddamnit, I knew it she would do something like that! And what the hell is that thing she's pouring into the tea?! "Now, now, better let him to rest here for tonight. Your rating game is tomorrow, right? Let him dream and have a good night of sleep. This tea of mine will also help him relax~."

"..." Yeah, let him rest. However. "Hey, auntie Alice, you didn't put any kind of weird stuff in that tea, right?"

"..."

"..."

"No."

***DASH!***

Ah, shit!

.

~~x~~

.

Well, I'm well-rested, feeling great and everything that could happen happened during my stay in the underworld. I could say that I'm glad, but this still doesn't worth a holiday on the beach with my family. At least I'm not empty-handed: Hyung gave me this blue pebble that he said it can make it rain anywhere, and I can keep Rhongomiant with me, so it wasn't that bad. Not to mention, thanks to Rei-chan, I've thought of a new form of offensive. I wonder if I can enter this Scale Mail thing like this, but we can't expect much, yet...

I digress, here I am at my guest room in the Gremory household, and according to lady Alice, I can tele-transport from here to the place the Rating Game will take place using this small demonic rune on the paper she left on my table. I wonder if the girls worked as hard as me. After all... *Sigh*, I can only rely on them for now. Very well, I've done that before, a second time won't kill me. Just concentrate, think positive, and then...

***ZOOM!***

The rune on the paper in my hand shined, and a bigger replica of it was drawn under my feet in bright red energy lines! I did it! Let's go! Before anything else, my body started to dissolve, and soon enough, in the next blink of the eye, I was now in my classroom back in Kuoh academy. Huh, really? The school will be the battlefield? Lame...

"Oh, you're back." I heard from behind me, and turning around, yes, there she is: the ninja, who was sticked on the ceiling by the sole of her feet. She jumped out of it and landed in front of me. "And look at you...!"

"Huh? Did I... Did I change that much?"

"Nah. I'm actually surprised that you haven't change jackshit in five days!" She said, friendly punching me in the chest. I frowned, as she continued to laugh, hands on her stomach. Yep, change in five days is a little too much to ask. But in the end, she turned to me, and grinned. "but you look a lot healthier. So, still wanting to be Issei?"

"..." Yep, nope. She knew it since the beginning, so I guess it's a given she can see the difference. I sighed, and smiled. "Being like him would be great... But a consequence, in the end."

"Attaboy! Right answer, Ichijou." She punched me again in the arm, and crossed her arms, her eyes shining in excitement. "You are you. He is him. I am me. Can't be too hard to see that, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess so..."

"Ah! Here he is! Ichijou-kun!"

"Darling...!"

"Tsukino-chin..."

"Oh, the current Hong Long is kinda handsome..."

"Ah!" And there they are. My peerage all gather up, entering the room from the door and reaching for me with open eyes. The one in the front was, of course, Gremory, with teary eyes and ready to give me a big bear hug.

"Waaah~! Ichijou-kun! Welcome back! I've missed so much! Let your dear King spoil yo-...!"

*FACEPALM!*

"Stay away from me, Gremory!" I said, stopping her midway by facepalming her face. She stopped for a second to regain her composure and cry a little over her little red face, now turning it to me.

"Waah~. Not cool, Ichijou-kun. I was really worried about you. You'd have died training with Aria-nee." She said with her swollen face, as I sighed and started with the screaming.

"**WORRIED**?! If you were really worried, then you could've just ask if I wanted to play a Rating Game! I lost a holiday at the beach just for you to play little Battle Royale's with your sister! And do you know what happened to me, there?! I was chased by a dragon! A goddamn dragon! Do you have any idea how close to death I was all the time?! Do you?!"

"..."

"...!"

"I'm sorry. Please forgive your king, and I promise I'll let you touch my breasts later." She said in a sad tone and trying to sound innocent and convincing. I just exploded a rage vein in my head! Okay! That does it! I Lifted my hand and reached it for her, full speed.

"Like that would make things up, you Stupidhead!"

"Hiiii~!"

***PAT!***

"Seriously..." And she was with her eyes shut and ready to at least try to defend herself, but in the end, I just patted her on the head. She opened a trembling eye, and blinked twice, confused. "That's enough, right? It's not like this solve things either."

"I-Ichijou-kun...?" She said, confused and cross-eyed. Yeah, I'm not gonna hit her now, we can solve things later. For now, I'll let her pass... But let's pinch that little nose a little. "Owowow... That hurts, dummy Ichijou!"

"Serves you right, dumb Berolina." I said back with a grin, letting her go, and suddenly, the place went quiet, even Gremory went blank and surprised. That kinda made me uneasy. "What's up out of the sudden?"

"No, nothing." Gremory said, smiling again and blushing. I couldn't do much but to blush a little too. "Let's win this one, right?"

"Yeah, whatever. Annie, Yoko, Tasha, Rina, let's just end this and go home." I said back, turning back to my group, as they wilded their gaze, save Annie, who just smirked. Huh, I wonder what's up. In the end, another girl with long smooth pink hair and wearing a black gakuran with some old-timed cloths wrapped around her waist and a wooden staff by her back entered the space between me and the redhead and smiled to me.

"Such passion and love, I like you already! Your will and voice are truly worth the title of the Red Dragon emperor, Hong Long! With your power, we can reach high in the skies, and defeat the redhead demon by the other side of this fortified battlefield! Away, Lady Berolina's Queen and the heir of the Red Dragon emperor!"

"..."

"...?"

"Okay, who are you, again?" I asked with a pointer finger at her. She's kinda cool for now, but the flamboyant attitude can become annoying. Herself just smiled and laughed like a lady.

"Ohohohoh~! Jokes on you, Red Dragon. For I am the descendant of the great general, conqueror of worlds, Liu Bei!" Liu Bei? Oh, I read about those in the past. I remember bein pretty much everywhere.

"Oh, you mean Ryuubi Gentoku, right?"

"..."

"...?"

"As I was telling you, I am the descendant of the Great Conqueror Liu Bei, the one who dethroned the legendary Cao-Cao from his rampage across the Chinese nation..."

"You mean Sou-Sou, right?"

"As they tell about their legendary struggles of the Epic story of the Sānguó Yǎnyì, one of China's most precious tales..."

"You mean Sangoku-shi, right?"

"Who trained and trained at the special division of the jade palace, under the tutorage of the great monkey king Sun Wukong and now as a graduation gift, holds the magical staff..."

"You mean Son Goku, right?"

"We're gonna stay here for a while if you're wanna translate everything I say, you goddamn jap." She flashed me a cat smile and touched my nose with a finger. She's alright. "You can call me either Liu-Bei or Ryuubi. I don't really care. After all, the sun shines with different names across the globe! The flowers smells and beauty the world even with several other names! And I am the same powerful rook of Berolina Gremory no matter if it's in Chinese or Japanese. Deal with it."

"We found Ryuubi-dono when she was using her magic staff to reach the heavens since some onis were spanking a monkey near the jade palace, and so..."

"I will hear that one later, thank you." I stopped Gremory of saying even more misleading tales. Descendant of Ryuubi Gentoku, huh? Well, she does own some huge tracks of land... Crap! Aria-San, you've cursed me with boob obsession! Boobsession! But a rook, huh? With that, she had at the double the pieces Nemesis-San has. That's good, we have higher chances now...

"..." Out of the sudden, I lifted my eyes from the ground and found myself staring at the Ninetails that suddenly went from there to in front of me. She looked at me with those golden eyes, somehow drowsy and pitiful, making me feel a little uncomfortable. What now?

"Hey, Yoko, what's the matter? Did you thought you would lose your walking snack or...!" And before I could finish my sentence, she hugged me. Out of nowhere, she hugged me, crossing her arms around me and locking them by my back.

...

Wow... This is awkward.

"Err... Yoko, what the hell?" I said as she snuggled on my chest and trembled. She's not sniffing me, is she? She's pretty dark now, and it's scaring me. No flirt, no teasing, no jokes. She's really shaken.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Ichijou." She said. Did she just called me by name? One surprise after another. I have a feeling that this rating game will blow... Not in a good way. Suddenly, the voice box by the top of the blackboard went all static, and soon, a voice was heard by the other side...

'_Rina, I know that you're mad, but understand this: you won't win this time, or ever. Please, stop this nonsense, and we won't be talking about this anymore.'_

That's Nemesis-san's voice. And she sounds... Pretty depressed and really upset about something.

'_We can talk about this in another time. When you're ready to take control and be able to control your own power in a better way, maybe we can..."_

***BOOM!***

"Gremory...!" In a blink of an eye, the redhead in front of all of us simply destroyed the voice box with her... Power of destruction, I guess that's the name.

"So sorry. It just... I'm really sick of her. I've already made my mind, so I guess we can't discuss anymore." She sighed, crossing her arms and soon after, lifting her head with a smile. "Don't worry, everything is under control. Let's just... Win that and then we can start our Occult Research Club! Yeah... Let's... Let's follow our dreams..."

"..." I sighed, as a magic rune appeared in front of us and another voice called.

_'Very well, let's begin then, Rina-chan! I hope you're excited as us!'_ From the magical circle, kaichou's voice could be heard. She seems excited as ever, if not a bit worried. Another of those circles appeared right under our feet._ 'Yoko-chin, could you please step out of the circle? You're not part of Rina-chan's peerage, so you can't participate. I hope you understand.'_

"B-But...!" She said, turning her head to face the circle floating in the air. She's shaken and all, and really, I'm starting to get worried, but I lost a holiday for this day, so I guess we can deal with this later. I pat her in the head, as she turned back to me. "D-Darling...?"

"Look... Huh, whatever I did, I'm sorry. But we have a Rating Game to win, so, well, I guess we will have to deal with that later. I promise, okay Yoko?" I said in a rather calm, yet apologizing manner, while turning my head to a side and try to look professional. I'm probably blushing and looking pathetic like that. "So... Huh~... We'll catch up later... And we will... Solve things up, okay?"

"..." She looked at me, hugged me even tighter, and let me go after some time, batting me a goodbye as me and my group dissolved in dark matter to the battlefield. I wonder What's the problem with me. I feel warm somehow, and my chest is burning for some reason.

In the end, we were transported to a complete replica of our school, the sky in a rather sick emerald green, and devoid of anything beyond the school ground, with a black Barrier instead. Huh... Nothing different, it seems. Maybe Nemesis-san wants a fair battle since we all know this place?

"Oh~, so this is how a Rating Game arena is! Neat!" Gremory said as she looked around, completely over her heels. I must say, I'm impressed, this place is really a good replica. Even the drawings in the blackboard and the seats are intact and just the way they should be. But for some reason; one of the seats next to me is missing. Odd. "Waaah! Even the pencil I stuck here before is here! This is awesome!"

"We should be more worried about how the enemies's going to attack, Rina." I said to her, as she turned around and blinked a few times in realization. Dummy as ever, right? As so our king sighed, picked a little map, with some plants of the buildings differently colored, and put it on one of the seats, as she took a deep breath.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, for the starters, we have this complete map of Kuoh academy." She put her pointer finger in one of the black building's plants, as she did with others of the same color. "All of these are our territory. Our safehouses where we can rest before going back to action. Aside from that, those Crimson places are my sister's territory, and as the rules say, we can invade them to bypass Nemesis's defenses, take control of them and leave her with none. As long as there are no other pieces of her there, we can take control if we reach them!"

"But she can take control of our territories too, right, Berolina-dono?" Ryuubi-San said. Huh, it does look like chess.

"Yes, but since this place is a perfect copy of the original, I guess we're fine by n-..."

***DOOON!***

"Huh?" Suddenly, the whole place we're in trembled a little, like a little earthquake, and then the sky changed colors, now looking like a black and white kaleidoscope. I looked at Gremory, as her face was white as chalk. "Oh, no... Oh, no..."

"Errr... Gremory... Was that suppose to hap-...?"

"We must get out of here!" She cut me short as she stood up from the chair and ran for the exit. I was left dumbfounded for a second, as everybody else was in the same boat, but soon, I saw a big blue ball of energy in one point of the school, and that was enough to convince me to G**ET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!**

**"What the...?!"**

**[THUNDER ANNIHILATOR!]**

.

~~x~~

.

"All set, Nemesis!"

"Akio."

"Yes. **[THUNDER ANNIHILATOR!]"**

***BOOOOOM!***

As I guess that should be enough. I'm currently besides Nemesis as we are at the top of one of Kuoh's building together with the rest of our peerage. It maybe be a little too much, but we just did the 'Rpg-lightning' combo. Nero morphed the area around the school into his own Balance Breaker, in which he has total control over, and Akio finished things with her special attack, a light-thunder sphere of destruction, which came down crushing the building where Rina and her peerage were in and destroying everything, with so much power that Nero's own Role Playing Game balance Breaker couldn't handle it and ended up forcefully shattering, deactivating it. As expected of the daughter of the **Himejima** house and a hero, nonetheless.

"A little too much, don't you think, Chief?" Najda, the dark-skinned, blond shaman said to our king with a grin. The redhead simply sighed to one of her Bishop. "She's your little sis, right? And it's her first rating game too. Take it easy there. She's just a kid."

"Shocks like those are necessary to bring idiots back to reality. Maybe with that one Rina will wake from her dream and see that not everything she wants will come true." She acidly said, as Nadja could only shrug and wait for the best. In the end, she turned around and pat me on the back. "Aria; let's go home. I need a bath and maybe we can..."

"Oe, heads up, Aria-dono~."

"What the...?!"

"ARIA-SAMA! WATCH OUT!" And before we could do anything, out of nowhere, our Second rook and butler Faust Michaelis appeared in front of us and punched a massive rock out of nowhere to defend us. Sure, the massive rock turned into smithereens, but so turned his arm. I looked around to see the author of such thing, and it turns out, it was that pink-haired girl with the staff, who was balancing herself on an extended version of it. Another thing: it was not an ordinary piece of rock, it was the whole upper floor of the new building, sliced WHOLE.

"Wow, that girl sure is stron-..." And before Nero could finish his sentence, a blue meteor came out of nowhere and hit him right in the head, launching him backwards to another section of the arena. For a minimal second, I saw it was Actually Rhongomiant. The impact was so strong that he flew away from sight.

"What was that?!" Nemesis said, as everyone was confused enough to see what was going on. And suddenly, like billiard balls, Nadja, Faust and Akio were tucked away by the pink-haired rook by he other side using her retractable monkey staff, flying away from us, leaving only me, Jin-Yong and Nemesis. "Damn it, they are trying to split us. Little devils..."

"Well, it's only natural, dongsaeng." Jin-Yong said, looking around with his dragon eyes and thinking while stroking his white beard. "she's your sister, and she knows us like any other. I must say, as Long As I'm here, however, they can 'tget close to you unless they want to become sm-...!"

***ZING!***

"W-What...?" And before he could finish his sentence, Hyung's neck was caught by something, forming a small holes of lines on his massive scales. And not just that, when he was about to try to push it away from him, a greater force pulled him in from the floor below, down to the ground. In a closer inspection, I saw what it really was...

... A string.

"Hyung!" Nemesis said, trying to reach a hand for him, but before she could be also caught in that trap, I pulled her away, as Hyung was pulled to the border of the top and caught in a true sphere of power of destruction, the emergency escape spell taking him out of the game.

'Alright! The first out! The rook Hwan Jin-Young is out!' Announced Serena Sitri by the real realm. Appearing in the place Hyung originally was, a pair showed up: Rina-chan and her dear, dear Ninja Knight, being leveled by a transparent string held by the greenette.

"Yo, Red boobs II and blond Boobs. Long time no see." The shorty greenette, Annabelle if I recall correctly, said, retracting her strings back to the rings of her glove and showing us one of them by biting and pulling it out with one of her fangs. "And goodbye, too."

"Let's go, Ninja! Nemesis, prepare yourself!"

"Damn you... You little cockroach!"

And Nemesis said back, as extras, round and red eyes were sprouting out of her forehead and beside her usual ones. So, the Alastors natural hot-blood is itching again... I took a deep breath and summoned a handful of swords by my back...

Like bro would say, everything sucks...

* * *

**And cliffhanger again. Never underestimate the power of a young devil, specially if they sweat hormones. The series so far was great, so I'm kinda hyped for everything. I miss chichigami-sama, though. As always, stay golden~.**


	22. Crimson Queen Gear Drive!

**Dear readers, I gotta be honest with you all... This chapter is ridiculous for me. I mean, it can be either in a good way or in a bad way, but it's ridiculous nonethless. I was watching some really old anime, and I must say, the cheesiness and the hammyness grew on me, and since this is the first serious fight, I might got a little too far in the action sequences. Despiteall of this rant, I hope you all like the absurds that're gonna happen in this chapter. And, as always, stay golden.**

**Highschool DxD does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

As I ran through the replica of the school, I could already see the results of the battles from the other pieces that were around me. Grounds were leveled, the school's building were falling apart and the sky itself was ripping itself off. Something akin to lightning rain and Hollywood explosions was going on in one side and earthquakes on the other, while I was still lookin for my sword and the bastard whom took it away with his face...

I finally reached the place: the school gym, ironically the very first place I had my first serious battle against my friend, the ninja-vampire. I sighed, as I kicked the door open and used the switch beside the door to flick the lights on. Before I knew it, Rhongomiant shadowed it's way towards me, and ended up sticking itself on the ground.

"You forgot something." I heard that smooth, gentlemanly voice, by the other side of the gym, and tossing my glance there, I could see that brunette knight, Nero, smiling back at me, serene as ever, like if it wasn't really his problem, sitting on the stage floor. "Long time no see, Sekiryuutei-kun. Doing great?"

"Believe me, it can't go any worse." I moaned back, picking my sword from the ground and fusing it back with my Boosted Gear. He opened his eyes to look at me, and smiled even more, but this time, his black orbs turned a little dark.

"So... How's your eyes, now? Still clouded?" He said, as two greatswords, one black as night and another colored silver, both with a cross of the opposite color on their blade, appeared out of the ceiling and landed by each of his side. He stood up from the floor and reached for the handles of both of them. "How's the feeling to live without the thing that makes you who you are? Knowing that everything you do won't always go your way? That maybe your lif-...!"

"That's bullshit! That's pure bullshit and you know it since the beginning!" I said back, interrupting his little villainy speech of power. I can't really sense any ill-will coming from him, so I can assume that he's not doing this on purpose. I looked shocked when I said that. "There's nothing on this world that makes me either a hero or a villain! Or a monster or a savior! Or a destiny's pet! I don't know how your sacred gear works, but it can't be such bullshit as 'steal your character Essence' or whatever!"

"..." He looked comically surprised for a moment, like a kid who just got caught doing a prank, but soon enough, his expression soothed. Now, he was smiling like a true bro. No ill-intend, no malice, no anything, just a smile of pure bro-ism. "So... You figure it out. Truth to be told, not only humans, but demons and even angels and other supernatural beasts can be deceived by [Titles]. You know what a [title] is, right? One can be considered more important than other because of their [title], the food in two different restaurants can taste the same, yet one can be considered better because a [title] says so. [senior] is better than [veteran] because it sounds better despite meaning the same thing, right? As such, if people call you [main character] or [hero], you might think you're important, but if it's otherwise, like [supporting] or [extra], then people won't bat an eye at you, no matter how cool you are. Can you understand that?"

"..."

"My sacred gear has nothing to do with stealing such titles, but if I make someone believe this is possible, then they own mental breakdown can do the rest for me. In the end, Intelligence can makes us dumber than animals. Although I don't dislike my own nickname of the 'traitorous knight of the Crimson maiden'." That title is indeed badass. She shot his eyes back to me. "I see, your eyes are no longer clouded by doubt or uncertainness. You still can't see much further, but at least you're not blind anymore."

"..."

"However..." And then he picked his swords off the ground and, in a blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of me! "Don't go overestimating yourself just because of that, boy!"

And he appeared right in front of me, his swords ablaze, ready to deal the first blow as he held both his grandblades like they were nothing. Out of instinct and sheer force, I lifted my own Rhongomiant and stepped hard on the floor, narrowing my eyes to the imminent clash. However...

***STEP!***

"Huh...?!" ***FLASH!*** when I thought he was about to hit me, however, Nero just tapped the tip of his feet on the ground and in the next second, he was gone. I blinked twice with that, by before I could think of something, I felt a presence right behind me. In a nanosecond, I turned around, and there he is! He just flashstepped again right in front of me! "Fuc-...!"

**[BOOST!]**

"Dark double!" He said, as he cut the blades of both his swords in a straight parallel line and from there, a beam of demonic energy shot from both the edges. I turned around as fast as I could, but it was too late as one of the energy slashes hit me and the other snapped my sword away from my grasp! I flew for a few seconds before coming down to the ground. "I'm not a knight for nothing, Ichijou-kun. My speed cannot be matched even by high class devils in my primal form. even Lord Issei would have problems to keep up with me!"

**[BOOST!]**

"Damn it!" I said as I barrel-rolled to a side to pick my fallen sword back. I stood up and formed a battle stance, but in another blink, he disappeared from the other side of the gym to in front of me, his hands down and smile plasticized on his face. That alone pissed me off, as I lifted Rhongomiant and tried an ax-drop from it, and I did it, as I sliced him in two!

***VOOSH...!***

"What the... _Afterimages_?!" I screamed as the figure of the knight cut in half in front of me just vanished like dust. I felt a presence right beside me, and in that same pose, there he was. I wasted no time as I unleashed a barrage of cuts and slashes in his direction! "Whooooaah...!"

**[BOOST!]**

"Wow! Defensive and offensive at the same time. You did improve." But he just chuckled it off as he used only one of his grandswords to block all of my moves without even flinching. His own were at least the same size as Rhongomiant, if not longer, but the way he swings those makes it look he's just waving a pair of cardboard tubes.

***CLUTCH!***

"But I'm still stronger." Suddenly, I felt another big presence behind me, and out of nowhere, a pair of strong arms locked my own by my back. I turned around, cursing for being so incautious and caught unguarded, only to see another Nero. I switched back and forth to the one in front of me and the one holding me back. This is impossible! Is he really that fast?! "Mach 13, at least. Thirteen times the speed of sound! Can you keep up with that... Sekiryuutei-kun?!"

"Ugh...!" I grunted, feeling his speed almost cut through my skin as he moved back and forth to maintain the clone. I tried to kick the one in front of me, but soon he only left the afterimage and turned into dust. I looked at my other side and another clone picked one of the falling swords and tried to cut me! My Boosted Gear announced another** [BOOST!]** as I jumped and made a backflip to behind the clone behind me, as Nero was now with his sword an inch to his clone's torso. However, the first one turned into dust and he sword was now aiming for me!

***TINK!***

I defended myself using the hard scales of my Boosted Gear, the sheer force of the shock enough to send me backwards against a wall. I clashed in there, and soon after, Rhongomiant was shot against me, sticking an inch beside my head. I looked forward one more time, and now there was only one Nero now.

"Come on, now. Aria didn't trained you for you to be beaten so easily." He said back, as I picked my own sword back and moved forward to him, looking directly at his feet to see any kind of weird thing. Big mistake, as when he stepped again, hard, he appeared with another six other clones in front of me, all in battle poses... Except one, doing the 'Wryyyyy!' Pose for some reason. "Beaten, yes. So easily, hell no."

"Don't get too cocky!" I roared back, using my sword to slash through several clones, and them all except one turned into dust, the last one bending his legs down to pass by under the blade of Rhongomiant, across my side and then tripod himself to trip me. I lost my balance, but when I was about to kiss the floor, a knee appeared in front of me to hit my face. I regained composure back on my feet, but now I found myself surrounded by Nero's clones. He first one just punched me right in the middle of my nose, and when I was about to counter, a second one tripped me again, as another simply kicked me in my shins to get me back for more punishment. Soon enough...

***PUNCH!* *KICK!* *ZOOM! ZOOM!* *BAM!***

I turned into a freaking pinball, clones and more clones kicking and punching me around as such! Back and forth, back and forth, left, right, punch!, kick!, punch!, kick! Not always in that sequence! In the end, as a final blow, one picked me by he collar and launched me to the skies, as the rest of them jumped up to me and, blades readied, practically stabbed me in the stomach, the five of them merging together to form a single, to finally crush me on the ground, opening a crater there. I spat a little of blood, as he jumped away, sighing.

"Never thought you would be so tough. 'Don't get too cocky' is a rather bold remark for someone who's clearly outmatched." He said, as I used my sword to stand myself up. Despite my rapid punishment, it didn't hurt that much, but my pride, or at least what remained of it, shattered in pieces. Not that it wouldn't change that much. He looked at me, and smiled. "But you're kinda brave enough. Or just too sensitive."

"Why people keep saying that? Is some kind of devilish slang? Well, whatever..." I said, as I stomped hard with one foot on the ground and used the weight of my upper body to stand up by pulling it backwards while my legs were pointed forward, my Sword hanging from the grip of my sacred Gear. Well, I guess it's the time. "Hey, Nero-San, can I ask you something? How much is a queen worth in a peerage?"

"So suddenly? A queen is worth nine pawns, if my mind serves me right. Except if the piece in question is a mutation piece. I, as a knight, am worth three pawns. At least in Nemesis's power level." He said, using the tip of the handle of his stuck grandsword to support his bored expression. "In theory, Aria is three times stronger than me. Sorry to say that, but you have a bigger threat coming for you. If you want, I can finish you off right here, right now."

"Tch..." I spat, looking at his eyes, as he gleamed a look of true concern for me. So much for an ex-holy knight, he does care. I smirked in a challenging way. He's weaker than Aria, so she was holding back. Damn it... I was planning to use this card when facing her, but apparently, I won't reach even that if I don't pull some strings up. "Sorry, but I think I'll pass. Instead, let me show something a certain Phenex told me while pretty much insulting my favorite manga branch!"

"Huh...?" He put himself straight as he picked back his grandswords and looked at me with a mix of curiosity and uneasiness. I picked my own sword and lifted my Boosted Gear. Like Rei-chan said...

.

_'Crimson Cardinal promotion, using the pawn's promotion move to chance the scale mail armor... That's insane!'_

_'Uh-huh. Kinda unfair, I mean, not many Previous users were either devils or pawns. Moreover, our dear Lord Ajuka Beelzebub handled his help to modify Lord Issei's own pieces.'_

_'I wonder... If I am able to do that someday.'_

_'Pfff... You're so small minded. No wonder you like Jump!'_

_'What's that suppose to mean, you damn yakitori?!'_

_'And unoriginal too. My, oh my...'_

_._

"Senpai... Was a **pawn**! He could morph his own Power to any other piece as long as he's on enemy territory! Even a Queen's!" I said, as a bright green aura began to leaked out of my Boosted Gear and encircle me in a show of lights. "If a simple pawn... I mean, an amalgamation of eight pawns was enough to shake this universe... LET'S SEE WHAT A **QUEEN** BOOSTED GEAR USER IS CAPABLE OF!"

"Oh, impressive." He looked at me oh so curiously and impressed, supporting his chin on his hand and holding just one sword maybe just in case. "What are gonna do? Enter Balance Breaker? Or maybe even reach Cardinal Crimson Promotion? I expect a lot from you, but maybe I'm hoping too much."

"I'm not a pawn for that... But y'know, there's not only one way to play chess!" I said, as suddenly the green aura engulfed my left arm whole, to then turn into red, smooth scales like the rest of my boosted Gear, now looking more like a smooth medieval gauntlet and arm shield with a small dragon wing sprouting from the upper shoulder armor. Just like that, sollerets with dragonic designs and claws appeared on my feet, and soon after, Rhongomiant became thinner and smaller, also adopting the red design to match the rest of my new gears. "This is the power born from the legendary Cardinal Crimson Promotion move! The power beyond of a pawn's!The power of the queen!"

**[WELSH DRAGON! ALTER BOOSTER!]**

**"[CHAOS BRINGER: CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE!]**" I screamed together with the voice coming from my Boosted Gear, as now a Crimson cape appeared from the armor in my left shoulder-blade. The crater I was on grew deeper, Nero laughed in excitement.

"Oh, so you discovered a sub-Balance Breaker. That's good. Nemesis wouldn't be worrying about Rina-chan anymore with you around." He chuckled, like some kind of cool gramps, but soon enough, his eyes narrowed in a challenging way, but before he could do something else, I was the one whom stepped harder and, in a second later, brought my sword to his face. In a blink of an eye, he lifted his grandsword and tried to block my own. The shock was amazingly powerful. "Huh, not bad. You're a lot more faster now, however, how powerful you're n-...?"

**[CHANGE: SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS!] [BOOST!]**

***CRACK!***

"What?!" Suddenly, his face changed of expressions, now looking more surprised than ever. It would: Rhongomiant just clashed with his black sword and as a result, the former simply broke in a million pieces, the shiny holy core falling to the ground. I didn't stop there! With the remaining forces, I hit Nero right in the stomach, and sent him flying to the other side of the gym. "WOOOOOOOOH...!"

***DOOON...!***

"How's that for an **extra character**, mr. Genre savvy?!" I said back while supporting my Crimson sword on my left shoulder. Huh... It actually worked... Holy shit, it actually WORKED! That was just a plan I created based on Rei-chan's stories, but this is just insane! I did it! I reached something like Cardinal Crimson Promotion!

"Ugh... So, using lord's Ajuka's bugged system code to unlock something like that..." I looked at the other side and, as I was expecting, Nero was ascending from the floor, using the wall there for support, and picking his sword back, spitting a little and coming back to normal. He smiled at me once again, and then changed it to a smirk. "You Sekiryuuteis are so clever sometimes. But, of course, let's see how much you can keep up with me!"

And again, he stepped hard on the floor, now twelve clones appearing before me. I used my Empress (Rook+knight) move to backed up a bit and again screamed **[CHANGE!]** in my head. The voice from the sacred gear soon announced...

**[CHANGE: FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS!]**

"How cute." He mocked, as he tried to slice me. And he succeeded... Only with the clone I did. However, when it did, it exploded in a true ball of dancing flames! Faster as only him, Nero escaped the hellfire with only a small burn, as he searched around the gym only to lock on me. My Boosted Gear also changed with that one: now, it looked more like beautiful Crimson silk shining like stars wrapped around my hand with magic runes written on it, the ones wrapped in the tip of my fingers in a way that resembled claws, and the jewels and spikes morphed now as magic hex shields orbiting around my arm. I still got my boots, though. He looked very impressed. "Uh, always full of surprises, isn't you?"

"Huh... That one also worked. Let's see..." And in the next second, I disappeared, and like he was doing before me, I created several, no, hundreds upon hundreds of afterimage clones, as he gasped in surprise. So many images, I bet he won't even think in a direct attack right in the face...!

***ZING!***

***TINK!***

"What...?!"

"Going somewhere, Ichijou-kun?" He said back, as he sighed and morphed his grimace of surprise to his typical serene smile. Did he just stopped me when I was running in a speed possibly faster than his?! And still with that smile, he grabbed me by the wrist and tossed me to a wall, as I opened a hole in there and fell flat on my ass. I still had energy for more, but that one hurt like hell! "Curious? I was able to see you, y'know? Let me tell you the truth power of my **[Role playin' Game]**!"

And as he spoke, I stood up again and tried another attack! Using my super speed, I sneaked from behind him and punched the red scale floating around my left arm, releasing a burst of red flames from it! However, when I looked again, he wasn't there anymore!

*POKE!*

"How cute. Your magic scales are actually magic runes." I turned around and, yes, there he was, mockingly poking my cheek while that shit-eating grin was still on his face. Instead of just answering, I gripped on my sword tightly and began a barrage of slashes against him! However, none of them at least touched him! I'm in blank point, yet I can't hit him!

"Hyaaaah...!"

"Right there." And when I did another attack, he simply sneaked his sword and hit me in a blind point in my stomach, the force of it making me back up a little and cough. "That's the power of my true Sacred Gear. I can hear, see, feel and smell everything around me. As long as you're in my zone of vision, you can't escape my eyes, ears, nerves or nose!"

"What the hell?!" I said back, as I jumped to him and tried to hit his head. He picked his remaining grandsword and block it, but that one was a decoy! Faster as I could, I simply changed my sword to the another hand and hit him own on the sides, keeping it away from any chance for him to counter my upcoming attack: I used my remaining forces to chose a push spell and then punched the scale with the rune on it right in front of him...!

***DODGE!***

"And... That!" Unbelievable! He was at blank point! The only thing between my fist and his face was the rune, and yet he dodged the attack like it was nothing, and in another second, just tucked me in the stomach with the tip of the handle of his sword, with enough force to send me flying backwards and then rolling in the ground. "What did I say? I can see and hear even the tinniest detail and sound of your body! Your muscles, your moves, the clenching of your bones and the flow of your blood, any detail of yours can't escape me!"

"Tch...!" I stood up again, using my sword as a supporter, as my legs felt numb after that one. Damn it! No more super speed, my legs won't hear the pain. Nero stepped in my direction again, but unlike the other times, this time, all of clones practically filled all of the parts of my vision! From the floor to the ceiling, to each of the walls was filled with afterimage clones! And they're coming closer! Shit! It looks like I'm doing that again! I picked Rhongomiant, and took a battle stance, pulling the sword backwards and readying myself for the upcoming clash! **"[DIVING WYVERN...!]"**

**[BOOST!] *SLASH!***

**"[... FAIRY!]**" and like last time, a white slash came from the edge of my sword and created a barrier of translucid light in front of me. Nero was caught unguarded, and soon him and his clones came clashing on the barrier, as the former went forward and clashed on the clones like a bug-net. In the end, there was only one Nero left, landing incredibly on his feet and with his sword in his hand, despite being also tired and out of breath. I wasted no time, and rushed towards him! I thought [CHANGE!] one more time, and again, the Boosted Gear morphed now to a giant cannon-like barrel with a bulkier shoulder, jewels and spikes arranged in a way that it look futuristic and with a giant club-like knuckle shield with an orb in it! I jumped to him, and when he finally noticed, it was too late, as he could only lift his sword to the upcoming attack!

**[CHANGE: DRAGON SMASHER QUEEN!]**

***PUNCH!***

***BREAK!***

***DOOOOOOOOOOOON...!***

"dragon...** CANNOOOOOOOON...!**" I screamed at the top of my lungs, as I punched that sword with all of my might! It wasn't enough to stop it, as the orb in the gauntlet broke the blade and landed straight into Nero's stomach, sinking itself in there! And it didn't stopped, as the orb broke and released from Inside of it a true pillar of Crimson flames, sending my opponent to the ceiling and crushing it so that he could reach the skies!

"Gaaaah...!" I heard from the skies, as his body went limp for a second, and then my pillar of fire ceased, also stopping his launch to the heavens. His body float for a second and then came down straight to the gym again, opening another hole in there, and landing right in front of me, lifting a curtain of smoke. When that one calmed down, there he was, his face on the crater he created, immobile. I wonder if... That means I win.

***BOOOM!***

I heard from a distance. Oh, right. There are other battles happening around! I must help the others! I morphed my sacred gear back to the primal form, and walked to the exit, to maybe regain my strength after that battle in the way. However...

"Well, well, well, please don't look away from me, Ichijou-kun. This kinda pisses me off." I heard from behind me. Oh, no. I turned around and, yes, there he was, Nero Gladius, standing up with his bloodied and burned suit and with both his swords broken, but still smiling nonetheless. "Our battle... Isn't over yet."

"H-How...?!" I asked him, but instead of an answer, he simply opened his shirt wide, revealing from inside a strange vest, similar to a priest's, with an upside-down red cross and colored white. His smile turned into a grin.

"Don't think that I didn't take any souvenirs when I abandoned the church. This one is special for me. Consider yourself lucky!" He said, as suddenly his whole body was engulfed in while flames, burning and shining like a star.

"Ugh...!" The light of that white flame was too much for me, so I blocked part of it with my hands. After a while, the light ceased, and when I turned back to Nero to see what happened, I almost had a heart-attack: the thing before me wasn't Nero, but a large, bulky and colossal white armor with black details, standing tall with relatively small feet but enormous torso and large shoulders, the helmet with a visor shaped like a inverse green cross, and two enormous bat wings sprouting from the back. "What the hell is that?!"

"**BEHOLD, RED DRAGON! THE ULTIMATE MANMADE FORCE AGAINST THE SINFUL CREATURES OF THIS UNIVERSE**!" A voice coming from inside that ridiculously large armor said. Nero's voice. Damn, now this! Well, whatever! I'll beat that shit again, and then hit Gremory RIGHT IN HER GODDAMN FACE! "**THIS IS THE FINAL CREATION OF THE CHURCH AGAINST DEVILS! NOT HOLY SWORDS, NOT BLESSED OBJECTS OR WATER, NOT EVEN THE NAME OF OUR LORD IN PAPER, BUT THIS!"**

**[DIVINE ANTI-DRAGON HOLY ARMOR: STARDUST CRUSADER!]**

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**I... Got nothing more to say. This chapter speaks for itself. Well, I hope you all enjoiy it, stay golden and until the next time~.**


	23. A battlefield filled with poetry!

**Hey, everyone! New chapter getting out of the oven right to be serve! I hope you all like it!**

**As always, Highschool DxD does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

Well, that fool did it.

He just used MY idea to come up with a new technique, and I must say... That makes me happy. Everybody says that the Phenex Clan are nothing but a house of arrogant fools, and that's partially right, but everybody wants our tears, so they have to suck it up!, and, true, my dear Granfather Lord Raiser was a... 'Prick', but now that he runs part of the Family business, with my dear Granduncle Lord Ruval as the current head of the Phenex family, he has some earned respect. That, and his record of just two unwilling losses in Rating Games in a lifetime.

I digress. Currently, I'm still at the Gremory House watching both the Gremory sisters's peerage fighting each other. More specifically, I'm watching the current Boosted Gear host fighting with Lady Nemesis's Knight, the ex-crusader wearing his holy Armor and pummeling his opponent with his faster-than-light punches. Huh, odd, usually, Lord Nero's punches are much faster than that. In fact. For some reason, this Rating Game has been taking too long for a match Against Lady Nemesis.

Usually, she ends things quickly...

***KNOCK-KNOCK!***

"You may come in." I said to the door behind me in the guest room, as I paused the transmission from the Demonic rune and looked to the door. It opened and revealed the smiley face of Lady Gremory, beside her a tall, fit and tired man with greying-blond hair and goatee and an X-shaped mark between his eyes and wearing a suit was standing. There he is, my honorable Grandfather Lord Raiser Phenex. "Lady Gremory, Honorable Grandfather. What gives the honor of your visit?"

"And there she goes speaking like that again. First Rhea, now her. Can't you see the pattern here, lord Raiser?" Lady Gremory said, tapping lightly the chest of my dear Grandfather. I snickered at that, but seeing grandfather approaching me made me shut myself up. I stood up from the sofa, and bowed to him once.

"Raven, your father asked me to pick you up. We should be taking our leave now." He simply said, with that ever present grin on his face, despite the fact that he has a missing arm. Wounds caused by the venomous spawns of 666(Trihexa) has that effect. However, his face faltered when he looked to behind me, to the Magic rune broadcasting the Gremory rating Game. He took a sit on the sofa, mesmerized by the sight in front of him, and stared oh so curiously to the frozen image of Lord Nero and Ikkun. "Oe, oe, what the hell? Who's that pipsqueak? And why does he have that?"

"Isn't that obvious, Lord Raiser? That's my daughter's queen, the new host of the gauntlet of the Red Dragon emperor, Tsukino Ichijou!" Lady Gremory said back, taking her time to sit beside me and take another look at the Young boy reflected on the rune. She looked so proud, while honorable grandfather(Ojii-sama.) grunted under his breath. "Bad nostalgia?"

"Believe it or not... Actually, no." Ojii-sama said, looking at the rune. He snapped his fingers, letting small sparkles fly off of them, and continued the transmission from before. He grinned again. "I'm actually really curious. What does that boy has stored for us?"

"Ojii-sama?" I trailed off while calling him. He hasn't being this lively in many years. Rhea-oto-sama said the first time he ever smiled after a while was when I was born, since I looked a lot like my late Grandaunt Lady Ravel. In fact, it was him who chose the name for me. Now, he was grinning like a true Phenex, full of confidence and borderline arrogance. He turned to me.

"Raven, darling, is that boy, perhaps, your boyfriend?" He said back, as a trail of blood ran down my nose. I think I just had a stroke. Lady Gremory, on the other hand, is smiling devilish. I was about to retort anything she would say, but when I saw flames behind Ojii-sama's back, I turned my full attention to him. He's angry. He's extremely angry.

"Absolutely not, ojii-sama. Ikkun and I... I mean, Tsukino Ichijou and I are nothing but acquaintances." I said, as deadpan as possible. Ojii-sama's flames calmed down, but Lady Alice pouted at me. Now I know from where Berolina's personality came from. In the end, I sat next to Ojii-sama to watch Ikkun's match. "But I want to see how far he can go. He has been training non-stop at Mt. Issei, it's only natural for him to archive a certain level of power."

"Hah! Of course he would be strong in a way." My grandfather said back, scaring me and lady Gremory. His outburst was unwelcome, even more by his following gloating. "There was only ONE other devil who defeated me in a Rating Games besides that scumbag Diehauser! One, which is probably still asleep inside that gauntlet! If HE could defeat me... It's only a given his successor can make a mark on Nemesis's knight."

And his expressions went from arrogant to pitiful and quiet. He's feeling down again. Poor Ojii-sama. I don't know if he's remembering his loss or the bishop of the said opponent, but now he's a little down. Not even Lady Gremory had the audacity to say something to that. We quietly returned our gazes to the rune, as flashes of two speed-type combatants was going on.

This reminds me. The only one who defeated Raiser-Ojii-sama besides Diehauser Belial was Lord Issei Hyoodou himself...

.

~~x~~

.

**"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!**"

"Does every devil out there a manga aficionado?!"

It all happened so fast: first, Nero did nothing in his new form back at the gym. Despite the hulking size of his new weapon, he did nothing. When I tried to take the lead and hit him straight in the head, however, I was hit out of nowhere by something invisible. I tried and tried, but in the end, the sheer force of that unseen move made me be launched out of the room. Nero appeared right next to me outside, and since then, I'm trying to defend myself against his moves, his arms gone, now replaced by smooth, invisible gushes of wind.

"**FEEL THE POWER THAT SURPASSES GODS! FEAR THE ALMIGHTY FORCE OF AN EX-CRUSADER! MY PUNCHES ARE NOT ONLY STRONGER, BUT THEY SURPASS THE SPEED OF LIGHT!**" He ham it up, making me back up as he also slowly came closer and closer with each step. Faster than light, he says? Since I can't see them, no doubt that speed is absurd! I block one hit, at the same time he hits me in other ones. With just one punch, I feel the force of a truck hitting Rhongomiant. I can't keep up with him!

"Damn! One more time! **[DIVING WYVERN...!]**" using his own fists as boosts, I backed it in a jump, and pushing my Rhongomiant, I was about to unleash another wave of defensive force. Big mistake, as he closed the space between us in a second flat, and using both his fists, he hit me right in the stomach in a double punch, the powerful blown of that attack instead wracking everything behind me! In the end, my body went limp for a second, as Nero's armor blew a strain of steam out of the back of his helmet. I was just waiting for something to happen... Maybe everything went so fast, my body couldn't keep up with it...

"You did well, at least passable. Your strength improved, and I can't actually believe you keep up with my Stardust Crusader armor." The voice coming from the armor said, blowing another white steam out of the back of it's head. "But, unfortunately, I guess this is the end for you. I'm really sorry for this, but maybe with some more training, you'll be able to pass me. A few years and you'll definitely..."

***BAM!***

"Ugh...!" And he was cut mid-sentence when a staff passed through my shirt and hit him hard on the neck, with so much force he was launched away for a mile. Again, everything went so fast I ended up lost again, until a certain pinkerette appeared next to me, popping her head on my shoulder.

"Greetings and salutations, honorable Hong Long! It seems that that ex-crusader is indeed causing you an absurd amount of trouble. May I help you with this?" She said, I turning my head to behind me, and, shock, he had one of her fists sinked on my back, beside her monkey staff. So she was the one whom ease the damage from Nero's attack!

"Y-You...!" I said back, as I stepped away from her to stretch myself. So much adrenaline now gone, my whole body was kinda sore. "Uhhh... Thank-... No, you have my Thanks, Ryuubi-dono... I guess this is how you said it, right?"

***HUG!***

"You're absolutely, positively right, Hong Long!" She said hugging my head, burying me into her giant boobs. Not to mention, she's being too rough! She's almost breaking my bones! Damn it! That hurts! She soon dismissed the bone-shattering hug, and friendly-punched me in the chest, that one fixing the damage her punch from before made. Like I've said, she's alright. As long as she doesn't preach me about our little historical issues and jus general cultural clashes, I guess we can work together. "Now, away! Let us chase our dreams and destroy anything that stands in our way! If the wall in front of us is Nemesis-dono's peerage, so be it, as we will pass through them as well!"

"Easier say than done, lady. But let's... Let's try." I said back, as she gave me a thumb up and an enthusiastic smile. However, in another second, the fist of that giant armor was buried in her face, as another path of destruction was left on the floor by the other side. In just one instant, he crossed the path between the other side of the school and here! But Ryuubi-dono didn't even flinched at that! Instead, she continued to smile!

"W-What...?!"

"Well, well, aren't you a rude one? I was trying to talk with Hong Long Here and have a good ol'time, but it seems that Devils aren't very polite, are they?" She said, in another second picking Nero by the arm and tossing him to the ground, opening a crater next to me! She kicked him after that, and using her magic staff, she took her way to the direction he was kicked. "Hong Long! I'll take care of him! You go help the others!"

"Wait, what?!" And she was gone in the next second, as the ex-holy knight engaged in another match with the pink-haired girl, completely forgetting me. That's sad, somehow. But she did say to help the others, so I took my way to the nearest building to hide and maybe have an idea to where to g-...

***BAM!***

"Crap!" I cursed, rubbing my nose to cease the pain in it. Now what? The moment I walked the forth step, I bumped my face against something, and almost broke my nose with it. I looked again, but there was nothing there. Is that another barrier? I reached for a hand; and despite nothing visible there, I felt myself touching a wall. So, I'm in a barrier. Great.

"Nyahahahah~, that's cute. You figure it out fast, nyah~." I heard that voice from somewhere. It came from nowhere, as the voice echoed from every side of my body, like in a closed cave, but I could still hear it. I turned around, but there was nothing. I did it again, and yet nothing. This is freaking me out now. "Up here, nyah."

"What?" I lifted my head and really, that was a cute cat woman with silver hair and black eyes, wearing a Shinto priestess robe, standing right above my head! I summoned Rhongomiant again and tried to hit her, but she was faster and dodged it just in time. "You! Who are you?"

"A little rude, aren't you, nyah~." She said, smiling at me mockingly, as I could see now two silver tails sprouted out of her back. Wait, wait? Cat ears? Slit pupils? Two tails? She's definitely a nekomata!

"Huh, so... You're a nekomata." I said, as I simply stored my Rhongomiant back to it's pocket dimension and, out of nowhere, all the lights around us vanished, as a single flash descended upon me! "Nekomata! The demon cat! Born from a stray one, who lived alone for a hundred years! Accumulating spirits, always in contact with our Mother Nature, by living long lives, you've obtained knowledge of demon arts and the sage arts!"

"Oh-hoh. Right on spot and in the mood, nyah. Well, better go with the flow!" She said, as another spotlight came from the heavens to upon her. She picked a fan out of nowhere, and began her little kabuki show. "Yes! Nekomata, oh nekomata! Little spirits walking around earth. Nothing but the strays of the world. Devils, Angels, other factions wanting our knowledge, unaware of our power, our link with life! Fools!"

"Fools, indeed! 'Cuz thy link with the nature transcends physical form! You are one! Splendid fusion like no other!" I said, starting to pick things up. Shit. Mom, why do you made me watch all of those old kabuki shows? I'm having a bad feeling about it. "However, from where thou came? There was only a pair left of nekomatas according to the legends. Perhaps you came from the one who had the Predecessor of this gauntlet as her lover?"

"Stuck in mystery until now, I shall reveal myself as the one whom came from the other demon cat. The older sibling, the monster whom was chased for her beauty and crimes!" So she means Lady Kuroka and not lady Koneko. So I'm fighting the descendant of the primordial Nekoshou in recent history. That should be fun. We danced right next to each other, with stiff, calm, composed kabuki moves with each heavy step and hand Gestures. In the end, we faced each other, and sighed. "So... Huh... what's your name?"

"Ichijou. Yours?"

"Ginko, nyah."

"Fitting. Now let's **BREAK SOME SKULLS!"**

**"ON IT!"**

***BOOOOOM!***

**.**

**~~x~~**

.

**[FAUST MICHAELIS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

The enthusiastic voice of Serena Sitri announced. So Nemesis's butler was defeated by that pink-haired weirdo. Now, she's fighting the Ex-crusader while Ikkun is now confronting the nekoshou of the Gremory house. And after that display of freaky nipponic culture, I'm waiting everything from them.

"A Gremory, a dragon, a holy knight, a forked cat and a blondie. Huh, Nemesis's peerage is indeed similar to **her's**." Ojii-sama said, cautiously watching the match as the now Nekoshou and the dragon clashed fists and swords, the translucid barrier enabling us to see perfectly the match.

"I know, right? Nemesis may argue with Rina a lot, but she's also a fan of the former Gremory team." Lady Geemory said, sipping on her tea. So far, so good. The teams were now numerically even, and by the explosions by the main building, I can see lady Nemesis's Alastor form, as she had now eight eyes and black appendices coming out of her back, like a spider's, while that seaweed-head and Berolina were sending traps upon traps on her...

"**COME BACK HERE, RINA**!" Screamed the eldest sister, her hot-bloodness easily reaching beyond a simple image in front of us. In front of her, there was the younger redhead and the ninja, dodging every sphere of Power of Destruction and setting more and more traps.

"You'll never win, NEMESIS! EVER!" She said back, as the ninja only turned her eyes in amusement. Speaking of amusement, where's lady Aria? She's an idiot, but the fearless good kind of idiot. The witch was fighting against the shaman and The descendant of the priestess of thunder and lightning, and the monkey girl was fighting now against Lord Nero. We shifted out attentions to the couple of weirdos, fighting at the speed of light. Again, he switched to his alter-form, and was dodging and defending himself against Lady Ginko's claws and senjutsu beams.

Wow, that last sentence sounded incredibly stupid.

"So, she's that criminal's offspring. I guess a rebel spirit can be inherit." Ojii-sama said, looking at the nekomata by the other side of the screen. Lady Gremory smiled.

"Yep. She has been training with Nashiro-chan since she was left in front of our door. She can be so fired up sometimes." The redhead said, as she sipped on her tea again. That one caught me by surprise. I knew that Lady Ginko wasn't one of the DxD children, like lady Akio and lady Aria, but that fact about being abandoned in front of the Gremory's door is new to me. "I was the one who picked her up. Cohen tried to eat her, but I stopped him."

"I-Is that so...?" Ojii-sama sweatdropped with me, as we couldn't believe that another new information.

"Cohen likes some Chinese..."

***BAAAAM!***

"Your own enemy is yourself, dragon. No mask is hiding your true self to the World anymore. You don't hesitate, you don't break. Impressive. Auntie Nashiro's tales were true, after all." We focused again on the images across the rune, and like I was expecting, Ikkun was doing pretty well. Despite the limited space, he could dodge and try any lucky shot against that Nekoshou. If one of those claws hit him, it's over.

Shit! I'm getting nervous! As the battle progresses Ikkun suddenly became tired, while Lady Ginko's natural senjutsu was healing her body and replenishing her stamina. Some lucky shots here and there, but none of them seems to give up so easily!

"How about this? The art of summoning plus the art of the sage! Face the power of the powerful dream cat!" The nekomata said, as she pointed her palm to the sky and a magic circle appeared there. Out of it, a giant lucky cat was summoned, as it landed right next to Ikkun, almost crushing him! It meowed a few times and soon disappeared, only to be summoned again on the Boosted Gear boy! He's gonna be crushed!

"IKKUN...!"

**[BOOST!]**

"Get this crap out of my face!" And before I could have an epileptic attack, Ikkun picked the handle of his sword with both his hands and pull it as far as possible. When that damn cat was about to land on him *BAM!* he hit it's rear area with all of his might, using his sword like a baseball bat! The cat almost on top of him screamed, as it was ejected away, up to one of the edges of the barrier, crashing there and breaking that part of it like glass! The giant summoning suddenly disappeared into dust, but when Ikkun tried to take a break, Lady Ginko appeared right next to him and picked him in a strong headlock! "Oh... Oh, crap!"

"Indeed strong. Using uncle's gauntlet. Not even close to him, but I can see that you're trying." She said in a monotone, but amused tone, as she tighten the grip around his neck. Ikkun is in trouble again! His neck wasn't protected, so she can easily suffocate him!

**[NERO GLADIUS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

**[AND AT THE SAME TIME, LIU BEI HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

Again, Serena Sitri announced, as I used my hands to direct the rune images back to where I last saw them. And there they were, at the football camp, standing in front of one another, in a giant crater and surrounded by wholes of the same magnitute. The monkey lady was a mess, and her staff was thrown away from her, but even with that, she landed a solid punch in his chest, shattering his holy armor and bursting him by inside. In the end, a Naked Lord Nero landed on his back, defeated, and soon the emergency escape spell took his body away. Before she could do the same, Lady Ryuubi lifted a fist to the heavens and smile.

"**I HAVE... NO REGRETS DURING ANY TIME OF THIS MATCH!"** She screamed, as suddenly a flashlight inexplicably descended from the sky upon her, and vanished as soon as she landed on her back too. There goes three pieces of Nemesis, and one for Berolina.

***BOOM!***

We turned to another section of the arena, where lady Akio and lady Nadja were fighting the purple-haired witch: despite her burned clothes, both of them were fine, as the witch, who was all messed up and bruised, it was only a miracle she was still standing.

"Well, I guess this marks the conclusion of our little tête-on-tête." Said lady Akio, as she used the knots of her fingers to lift her glasses back to in front of her eyes. "I'm a little afraid that if we keep up, my power might, I dunno, break you, so I guess we can end this here and now, since you'd hardly be any match for, let's say, my glasses, so I guess we can end here to stop any more humiliation for you. Not that your own behavior and performance weren't a total shame by themselves."

"Oh~!" Lady Tasha's face went blank with that harsh speech, as she landed on her knees and, defeated, fell on her back. She was incapacitated after that one. Nothing less from the daughter of the Himejima house, a true sadist. She seemed really happy in mind-torture her little witch opponent. As always, lady Najda came for her partner and laughed a little to light the mood.

**[TASHA CAMPBELL HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

"Hey, hey, Akio, again too harsh. Would be better if you simply light her up." The black-skinned blond said, tapping lady Akio's shoulder in a friendly manner. Lady Akio tossed a glance at her, and smiled sheepishly.

"Yare, yare, stealing my fun as usual. This is not very nice, Nadja."lady Akio said. Instead of continuing the game, however, the pair simply sat on the ground and picked a pair of cup of tea from their hammerspace. This is really weird, it's like none of them are really taking this rating Game seriously. Lord Nero was holding back, either Nadja nor Akio seemed too interested now that their target was eliminated, and even Lady Aria seems out of conflict despite the fact that she could easily wipe out the floor with all of Berolina's peerage combined...

Then it hits me: none of them are really taking this **seriously**! They would trash then in seconds if they were! Hell, they would break that artificial reality if they went full force! I know this is for Berolina's sake, but somehow I feel offended by that!

"My, oh my, even with the power limiter, Rina's peerage still can't hold one against Nemesis's. This is sad, really." Lady Gremory said with a smirk, while Ojii-sama had that serious expression on that face, as we shifted to the struggling young man with the cat-girl stuck on his neck. Now she reached her legs to his hips and locked them on his stomach, cornering him from any attempt of escape. I was on the edge of my seat! C'mon, Ikkun! Just this one! You can do it!

"C'mon, Hyoodou... You're better than that... If you lose to a filthy youkai, this Raiser won't ever forgive you...!" Ojii-sama screamed under his breath, on the edge of his seat. He was sweating buckets, as Lady Gremory had an amused smile on her face. Ikkun was turning white now, as he gritted his teeth to held upon the remaining gasps of air.

"C'mon, Ichijou-nyan, just say 'I give up' and maybe we can have dinner together later, nyah." The nekomata by his back said, gripping even tighter on his neck and waist. He Boosted Geat announced another** [BOOST!]**, this means he's still struggling. In the end, he fell on his knees, and opened his mouth.

"I-I... I..." He mumbled, as ojii-sama and I were ready to scream anything to encourage the helpless Sekiryuutei. It wouldn't work, but we were on our limit!

"Yes~... Go on... You what, nyan~...!"

"I... I... I'm really sorry for this."

"Wait, wha-...?"

***BITE!***

"NY-...!"

And silence. Everything went silent now. Not because Ikkun just mercilessly bit one of Lady Ginko's tail, but because the wail she let out was so deranged, so loud that the whole arena trembled, and even the transmission for the match went awry for a few seconds. Went it came back, Ikkun's face was back to normal since the arms around his neck weren't gripping there anymore. Lady Ginko's, on the other hand, went pale completely, looking like she just saw a ghos-... Oh.

"Yeow...!" She said, releasing the Booste Gear boy and kicking him in the rear. He ended up eating dirt but it was Lady Ginko who had the worst, as she was jumping in one leg, crying for her damaged appendices. "Owowowow! You filthy dog! You bit my tail!"

"You're the one who was chocking me!"

"You **BIT** my fucking **TAIL**!"

"Well, now, we're even!" I don't even know what he means by that, and personally, I don't want to. Lady Ginko shake her tail's matter off her system, and resumed her attack against the boy. However, since he was already in his** [DRAGON SMASHER QUEEN]** form, he simply dodged in time, reappearing right in front of her! Before she could even back up a few steps, BAM!, Ikkun just punched her again in the gut. She indeed retreat a few steps, but she was so stunned, she didn't even realized the boy in front of her again!

"Not good, Nya!"

"And now, face my ultimate attack against you! And whoever is watching this, tremble in fear as I unleash my trump card!" He bombastically said, as he morphed his Sacred Gear to the standard form, and out of the central jewel, a golden Spike appeared! He leaped forward, and without any hesitation, he hit Lady Ginko right in the middle of her chest! And then...!

...

...

Nothing.

"..." And really, nothing happened. We were on the edge of our seat on the sofa, ready to see any kind of big explosion or super attack, but in the end, nothing happened. Ikkun seemed also surprised, as he made a deadpan expression, waiting for something to happen. Lady Ginko was with her eyes closed, fearing the next attack, but she opened her eyes, and her expression soon turned into a mad one.

"Kuh! For a second, you got me there, nyah! Don't you dare do that again!" She said, slapping Ikkun away, as he landed a few meters away from her. He looked very exhausted, to the point he could in any second, as lady Ginko cracked her fingers! Oh no, this is not good! "It was fun, Sekiryuutei! Your power is still very low, but don't worry, one day you'll be as strong as uncle Issei! But until then...!"

***ZOOM!* *ZOOM!***

"Nyah...?" But before she could land the final blow, two, strange and original magic runes appeared right on her chest area, right in front of each of her breasts, to be more precise. "What's that, nyah? That's the first time I see a magic circle like that, nyah!"

"Tch..." And she shifted her attention back to the boy in front of her, as he took a deep breath, gulped a few times and shot his green eyes menacingly at her. Those eyes were so filled with determination! No fear or doubt! I'm... Scared, I'm really scared. "What did I say? That's my ultimate attack against you! In fact, this is my trump card against all females around the underworld! A technique that would make even senpai tremble in shock and fear!"

"What the... Do you plan to use **[DRESS BREAK]**?! You can't, nyah!" A little confused and perhaps scared, Lady Ginko backed up a few steps, as lady Gremory, ojii-sama and I were staring firmly at the rune in front of us. A technique that would make even the Hero of the Underworld, lord Issei Hyoodou, tremble in fear?! Is that even possible?! "I'm warning you! If you use it, you'll be disqualified for breaking the rules, Nya!"

"I know, but what I'm about to unleash..." And his own devil wings sprouted out of his back. The gravity around him deepened tenfold, and then he lifted his Boosted Gear to the heavens, as his thumb and middle fingers were on the verge of snapping, a magic rule right appearing there. "... Is much... Much **WORSE**!"

"I'll not let you do that in time, Nyah!" And lady Ginko also lifted her hand, and in a few seconds, a giant sphere of Sage energy gathered there, as she was about to toss at him. However, the frowned even more, and when she was about to toss that ball of energy at him, he did it!

**"[LEVEL...]"**

***SNAP!***

**"[... ZERO!]"**

***POP! POP!***

"What the...?!"

***PFFF...***

...

"A-Ah... This is...!"

"Unbelievable!" Said Ojii-sama right next to me, seeing such scene unfold right in front of his eyes! Even I can't believe it!

"Ginko-chan!" Lady Gremory called for her.

"She is... She is...!" The scene was so shocking, I couldn't bring myself to say it! But then, Lady Ginko completed it for me, screaming at the top of her lungs...

"**FLAT! I'M FLAT! AAAAAAAH...! MY PRIDEFUL BOSOM IS GONE!"** And it happened! With just a snap of his fingers, Ikkun used a new magic to pop Lady Ginko's bosom like a ballon! Now, she was completely flat! An AA at best! She's flat! She let go of her Sphere of energy to now touched her now-smooth chest and cry for them on top of her lungs!

"**YES**! I knew it! Breasts in the underworld are one of the most precious possessions! Money?! Power?! Territory?! This is nothing compared to the power of **BOOBS**!" While Lady Ginko completely lost it when her chest went to double-D to double-A, Ichijou boosted himself, smiling like an asshole to his opponent's misery. But it did not stopped there! From her now flat chest, white astral veils left her and flew to his direction, right into his Boosted Gear and when it reached him, his body suddenly began to glow.** [BUST!]**, his Boosted Gear announced, as he used his newly-acquired stamina to stand straight. "**NOW, FEEL THE MISERY OF BEING FLAT-CHESTED, NEKOMATA! FEEL IT AND SUFFER!"**

"**NYOOOOOOOOOOOOOH...!"**

**"AND NOW..**." With the adrenaline running wild, Ikkun's Sacred Gear announced** [BUST!]** for the last time, as he gathered demonic energy on his hand and shaped it in a black ball. In the end, without a second less, he punched it with all of his might And blasted the nekomata away with a massive EXPLOSION! "**AWAY WITH YOU!"**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

**"DRAGON SHOOOOOOOT...!"**

***DOOOOOOOOOON...!***

**"NYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH...!"**

...

.

_"Oh, nekomata, forked cat..._

_away from this match you go._

_Flat as a cutting board."_

**\- "The flat-chested cat", Tsukino Ichijou.**

.

.

He did it... He actually did it...

**[AND IN AN IMPRESSIVE TWIST, GINKO FROM THE NEMESIS TEAM IS ELIMINATED BY THE SEKIRYUUTEI! FLAT AND COMPLETELY BLASTED AWAY, SHE IS ELIMINATED BY THE SEKIRYUUTEI!]**

"Well, he was right. That technique is indeed terrifying. Even lord Issei would cry in fear." Lady Gremory said. Despite her usual smile, I could see that she was trembling in fear, crossing her arms defensively in front of her chest. I tossed my gaze to ojii-sama...

"**HAHAHAHAHAH...! HE'S SOMETHING ELSE, INDEED!**" And now he stood up from his seat like a rocket, clenching both his hands in fists and trembling in excitement. He's now, both figuratively and literally, fire up!

Now, I'm between uncontrollable shaking and blazing determination, as I could see Ikkun taking his way to another place. When he was about to take the first step, however, he collapsed, completely immobile. I gasped, so did Lady Gremory and Ojii-sama, completely stopping their act. Oh, no...

Don't tell me...

"I... I can't..." I could hear him mumble, as suddenly a Gremory magic circle appeared under him. He looked confused, but the tiredness caught up with him, and he closed his eyes. Suddenly, a powerful gush of wind blew from the circle, and when it stopped, it took him a few seconds to stand up again, and when he did, Ikkun smiled devilishly._ "Oh... It looks like I'm in the rating Game. Huhuhuh... This should be fun."_

Huh? What's with that? Why did that happened? And those eyes... Under closer inspection, I noticed they were not Ikkun's, they were golden and mysterious. Without losing. Any second, That... Thing took it's way to another direction, but not before saying...

_"Don't worry, Ichijou. I'll take care of this..."_

Oh, curses. What is that? What happened to Ikkun? I looked at Ojii-sama, and he looked as clueless as me. I tossed my eyes to Lady Gremory, and she was indeed just as lost as me.

"Lady Alice, could you... Can you explain this to us?" Ojii-sama said. I turned to lady Gremory.

"I... I don't know. I'm just as lost as you, Lord Raiser." She said. In the end, she sighed, turned to us, and smiled. "But let's just watch and see what happens, right?"

Yes. She's right. Something tells me it's better to watch for a while.

I wonder what will happen...

* * *

**And this marks at least one victory, a true one, for Ichijou. Let's give him a cup of tea for now, shall we? And as you can all see, i've been playing a lot of Guilty Gear lately, so I guess some references here and there can't be that bad, right? I'm just trying to have fun aroun, I hope I've not upset anyone. Another thing that I think it might be upsetting people is the fact that Ichijou has been screaming a lot lately, huh? Truth to be told, I was actually thinking him firstly as just a meek boy with no personality, but now, he's a walking ham, deflating boobs all around the corner no, huh?**

**...**

**Issei would be probably rolling out of his grave if he had one in this story, right? It was an interesting idea, take the most importance gimmick, or at least one of them, of canon and use it as a weapon. I hope you like it. Well. Nothing more to say, stay golden, y'all!**


	24. You liar

**AND... This marks the end of this arc, plus the epilogue of this arc. I dunno, that was a pretty intense chapter even for me, and I'm kinda happy to finally put some character developments and struggles to an end. I just hope all of you don't end up hating some characters because whatnot. I'mm really happy to finish this arc, and I hope you all hope for a new arc, since I'm laso very excited about it. :3. Thanks for your support. You guys are awesome!**

**and, as always, Highschool DxD goes not belongs to me~.**

* * *

I just used everything in my power.

Literally everything.

From traps to paper-bombs, to summoning my ninja turtle Albert, to use the booby-traps I placed beforehand the match and even some ninpo techniques, yet nothing had stopped the train-track called Nemesis Gremory! And she even didn't use her Power of Destruction at full power yet!

And now, things came to end like that: I'm on a dark corner, completely wasted and out of breath, with Albert's shell right next to protect me and hide my own energy while I recover my stamina, in a destroyed room of the old building, more specifically, the original class where the old Occult Research Club used to hang out. The ceiling had been completely blown out, and the two Gremory sisters were facing each other. My booby King had bruises all over her body, her clothes were at a fanservice'd mess and she was breathing heavily, while Red Boobs II was looking at her with an air of contempt, her eight eyes and arachnid claws twitching with every passing second...

"Ready to give up yet, Rina? I'm going easy on you, and your major Bishop and Rook are out of commission. Your Queen might be okay for now, but who knows what will happen to him if I give the command." She said, blinking a few times. Gremory tensed up, but after a quick sigh, she frowned again.

"I'm not afraid, Sister! Ichijou-kun might be still new, but he's the Sekiryuutei! He'll defend my position no matter what!" She said with confidence, and I saw Nemesis-San frown even more, her pearl-like extra eyes twitching even more. She's pissed now. "And as a devil from the House of Gremory, I'll not let you win this time! You might have forsake your own gremory lineage, but I have...!"

"Shut it, Rina!" Nemesis-San cut her sentence with a venomous remark, as she was now gritting her teeth. Yes, Gremory explained that: Nemesis's affinity with her Alastor Bloodline is more linked to carnivorous beasts, mainly a spider. Thus, her general behavior in that state is more aggressive and violent. I wasn't expecting to be rude too. "Forsake... My own bloodline?! Unlike you, I don't need any mastery in just one ability just because it's from the Great King Bael, lord of all Devils! Unlike you, I chose the filthy, ridiculous power of our Father, an Alastor, to show everyone I'm not afraid of any part of my lineage! Unlike you, I'm not afraid to me! If someone has forsaken anything, it was you, RINA!"

"Tch..." My king quietly spat, as she formed another ball of Power of Destruction, and Nemesis-San extinguished her extra limbs from the black flames of her own unique ability.

The first to act was from the younger sister, as she threw her sphere of annihilation against the other one, but the former was faster, and used her lower extra limbs to jump from the ground, dodge and stuck herself on a wall. She leaped from there against her sister a second later, but Berolina were faster and tackle her in the stomach, using the closure between the two to pick Nemesis-san's shirt and toss her to a random direction. However, the older one used one of her spider arms to stuck in the floor and, turning around, she slapped her sister away with another one. Berolina went flying away and hit a wall, falling from there to the floor.

"What did I said, Rina? If you keep relying solely on your power Of Destruction and basic abilities, your own power won't have any effect against me. I know everything about you and the Bael's ability." Nemesis-San said with contempt as her sister was trying to stand up again. "Face it. Being a Rias Gremory now is a waste of time and energy! I surpassed her, and you can as well! Only stop trying to follow her!"

"Shut up..." The other Gremory said in a surprisingly ominous tone, as she lifted her gaze to her older sister and revealed her split eyes, red and multifaceted, like a fly's. She was so enraged. "Who are you... To talk about Lady Rias like that?!"

"Someone who surpassed her enough to say that her power was 'normal'." Nemesis-san said, crossing her arms. After that, Berolina almost lost control: her split eyes were almost jumping out of her orbits, and grey fur was starting to grow on her face. In the end, however, she blinked a few times, and shook her head left and right, returning to normal. Nemesis-San became visibly irritated. "I see. You're rejecting your own blood, your Alastor lineage. From our honorable father, a living legend and a paragon of the underdog, just like Issei Hyoodou and Lord Sairaorg Asmodeus."

"Don't you dare compare Lord Issei... **TO THAT WALKING FREAK**!" Gremory said one more time, shooting a ball of power of destruction from her palm. Nemesis-San casually dodged that one, and leaped again against her sister. This time, she was too fast for Berolina to keep up with it, and so Nemesis-San tackled her with her massive spider arms, tossing her to another side.

"Huh. Calling our lord Lucifer a freak. Our great-grandfather wasn't the best in his true form either." Nemesis-san said, as Berolina stood up from the ground again, her eyes covered by her bangs and stumbling a little to stand still. "But now, Prepare yourself. I'll use the Power of Destruction you respect so much to defeat you. Call it... Poetic irony."

"Tch..." The other Gremory said. Nemesis-San began to charge her own power on her palm, until it became a massive ball of annihilation. However, under closer inspection, I saw it. I saw the signal. Berolina Gremory, my dear King, smiled. "Your next line will be... 'Now, vanish from this match and see the failure lady Rias really is'!"

"Vanish from this match and see the failur-... **WHAT**?!"

"NINJA! Now!"

And that's my cue! Finally with my energy at full power, I kicked Albert's shell out of my way, hitting Nemesis-San right in her face, distracting her enough to rescue my Booby King before the stunned Nemesis-San could toss her attack! We dodged it just in time, and when the onee-San opened her eyes again, I tossed a handful of shurikens and knives at her, as Berolina boosted them with her power of Destruction!

"Pitiful! You're pitiful, Rina!" She said angrily, as she used her own extra spider arms to cover herself in a cocoon of hard exoskeleton, successfully blocking my blades but taking damage because of the P.O.D. crusted on them. "Tch! Your attacks are not gonna work on me!"

"I was counting on that!" And before she could move, I pulled a web of strings from the holes of the floor, that surrounded the older Crimson King and wrapped her in her own arm-protection! Now, she can't escape the prison the made it herself, as my strings were strong enough to hold her, not to mention that she doesn't have any space to move and she can't reach the strings with her arms without damaging herself! She's trapped! "How about that, you buggy freak!"

"RINA...!" Screamed the older sister, as she tried and failed to retrieve her spider arms. Berolina looked at me, and then made her Power of Destruction run through my strings to her sister! It hit her right in the core, and soon she was covered in black flames. "Uwoooh...!"

"We don't have much time! She'll use her own to extinguish mine!" Rina said. I nodded at her, and as fast as I could, I use all of my strength to pull Nemesis-san and start circling the string around, gaining force with each turn! In the end, I tossed her into the air, where she wouldn't escape in any way, and unwrapped her, as she was still burning! I gave the green light to my king, and she tossed a massive sphere of Power of Destruction at her sister! Nemesis-san couldn't even blocked it, and then it hit her right on! *BOOOOM!* the sphere went, and soon after, the body of Nemesis Gremory escaped from the cloud of dust from the aerial attack, and landed face-first on the floor, lifting a curtain of smoke...

And then... Silence...

...

...

I guess... This is it...

"We... We won... Ahahahah! We won! Ninja, we won!" Cheered my King, as she hugged me with those massive bazzongas and cried to the skies. I can't hear a thing from Nemesis-San, and if a king falls, this means the opponent team wins... Right? "We won! We won! For a nail, but we won!"

"Yeah... I guess..." I said, too weak to stand straight for too long. That last attack used all of my remaining strength and chi, so I can't move very well now. When I was about to fall, Gremory caught me just in time. "I'm... I'm fine. I'm just... Tired. We've been fight her since the start."

"Yes. But at least, we did it! We are awesome, and when we begin our own Occult Research club, everything will be the way it should! You, me, the witch, the monkey and Ichijou-kun!" She said enthusiastically. Even with that, I can't bring myself to smile. It's not about the match, but the fact that she rather call me 'ninja' instead of my name bothers me. And not just with me... Well, better not to think to much about it. We won! This means one step closer to beat you up, papa!

"Yes. Indeed. Thank you, Gremory, but I can walk now. Don't worry." I said as I let go of her and stood again in two legs. She nodded at me, and then turned her attention to the skies.

"Hey, Serena! We can go now! We won! We won!" She screamed, as I was also waiting for something to happen. If I recall correctly, once the match is over, the MC was suppose to announce the winner and use the escape magic to take them out of the artificial arena. However, this one was taking too long, and after a few seconds, only then I noticed something was off. "Huh... How strange. This is my first rating game, but I don't think it was suppose to take this lon-...!"

***ZOOM!***

"**GASP**! Gremory, watch out!"

"Huh...?!"

***SLASH!***

"NINJA!" It hurts... It hurts a lot! Out of the cloud of smoke, in just one second, a long, segmented and black tentacle emerged, and tried to reach for Gremory. Acting out of instinct, I pushed her from harm's way, but ended up wounded myself, as small hook-like appendices from it's borders cut my skin like a chainsaw. It also pushed me away and made me hit a wall. Once in the floor, I coughed blood, and couldn't move anymore, not because of the pain, well, not JUST because, but because my body wouldn't obey my commands... Some kind of poison, perhaps?

I turned back to the cloud of smoke that was cleaning up little by little. The dust was thick, but I distinguished a known silhouette from it. When it finally clean off, I could see the figure hidden under it: it was Nemesis-san, her clothes a mess and her ponytail undone, but still conscious, as I could see long, large and dark centipede-like appendices coming from her lower back, twitching now and then, flexing it's segments...

I don't need to be a genius to figure it out now: Nemesis-san somehow morphed her extra arms from a spider's to that... Thing, and tightened her own defenses using her flexible new arms. Shit... So close... Damn you... Alastors...

My body won't obey me, and soon enough, I felt sleepy out of the sudden, I can't use ninjitsu while m arms are numb. The possible poison the put on me is taking it's effects now; as I slowly drove to unconsciously. Shit... So close... So close... I can't... I couldn't beat her... Papa...

Papa...

[**ANNABELLE HELLSING HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

**.**

~~x~~

.

'_When I grow up, I want to be just like Rias!'_

_'Hey, onee-sama, did you know that Lady Rias had only one daughter with lord Issei?! She was also the Godmother of all of the other DxD children!'_

_'I'll have the red Dragon Emperor in my peerage too! Just like Lady Rias!'_

_'Onee-sama... Why would you do that?! Use the filthy Alastor's Metamorphosis?! You don't respect our Lineage!'_

_'I hate him! Cohen Alastor is a Freak! And you're a freak too, nee-sama! You don't deserve to be a Gremory! I hate you!'_

_'Give my pieces now, sis! Okaa-sama said I'm mature enough! Otou-sama said I'm mature enough! Give my pieces now, sis!'_

_'No! It is you who don't see, sis! As long as I can control [EXTINGUISHED STAR], I'll be fine! You underestimate Rias, you traitor!'_

_'I'm... I'm... A Gremory! And nothing else!'_

Those words echoed in my head like a hammer. Since she was born, Rina always wanted to be like our distant and honorable relative, Rias Gremory. At first, it was fine. She became determinate like Rias, intelligent like Rias, fit like Rias and innocent like Rias. She was determinate to become a true Rias Gremory, her idol, her heroine, her way of living...

However, as she grew up, that... Obsession became unhealthy: she forsaken her Alastor lineage, and our own honorable father, because he was a 'commoner freak', unworthy of a Gremory like our mother. She concentrated all of her training in the power of destruction, and simply halted it when she dominated Extinguished Star and Annihilation Nova, Rias Gremory's signature moves, even though she could reach even higher. Not to mention, she lost all of her friends when she became super-protective about her hair, and changed her eye color to resembles Rias's. That obsession made her lonely, alienated and hollow. Everything she says, Lady Rias already said. She didn't became a legacy... She became a reflex, an emotionless image from other...

Well, if words can't reach her... Maybe my fists will make her listen to me!

"S-Sister..." She muttered, turning to me, scared shitless. Yes, this is the first time she sees me in this form. I developed that form during this spring, and since she lived with that Tsukino kid since she left home, of course she'd be unfamiliar. "What... You're... You're a monster! I can't look at you! You're soiling the name of Gremory...!"

"Maybe, maybe not. Rina, now I'll show you... How Rias would be powerless against me." And I broke a rage vein, as she tensed up and threw a bunch of Black orbs at me. I took a deep breath, and with a swift move from the centipede-like arms from my back, I blew those powers of destructions away. Simple and quick, even I was speechless...

Huh, strange. Since my affinity is better with carnivorous animals, my demeanor usual is much more aggressive and brutal with my power awaken, but now... I just feel like a butterfly recently out of it's cocoon. Renewed, changed, seeing everything around me for the first time... I'm not afraid... I'm ready to take flight...

...

...

***BAM!***

"Too slow, Rina!" I said using my extra limbs to launch myself up and avoid another wave of annihilation power, landing right next to my dear sister. She gasped and jumped backwards to try to avoid me, but I picked her by the leg with my centipede limb. With that, I grinned and hit her repeatedly against the floor. "Heh... Is that all you got, **RIAS GREMORY**?!"

"Gaaaaah...!" She screamed. I finally launched her away to a wall, in which she completely broke to pieces and passed through it. Now, I can think, I can plan. This new power... Is amazing. The next moment, she took flight, and in midair, she launched another ball of power of destruction. I had an idea: I bent over, and then launched myself against that orb. When I was close enough, I turned and morphed my centipedes into a drill, and boosted them with the power of destruction. I pierced Rina's own like it was nothing, and dismissed that form once by the other side, facing a surprised and horrified Younger sister. "H-How...?!"

"Taste the power of a 'filthy commoner'!" I said, slapping her away and making her crash on her ass on the floor, lifting a cloud of smoke. I landed next to her. There she is, down and immobile. I reached for her, picked her by the collar, and made her look at me. He crossed eyes, and she grit her teeth. "So, how does it feel, being outmatch by something so low as an Alastor?"

"You... YOU...!" She lifted one of her arms and pointed at me, ready to blow a power of destruction in my face. However, I was faster, and slashed that arm away with my centipede appendices. She screamed, probably feeling the saw-move and the venom enter her system. Soon, she ceased any any movements, and she calmed down in an instant. In the end, silence, as she began to cry. "Why... Why, sister?"

"Like I've said, Rina. You're not mature enough." I said back, as she grunted a little more, and bit her lips.

"That's not fair! That's not fa-...!"

"Rina, shut up!" I outbursted. She shut up in an instant. Is only screaming I can reach at least a nail into her dense skull. "You have any idea how our father feels regarding you?! He loves you, very much, and yet you say he's a freak just because of his inherit ability and upbringing! 'Gremory should only marry strong and noble Devils' my ASS! He became a Satan just because you didn't wanted to have his surname! How about your friends, Rina?! Do you care, or even want to know about who and what they are, or know them at all?! That Ichijou brat and Annabelle had the worst childhoods ever, but I bet you didn't even knew that! Rias Gremory was not like that, Rina! NOT AT ALL!"

"...!" And after that one, she gasped in horror, only to begin to cry, tears coming down her eyes as she grimace in pain and heartbreak. Is the worst for her, being someone not worth to look like Rias. It looks like that's the only way to pass through her thick skull. But that's not enough. She'll forget that by tomorrow. There's only one way to tattoo this lesson for her. I lifted one of my hands and created a small ball of power of destruction there. She gasped in surprise. "N-Nemesis...?!"

"You know what, Rina?! I'm done talking with you! There's only one way to make you remember that lesson." And then I Approached my burning hand next to her. "I'll burn that filthy Gremory hair with the power of destruction you're so proud of! Let's see how you're gonna react, being betrayed by your own ability!"

"A-Ah... Please, don't. Nemesis! Anything but that...!" She screamed, as I approached even more. During a few seconds, she stayed a little shaken, probably thinking I was bluffing or anything, but as soon it was just a few centimeters away, she began to scream, cry and beg, crying rivers and pleading for me to stop. Maybe it's the Alastor blood, but I'm enjoying this more than I should. "Please! Sis! I beg of you! Don't do this! Stop! Stop! Stop! I give u-...!"

***PUNCH!***

*UGWAH...!"

"Would you shut up for a second? I'm trying to concentrate here." I punched her right in the throat, and so she indeed quiet down, despite the fact that her body was still twitching and eyes wide open in horror. She's still struggling, even with that impeding doom. Maybe I should start by the longer locks, or at least burn the top of her head whole, it will be much faster. "I'm actually glad that you asked for a Rating Game, Rina. Maybe it was the best for you. Now, don't move, you might get hurt..."

"P-Please, don't do it, sister..."

"And who will stop me? Better close your eyes and wait for it to hap-..."

[**HIMEJIMA Akio HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!]**

**[AND AT THE SAME TIME, NADJA SUSTRAI TOO! THE SEKIRYUUTEI IS ON A ROLL!]**

Those words coming from Serena Sitri shocked me. What the... Did she said Sekiryuutei?! He really just put both of my bishops out of commission?! No, it cannot be. I mean, Aria said that he would put a match at least against Nadja or Nero, but to put Ginko, Akio and Nadja all during ONE match?! Unbelievable!

"No... It must be my imagination..." I said to no one, shaking my head and returning my attention to my stupid sister on my grasp. "I'll deal with you, Rina, then I'll see what's going on out there..."

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Eh...?"

***BOOOOOM!***

"SHIIIIIIIT...!" And again out of blue, a great explosion by the other side of the wall blasted a door open, and by it, with her ass on flames, there she was my dear queen Aria Argento was launched to our direction, standing on two feet and scarring the floor with her feet deeply stuck there. Another thing: she became an AA-cup for some reason!

"Aria...?" I said to her, loosing the grasp on my sister and trying to reach for her, but she turned around to me, eyes wide open.

"Nemis, get down!" She said, but it was too late. A Crimson flash passed in an instant around us, and when I knew better, I looked at my hand and Rina was gone! I didn't even felt it when it was too late! I frenetically looked for her, and my eyes landed on a certain brunette across the room. He was with Rina on his arms, and he didn't looked tired at all. Somehow, he was... Different now.

"I-Ichijou... -kun...?" My sister, whom was also awed by his new display of power, said with her trembling voice. The lad, who had a confident smile and a new light on his eyes, smiled back to her.

"Almost. Almost, dear Rina." The boy said, as he put her down in a nearby wall and let her rest, while he turned to me, and summoned his Boosted Gear. "But for now, just sit there. I, your honorable Queen, will defeat her for you!"

"Aaah..." Rina wilded her eyes in total shock and surprise, as she began to cry again. However, this time, she had a growing smile in her face, and nodded to his words. "Uh-huh! I believe in you, Ichijou-kun!"

"Aria, you may rest for now. I think I'll have to deal with this prick myself." Aria gasped in surprise, looking at me, concerned. I know I'm dealing with the Sekiryuutei, somehow with his ego and self-esteem boosted to the heavens, but I'm curious. Really curious about that new behavior. Before she could protest, ***WHACK!***, I hit her right on he back of her neck with one extra limbs, putting her out of commission as the Emergency exit took her away. With that out of the way, I turned to Ichijou, as he was cracking his knuckles. "I like your new hair, Ichijou-kun. That stupid Crimson cowlick really suits you."

"Thank you, Nemis. It does suits me, right?" He said, strangely too happy for me. Now he's massaging his chest area, with a grin on his face for some reason. "This body does suits me as well. Look at that flat chest. Not even muscular. Granted, I wasn't that good either."

"What are you talking abou-...!"

***VOOSH!***

"What the...?!"

"However..."

***BOIM! BOIM!***

"You're pretty gifted, arentcha, spawn of Sirzechs?" In an instant, he disappeared into the dust, and in another one, he appeared right behind me, only to reach for my breasts to grope them. I let out a shameful moan. Curses! Since when he became so fast!

"Why you...!" I tried to reach for him using my centipedes, but he simply jumped out of the way, far away enough to avoid even those. He's more agile now, too. Did the training did that to him? No, Aria said he learned a thing or two, but nothing too worry about. He would survive, but not become this strong. Besides, those lights in his eyes... "Who... Who are you? Are you really Ichijou-kun? The heir of the Red dragon Emperor Legacy, Tsukino Ichijou-kun?"

" of course I am. At least is what everyone thought so far." He said with a psychotic smirk. That pissed me off beyond all reason, and soon enough, I gathered a small ball of power of Destruction and tossed at him in high speed! He simply dodged to a side, still with that grin, but unknown to him, I used my magic to remotely control the direction of that ball. From behind him, the black sphere made a turn and before he could react to it, hit him right in the back! Is it over? No, I can still sense some danger coming from the curtain of dust the impact just left... But then, *VAPT!*, something came out of it in a blink of an eye!

"Curses...!"

***ZOOM!***

"Is that all you got? I'm disappointed, Nemesis." I heard that sarcastic tone whispering in my ear. I turned around, but something pushed me hard enough for me to lose balance and came down crashing a wall in the way and forcing my way outside the building into the destroyed baseball camp.

"Ugh...! Curse you, Sekiryuut-...!" I emerged from the broken pieces of concrete and bricks to again try an offensive against that lad, however, the sight in front of me simply let me speechless. No... It cannot be! Red scales, golden spikes, dragon claws and fiery looking helmet. Shit, he already reached that level?! Aria, what the hell did you do to him?! "A-Ah! What the hell?! This is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible as long as my king Needs me! I shall protect her and destroy everything that stands in our way!" A voice, without a doubt Ichijou's, echoed from inside that red armor, as he unfolded a pair of massive, dragonic wings out of his back and screamed at the top of his lungs. "BEHOLD! THIS IS THE FULL POWER OF THE RED DRAGON EMPEROR, THE CRIMSON HEAVENLY DRAGON OF DOMINATION, WHICH ONLY ONE CAN SURPASS!"

[**BOOSTED GEAR, BALANCE BREAKER: SCALE MAIL!]**

"So, this is the legendary Red Dragon Emperor's Balance Breaker." I said. Putting aside our little spar, I'm really impressed by his display of power. Curses, this almost brings me to tears, to finally be able to see the Boosted Gear's Balace Breaker this close. I shook those feeling away and prepared myself for the clash. In gathered as much magic as I could for the moment and shot a massive fireball against that armor!

***BOOM!***

"Your lack of power disturbs me, Nemesis Gremory!" I heard from afar, as the sphere of flames in the front of me simply exploded sideways, revealing under the inferno it left the scale mail armor, completely Unscratched. "Now, it's my turn!"

And then, he did the same: he pointed one of his palms to me and a magic circle was drawn there. Out of it, an even bigger fireball, at least ten times my own, was shot against me! I used my extras limbs to leap out of the way in time, and then it exploded. An explosion so massive it broke part of the arena's own reality.

Another blink, and he was again in front of me, those strangely golden eyes shining with contempt and arrogance. In an instant, he picked one of my arms and threw me at a distance! In midair, I threw another barrage of power of destruction at him, all useless when he was fast enough to dodge all of them. He finally reached for me, and punched me right in the gut. However, using my remaining strength, I wrapped one of my centipedes around his arm and used another one to slap him away. It worked, and so he crashed on the floor, as I used my wings to glide and safely land in an safe distance from him.

What the hell happened? He's a lot more assertive than before. I didn't forced him to do anything, and he probably would still be oh so awkward next to me. Besides, he couldn't have reached Balance Breaker in such low timespan, nor maintain it for so long. Something's wrong. Possession? Lost heritage? No, it can't any of those... I saw a shadow standing up for a distance! It's him again! So, normal attacks won't have any effect on him. I never thought someone would push me this far, but he won't go down if I hold back.

"Impressive, Sekiryuutei. Your power indeed grew in the past days, and I must say, never thought you would push me this far, but this ends now!" I said, lifting my hand up and seeing the magic restriction seal break there. At full power now, I extended my Centipedes and pointed every single one of they little crawlers to the sky, as well as my own hands. From them, dozens of small spheres of power of destruction came, filling the emerald green skies with darkness. I lifted a finger, and pointed it down in a single move. "TASTE THE POWER OF REALITY! [VANISHING NEBULA!]"

And under my mute command, those balls of power of destruction came down crushing everything on it's way! Like a meteorite shower, those small spheres came violently raining on the small spot on the other side of the arena, on that same spot of the Sekiryuutei. With enough force to drain his energy, but at least give him enough time to safely exit the arena!

After a few seconds of constant fire, my own demonic energy came to an thin end, as I stopped myself and, almost out of breath, waited for the best. Serena Sitri didn't announced nothing yet, but after that one, it's impossible for him to endure such power for so long, even with the Scale mail armor. But my fears were awaken the moment I heard a metallic sound coming from the massive hole I've created.

"Oh, no... That's impossible..."

"You're pathetic, Nemesis!" I heard from the crater, and in an instant, dragon wings completely open, the Sekiryuutei majestically emerged to the skies, making a twist on the air to finally land by the other side of the hole. "As long As I'm still standing, there's no way for you to defeat me!"

"What's going on?! You're not Ichijou! It's impossible!"

"C-Can you see now, sis?" I turned around when I heard that new voice. She was hurt, she was stumbling, but Rina managed to walk away from her place on the old building and walk to beside me. She was smiling, and tears of joy were comic down of her eyes. She was filled with hope! "Is just like Rias and Issei. No matter what who or what they are, the Sekiryuutei will always come to our aid and help his King. Using his own power and determination, he'll come to break every harm towards us. He's... He's the champion!"

"No... No!" I said. No, she don't understand! That's not Ichijou! He's not following anyone! At least... At least it was what Aria told me! What's going with him?!

"Face it, sis... No matter what you do, I'll become like Rias! I'll be... The new Rias Gremory, of the Gremory house!"

"Shut up!" I tossed a sphere of demonic energy at her, but a Crimson flash crossed my way, and in another second, she was gone. I followed the trace left by the blur, and as I expected, there it was the Scale Mail Armor, holding Rina bridal-style, like he was her knight in shining armor! This... This can't be happening...

"Well said, Rina. Or should I said... Future President of the Neo-occult research club?" The armor said, as Rina gasped in surprise, only to cry again and smile. She looked so happy now, so calm. He put her down and then turned to me, making a battle stance soon after. "Wait for it, My King, this match... Ends now!"

Why are you doing this, Tsukino Ichijou? I know you might care about her, but that obsession of her is beyond healthy! You're smart, you should've noticed! But instead, you're just feeding this idea. Can't you see, Tsukino Ichijou? You're just spoiling her fantasies, making her believe you'll always have her back when her power won't be enough. I just want her... To face reality and break the walls she builder around herself... Why can't you see?!

And he leaped in my direction again, fists ablaze, ready to clash with me! So he's not up for a talk or at least see my reason. That's fine! Even if it's not today, I'll let Rina know she's wrong! I won't let her kill herself just because she can't let go of her fantasy! And if even the red dragon emperor stays in my way, so be it! I'll defeat even him! I lifted my fist, and readied myself against that monster!

"This is the end, **NEMESIS GREMORY**!"

"It is Indeed, **TSUKINO ICHIJOU**!"

I stomped hard on the floor, clenched my fist as strong as I could and screamed for him! Yes! This will be the end! And he was coming! And coming! And coming! And then finally...

***PUNCH!***

...

...

"Ugh... Ugh..."

"What...?" I extended my fist and closed my eyes to stand the future shock, but after all of that, nothing happened. I felt nothing, and everything stopped out of the sudden. Did I lost? He was so fast I couldn't tell. I risked opening an eye, and seeing clearly now, he was not even close to me. He stopped right a few meters before the clash. But his hand was in another direction: not against me, but himself. He punched himself in the face, so hard his helmet broke.

There's really something odd happening with this guy today...

"What do you think... You're doing... **Yagura**?!" He screamed, as suddenly the core of his armor in his chest began to glow, and then exploded, the shockwave alone enough to send him backwards in highspeed. He flew for a few seconds, and then hit the floor, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. And then it stopped. He stayed like that for a few seconds, and stood up like a rocket from the floor, angrily shouting to his red gauntlet. "Oh, that's so mature of you! It's not my fault you wanted my body to do God-knows-what! I'm sick of being a toy to everyone!"

"I-Ichijou... -kun...?" Rina said next to him, as her face changed to a curious and heartbroken one. I wasn't understanding a thing, but I didn't had time for that as he turned to me and frowned.

"Hey, Nemesis-San, it's **me**." He said, extending his left armored hand to me and looking at me deep in the eyes. "Sorry about that. My Boosted Gear kinda got out of control, and only now I made it."

"Huh...?" He said 'out of control', yet, he mastered Balance Breaker in that moment alone. This lad is weird, this means he knew what was going on, and instead of letting himself win, he halted his transformation and punched himself in control again. I can't believe it. "Why?"

"What?"

"You... Knew what was going on, didn't you? Why would you stop? Why would you lose your chance to win this match?" I asked, as I could see Rina behind him, quietly wondering the same thing by the look in her eyes. Instead of doing something drastic, however, Ichijou simply sighed, and scratched his nose, sniffing soon after.

"Why? I dunno, maybe because I'm an idiot." He answered. "I'm an idiot who doesn't want to make Aria-San and Hwan Jin-Yong feel bad about themselves. They wasted they time training me, I'll be upset if they get sad because I awakened this power out of the blue."

My transformation ceased the moment he finished. Rina and I wilded our eyes to this simple sentence. He said that he doesn't want to upset those two. That's... That's actually pretty noble. Stupid, yes, but he simply doesn't care about this match in a way. I'm actually speechless. He did grew up, huh. I don't know if he wants to look cool, or is just his honor speaking louder than his reason, but he is indeed... Cool.

"What are you saying, Ichijou-kun?! You had the Balance Breaker! Use it! Use it again and beat Nemesis! Please! Defend me!" Rina, now crying, screamed to the boy in front of him. Her heart was broken, and she no longer could stand up after that blow. In the end, she was reduced to a crying pile of nothing. He turned to him, and sighed. "Please... Lord issei... Lord issei would never..."

"Rina..."

"Tsukino Ichijou, I love your spirit!" I screamed back, making him return his attention to me. I meant to say that I'm elated about his grown, but I guess he took it on the wrong way, since he blushed a little and looked at me surprised. I sighed one more time, and said. "And as a token of my trust... I'll defeat you with my strongest technique."

With that warning, I sharpened my stare, and took a deep breath, enough to regain the remaining power left inside me. All charged up, I extended my arm for him and Rina, and in a second, I blasted a massive beam of power of destruction at them. Rina was immobile, and Ichijou faltered for a second in surprise. However, he sharpened his eyes, straight his stance, and gathered demonic energy on his left hand, pulling it together with his fist.

**[DRAGON SHOT!]**, he announced, as he punched that sphere and unleashed his own hell. Those blasts collided, and like waves against each other, they ascended to the heavens using each other as they struggle against each other. In the end, however, the expected outcome happened, and soon my own power overcame his own. He and Rina were engulfed in darkness, but the only thing I heard from him before the emergency magic take him away was...

"Tch... You liar."

***BAAAAAAAM...!***

...

**...**

**[AND CHECKMATE! WHAT A BATTLE! THE HOLY KNIGHT, THE ILLUSORY CAT, THE FEARSOME NEW TECHNIQUE OF THE RED DRAGON EMPEROR, THE ROOKIES FROM TEAM BEROLINA SHOWING WHAT THEY CAN DO, AND THE LEGENDARY BALANCE BREAKER OF THE SEKIRYUUTEI! THIS MATCH WAS INSANE! BUT EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY HAS TO COME TO AN END! AND THE WINNER OF THE GREMORY-VS-GREMORY MATCH IS NEMESIS!]**

I was so tired that I ended up falling on my posterior, taking deep breaths, but smiling soon after. Yeah... I won. But I think I'm not the only one who did.

"Maybe that Gremory and that Sekiryuutei were made for each other, after all..."

.

**~~OMAKE~~**

.

Nemesis - Maybe that Gremory and that sekiryuutei were made for each, other after...

Alice - Indeed~.

**ALICE SHIPPING LIST: BerolinaXIchijou(Crimson legacy); YokoXIchijou(fluffy tail); Ninja X Ichijou(red shadow); GinkoXIchijou(cat-astrophe); AriaXIchijou(Red-red-love); RavenXIchijou(Tsundere love)**

Raiser - Please, don't do this, lady Gremory.

* * *

**And... This is it. Granted, a season finally full of twists, and maybe an open way to numerous other arcs. The longest arc for my already longest fic. I'm sorry if this was kinda unsatisfactory, but is all i can do for now. I'll try my best! Thanks for reading, and stay golden as always.**

**OPENING ARC: COMPLETED.**

**CRIMSON KINGS CLASH ARC: COMPLETED.**

**VAMPIRE-DEVIL REUNION ARC: TBA.**

**PS: What do you guys think of the DxD born dub? I personally like it very much, specially the third episode. "Hey , monkey douchebag, how's my buddy Vali doing?". Heheheh, you can't pull this up in japanese.**


	25. A not-so-nice doctor

A**nd now another filler chapter. C'mon now, after the intensity of the previous arc plus some more stupidity, it was only a small pause from all of the insanity that is happening right now. I'm sorry for that, the action will be back soon enough, so either way, I hope yoall enjoy the new chapter, a longer one this time. :3. As always, stay golden~.**

**Highschool DxD does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

"Didn't you said you want to become a Protagonist, Ichijou? Well, I made you one for a few seconds, yet, you rejected my power in the last second. What gives?"

And I'm in my dream classroom again, sitting on one of the tables and staring at the redhead girl in front of me, now with her hair loose and still wearing Kuoh's uniform. She looked upset about something, and I had an idea what it was...

I withdrew my victory against Nemesis-San, hesitated in the last second, and lost without a single doubt. I wouldn't even have a chance against her in full-power. But... That scale mail thing, the Balance Breaker of the Sekiryuutei, is indeed a powerful ability. I want to use it one of these days, but for now... I should train more to acquire it myself.

"Like I've said, I'm an idiot." I shrugged, crossing my arms and sighing to look cool as possible. The answer came soon after: Yagura punched me so hard I opened a whole by the other wall.

"Indeed an idiot! Have you any idea how hard it is to control a Balance Breaker with your body?!" She said, as I stood up from the floor and coughed some concrete. Damn it, I know is kinda too late to say this, but how come all of those girls are so goddamn STRONG?! "It's not easy, I tell ya! Blast! I think I broke something that time!"

"W-What... You bitch! You used my body just to break it?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I said back, as I walked towards her angry as all hell! She flash-stepped in front of me and picked me up by the collar.

"You shut up, you shitty virgin! If you have trained your body right, you wouldn't be needing anything more to archive Balance Breaker! You're weak; weak; weak!" She hammered my mind with those words. I had it with her bitchness, so I picked her by the wrist she was holding me with and screamed back.

"Who are you calling weak, you freaking CUTTING BOARD?! I'm trying my best, and you bet your hardass that I'll archive this Balance Breaker in a better way than you!"

"Hah! I'd love to see you try, and who the hell you calling a Cutting Board! I have you know, I'm a full B-cup!"

"'B' as in 'Board'! **BOARD**!"

"Why you...!"

And we clashed faces, frowning and growling at each other like mad dogs, or just two idiots doing nothing. In the end, however, we sighed to each other, and she pushed me away, making me fall on my ass. That mood-swing again, girls are really a pain to deal with.

"Are you serious? Doing all of this, losing the match, the trust Berolina put into you and your own honor as the current Sekiryuutei, because you would feel bad?" She said in a rather curious tone. I thought she would be mad at me or even shuffling that lost into my face, but instead, she seemed genuinely curious.

Now that I think about it, that sounds really dumb, a stupid thing to do in the heat of the moment. But, for some reason... Yeah, I'd feel bad for Hyung and Aria-San. Besides, Senpai trained as hard as me, hell even harder, at mt. Issei back in the days to archive Balance Breaker, and to let a Deus-Ex-Machina like that happen to me... Not very appealing for me, thank you. I'd rather train and reach it myself.

"Kinda stupid, right? I'm stupid. I should be greedy, ruthless and a complete dick, but I'm just the hardheaded idiot whose pride almost got him killed. Must be because my sisters would made a pendulum out of me if I ever cheated in games." I sighed, as Yagura suddenly puffed her cheeks. Geez, not a single change to mock me can be lost, right, you bitch? Being a pendulum is not Cool, and I have a x-Ray of my fucked-up ankles to prove.

"Tch... You said you have pride, yet invented** [LEVEL ZERO]**."

"It was a homage to you." I said, as a grin grew on my face, and an ominous one on hers. Oh, it looks like my fire magic can also be shot from my mouth.

"Whatever. The enemy this time was too strong for you. And I could feel that they were holding back. In a serious fight, all of you would have been killed." She said, as she turned away from to face the blackboard. I gulped. So it's true, they were holding back. Two children of Senpai, a nekomata and a dragon, to think we would at least stand a chance is a laughable Ide-...

No... Of course not. We can become stronger, we can surpass them. Even if takes years, definitely we will do it. Besides, I'm the Sekiryuutei and the queen of Gremory's peerage, and yet I'm the weakest and the most inexperienced one. When I reach Balance Breaker and beyond, Who knows what those chicks will be able to do by such point.

"Maybe you're right." I said, as she turned around, sat on the teacher's table and looked at me, eagerly waiting for my response. I pinched my own cheek one more time, and smiled again. "But only for now! Just give me a few years, and I'll kicking asses flat as yours!"

"Hah! You're so pathetic, it's adorable!" She said with a grin as wild as mine. She said that, but I think she's really expecting me to be strong. Well, I'll prove it to her! Before I could say something more challenging, however, she lifted her fingers and put her middle one and thumb on the verge of snapping. "Very well, Tsukino Ichijou, but are you really worth the power..."

***SNAP!***

"... Of this big guy?"

***DOOOOOON!***

And then in an instant, the whole class trembled, and out of nowhere, the wall supporting the blackboard exploded, as well as the others beside it. From the other side, by Yagura's back, I saw a glimpse of something. I couldn't distinguish what it was, but it was big, enormous, covered in flames. It looked like a massive western dragon with red scales and golden spikes all over his body, but with a few body parts missing, with lava and an Crimson aura around instead. Holy shit, This is awesome! And... Holy shit, what the hell is that?!

**[SO, ARE YOU MY NEW HOST?]**

"What...?!" I asked, as that massive thing make those words echo in my head. Wait, did he said 'host'?! Don't tell me... This big thing, is the Heavenly Welsh Crimson dragon, Ddraig?! Those big, shiny emerald eyes stared at my soul, and quietly demanded an answer. I stood up, and nodded. "Y-Yes! I'm the new... Host of the Sacred Gear..."

**[HUH. MAYBE YOU WONT BE SO BAD. BUT DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SURPASS THE PREVIOUS USER, THE HERO OF THE UNDERWORLD, AS WELL AS THE OTHERS BEFORE HIM AND YOU?]**

"..." I gulped. Shit, now I'm nervous. This big thing is asking me if I'll have enough force to surpass Senpai. I have the courage to try, but now that I'm facing the true power inside that Boosted Gear of mine, I'm starting to doubt myself. "I... I don't know... I don't know."

**[...]**

"But... But I'll try! Yes! Even if I can't reach as high as Senpai! I'll try and make a legend out of my own! You can bet on it!"

[**GOOD. DETERMINATION! BUT ONLY THAT WON'T BE ENOUGH! BUT IF YOU WISH THAT, I'LL ACCOMPANY YOU IN THIS QUEST.]**

"T-Thank you!"

**[I LOOK FORWARD IN WORKING WITH YOU... PARTNER.]**

And the dragon started shining in front of me, as the massive power destroyed the rest of the classroom and blinded me with a Crimson spark. Suddenly, I feel myself floating again, and little by little, I drove away...

**Partners**, huh...?

.

~~x~~

.

"Uhh~... Uhh~..." I should really start building some more stamina. I don't want to fall asleep now and then, this is really getting annoying, and every time I do that, I always end up in a new place. I swear, this freaks me out every time. The first thing I noticed in this place was the fact that everything was white and clean. I'm in a hospital room, now.

***WIGGLE! WIGGLE!***

"What...?" Just now I've realized: that was a elevation by under the medical blanket. And no, it wasn't the infamous morning wood, but rather, it was a massive bump moving under the covers. Oh, shit, don't tell me it's another medical session! I'm done with girls laying on me naked! But, wait, I'm using the typical hospital set of pants and shirt, so I can't be naked! Suddenly, that bump under the sheets moved, and then began to crawl in my direction, until it finally popped by the border.

"Good morning and greetings from the world under the cover, Tsukino Ichijou-kun!" It's Serena-kaichou! What the hell is she doing here?! No, calm down, Ichijou, she's a mature, older young woman who just so happens to be under your blanket. It's probably nothing, really. "How do you feel? Better~?"

"Yeah, kinda." I said, as I lifted one of my hands to clench it. Yep, good as new. However, I noticed that the sleeve of my garment was too short to cover even half of my upper arm. In fact, I feel that my whole shirt is stretched-up, save for my chest area. Wait. "Uh~... Kaichou, what are you doing?"

"Healing you."

"..."

***VAPT!***

I knew it! I knew it! She was sleeping in here! She's not just under my blanket, but also under my SHIRT! And NAKED! She's NAKED! I crap, I feel nipples down there! She's touching me with her BOOBS!

"W-What the hell, Kaichou?!" I said back, soon covering my mouth to avoid a scream. I'm in a hospital after all, and if someone has a wrong idea, they might come to this room and see me with her! Shit, gotta stay calm, calm, calm... "Kaichou, what are you doing?"

"Healing you. Since you were asleep and a little shaken, I thought it would be a good idea to heal some of your bruises myself. Don't worry; my clothes are over there." She tilted her head to a side to make her point, as I saw some undergarment and clothes by the other side. Oh, so she indeed Invaded my bed.

"Okay~... So why do that? I mean, I am in a hospital, after all." I asked, gulping and turning my head to a side to avoid eyeing anywhere below her neck, get out of control and do something I might regret. Damn it, with this hospital Gown, she'll definitely see my hard-on.

"Well, can't I simply want to tease my little ko-ha-i~? Besides, you already saw a lot of women naked already, one more won't make a difference~." She sing-said, as I bit my tongue to maintain self-control. Shit! It's not because I already saw a bunch of naked ladies that I'm used to it! She touched my cheek, and started poking me there. "Hey, c'mon now, mr. Stud. You were rolling the hell out of it during the rating game, don't be a shy guy, now~."

"It... It was the heat of the moment, you know I'm not like that all the time." I said, soon slapping myself on the forehead realizing how awfully suggestive that sentence is. I'm shit now. Damn it~. She giggled under my shirt, As I could feel her breasts jiggling on me, and slid down way... Wait what?! "H-Hey, kaichou!"

"Relax, now, I'm just getting out. You'll explode if this goes on. You have really cute reactions." She said, as I could feel her slid down to out of my shirt and roll back to a side, using the sheets to cover her body as she walked to that table to pick and put her clothes on. She turned to me, and smiled. "Oh; yeah. When Rina is sleeping with you, please put THAT away from her. It might scare her for life in the morning."

Wait, is she talking about my... **GAH**!

"Shit...!" And faster as a I could, I folded my blankets and mounted the resulting mess on the area below my waist, while Kaichou broke a fit of laughs. Shit! This is so embarrassing! "S-Shut up! It's not funny, Kaichou!"

"I hate to disagree!" She said. I sighed out of pity of myself and lied down on my own misery again. Calm down, it'll go away. "But, seriously, you were really cool during the match! All those moves, all those ideas and that... Special technique you did on Ginko-chan..."

"..." And she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Huh, I guess Devils do love breasts a little too much. The match was intense, yes, but what's upsetting me was the fact that Yagura took control of my body and trashed everyone around in a matter of minutes. Not even Nemesis-san's strongest attack put a match against her and the Balance Breaker. Who is she, anyway? And she looked so familiar with that dragon, Ddraig. Maybe it's because they're sharing the Boosted Gear, but how and why is that? Ugh~, maybe later, I feel awful. "Hey, Kaichou. How was I, using Balance Breaker I mean."

"Oh, that was the coolest! You went all *ZOOM ZOOM IYAAAN* and pretty much whacked Nemesis-nee all the way! I can't believe you activated in so little time, though." She said all excited. I looked at my left hand and frowned at it. Thank you, Yagura, but next time I'll trigger Balance Breaker myself. "I'm really impressed!"

"Don't be. It was... Just luck."

"...?"

"Just... Luck."

"Well, suit yourself. It was cool, I can tell! I almost got hoarse with all that screaming!" She laughed off, only to have a coughing fit. I smacked her a few times in the back, and she came back to normal. "Thank you very much. Well, it looks like you're good for now. I'll bring some lunchboxes for you to eat. You must be hungry!"

***GROAN~***

And the moment she said that, my stomach groaned in hunger. How long have I passed out? Probably half a day, if not more. I looked outside, and yes, I'm in the underworld. It's a little brighter now, so it's probably the day after the rating game. No wonder I'm hungry. I nodded to her.

"Okay, then. I'll be right back! What do you want? Normal lunchboxes or some common food her-...?"

***BOOOOOM!***

"Ugwah...!" And before Serena-kaichou could pass the door, a wall beside it suddenly exploded, and then out of it, a tall man wearing a butler suit fell and slid on the floor and hit the wall, crashing some windows. He had black back-slicked hair, pale skin and a very bright brown eye, since the other one was pierced by two fricking needles! "Please, lady Mary, listen to me! Lord Cohen only wants to know how is her daughters's state. I beg you, don't do anything harsh to me!"

"The eldest is having an orgy with sir Gladius's harem and the youngest doesn't want to talk with anybody. For Lord's sake, tell Cohen that this is a hospital!" I heard from the other side of the hole. I bent over from my sitting stance, and looked at it: there was a tall, pretty and slender woman with bright green wavy hair with several ribbons wrapped in them, fair skin and equally emerald eyes, wearing a medical coat over an tight leather black jumpsuit and carrying several needles with her. Behind her, there was another... Thing, with a human female figure, yellow eyes with black sclerae and long blond hair with a ferocious cowlick sticking out of the top, wearing a nurse's outfit, strangely enough wrapped all around with bandages with strange symbols. "One more thing for that idiot... DONT. MESS. WITH ME. AT WORK!"

"A-Ah...!" And the other brunette flinched, standing up to face his enemy(?) And lifting his hand in a surrender gesture. "Please, hear me out, lady **Mary Beelzebub**! Lord Cohen wants proofs that I went here to examine his daughters, Lady Berolina and Lady Nemesis. I must talk, or at least see them!"

"Out of my hospital! Tell Cohen to look up for his dick first, that filthy cockroach!"

"P-Please, Lady Mary...!"

"Kataria."

***ZOOM!***

"What the, a magic portal?!"

"Ciao!"

***KICK!***

"LADY MAAaaaaryyy~...!"

***ZOOM!***

"Much better." Some explanations and time are needed now. I just saw that new guy trying reasoning with that Lady Mary, before she had enough with him and made her nurse open a portal to another dimension to kick him in. Wait, isn't Gremory's father's name Cohen? So he really care about her daughters. The young woman from before now focused her eyes on me, calming down now. "I'm terribly sorry about it. That Cohen douchebag would've cause massive damage not only here, but all the underworld."

"A-Ah... No, I understand." I said, bowing a little in respect. The other said something about 'Beelzebub'. That's the title of the Manager of Science and Research in the underworld, if I can recall right. She must be the current Satan of such. "Uh~... Good morning... Afternoon... Night... Lady Beelzebub."

"I'm doctor Beelzebub here, thank you very much."

"What...?"

"Now, Let's see how you are doing." And out of her pocket, she picked a chained pencil and tossed it to one of the corners of my bed, only to pull it out and picked the diagnosis board she just stabbed in there. She examined it and said it clear and loud. " 'Ichijou Tsukino; former human now devil; sixteen years; Berolina Gremory's Queen and the current Host of the Boosted gear'. Let's see: exhaustion, rigid muscles, some fractures, a broken left arm burns caused by the Power of destruction plus his own pathetic defeat by the hands of Nemesis Gremory."

***BAM!***

"Please don't do this. As a doctor, I'd hate to put 'recent concussion' on this list." She said that, yet she was the one who made me look like shit. 'Pathetic defeat', well, we didn't win, so that's that. I sighed, as now the doctor noticed Kaichou still kinda frozen by the door, and shot her arrows with her eyes.

"You. What are you doing here? Visitors must wait outside when the doctor comes." Lad-... Doctor Beelzebub said, her tone so acid and threatening I can feel my own blood freeze. Kaichou smiled a little and laughed it off nervously. "Out."

"Y-Yeah, but I just want to know what kinda of Boxlunch Ichijo-..."

"**OUT**."

And with that, Serena-Kaichou gulped hard and waved a goodbye before going out of the room, leaving me alone with the doctor and her bandaged assistant(?). She turned back to me and sighed, adjusting her monocle on the left eye and picking a nearby chair to sit on it.

"So sorry. Hospital's policy, no visitors during tests and check-ups." She said, her tone low enough to see that she really mean it. I nodded to her. "Nothing too serious, nothing everlasting. However, you'll be sore for a few weeks and I'll have to put your left arm in a plaster cast, since you're still living in the human world and can't walk around with magic rune in it. I'll have to change your bandages as well."

"Okay." I said. Only now I noticed: I'm covered in bandages on my entire chest and stomach. Plus the pain in my left arm. Maybe the adrenaline was still running wild from that dream. Lady Beelzebub called her 'assistant' with a hand signal, and she approached me, a medical box at hand. I leaned forward and turned my back to them.

"Now, it'll only take a few seconds, so you better don't make a ruckus. If you do, then I'll have to sedate you." She said in such calm tone I couldn't help it but shiver. Is she... Is she threatening me? I dunno, but this is freaking me out. A few seconds later, I felt the cold metal of a scissor smoothly pass on the skin of my back, and ***TIC!***, make a small sound of clashing blades, as the bandages around my chest loosed a little.

It didn't take long for her to run the scissors all the way from my lower spine to the middle of my back, taking those old bandages off to roll another one on my chest and stomach. I took a glimpse from inside of it, and saw several bruises and cuts around that area, plus a few burn marks, but nothing but a few red points. Man, the match was that intense.

"And we are finished here." She said, as she picked me by the shoulders and made me turn around to face her. "Now, I want you to lift your left arm so that I can put the cast on it."

"Okay." I said, as I slowly lifted my left arm for her. A sting of pain hit me right there, and I grimace, but after taking a deep breath, I did it, as she picked my hand and made me extend my arm. It was all swollen and bruised. "Uh... Doctor Beelzebub, don't you need bandages and plaster to put a cast on?"

"Not for me. Kataria!" Still holding my arm, she turned her head around to face her assistant, probably a member of her own peerage, while the other immediately extended her own arm with her fingers, also bandaged, all stretched up. That confused me a little bit, and so Doctor Beelzebub simply picked her assistant's middle finger, pull it out with vigor and then...

***DOOON...!***

"Gah! What the hell...!" And then it happened: doctor Beelzebub pulled her assistant's arm so violently that the bandages around it looses up and unravel all the way to her elbow. However, instead of an arm, she pulled the horn of a massive white 'leech ' thing! The size of it was at least twice the size of Kataria-san's arm! How the hell physics work here?! And then, *CHOMP!*, Doctor Beelzebub made that creature eat my arm! "A-Ah...!"

"Don't scream, this is a hospital. In order to make check-ups and surgeries, patients must be well-rested and unstressed. Don't make me sew your mouth shut." She said in a rather too calm tone. Creepy, but I don't want my mouth sewed shut, so instead I bit my tongue and shut my mouth with my right hand. Everything, while that creature is sucking on my arm like a leech, dr. Beelzebub holding one of it's horns by the corner of the central mouth. Strangely enough, it's not hurting anymore, and after a while, she removed it out of my arm, leaving only a white mucus around it. Kataria-san wrapped it again and returned it to the normal size of her own arm, and the Demon lord sighed again to hold my arm with her two hands. "Steady, now. It'll dry in no time."

"O-Okay." I said back, doing everything she says while still sweating buckets. In no time, that mucous substance dried and turned into something similar to a Plaster cast. Firm and steady. Huh, so she was serious. "Oh, wow."

"Thank you for being patient with the procedures. Here's a lollipop." And then she stuffed a strawberry-flavored lollipop into my mouth. Katalia-san patted me on the head in a rather lovely way, like my mother use to do.

"Thank... You. Hey, Beelzebub-sam-... I mean sensei...?" I said. She stopped looking at the files and turned back to me. "Uh~... Well... How about the others? G-... I mean, Berolina and the rest of my Peerage?"

"..." She turned her eyes to the ceiling, then to the floor, to her assistant, and then back to me. "They're..."

.

~~x~~

.

"And 91... 92... 93... 94... 95... 96... 97... 98... 99... And... And... And..."

***BAM!***

"C-Curses..."

"Almost there, Annabelle-dono. Almost." And China boobs patted my back as I lied exhausted on the floor. Damn it, I'm still far, far too weak.

Nemesis-San was far too smart and strong for me. The only one who gave her any trouble was... Ichijou. He even reached balance Breaker and almost defeated her. He was the best, yet he got the worst of all of us.

"Sex in the hospital?" Ryuubi and I turned our attention to the entrance to the room, and from there, Fire boobs appeared, wearing a hospital gown just like everybody else and looking like a mummy. Maybe she'll bounce a lot less because of this. "Well, at least is one topping other."

"Ah! Campbell-dono. So it seems that you have awaken from your vegetative state. I'm glad!" And the monkey on me jumped into the air and landed if front of the witch. I didn't give two yens about it, and took a deep breath to continue with my push-ups. Tasha tilted her head to a side and blinked a few times in curiosity.

"Anna-chin. You. Doing what?" She asked. Without turning to her, I sighed and continued with my exercises.

"Can't you see? I'm doing push-ups! Nemesis-san showed me how... Powerless I am. And if this continues, I won't be able to beat my f-...!" And *BAM!*, my arms suddenly weakened, as soon I gave the floor a French one. I'm not even joking, I just bit my tongue with that face-first fall. Shit, this hurts, but if I stop now... C'mon, Anna, you can... Do it...

"Y'know, maybe Tsukino-chin doesn't like cowgirl, Anna-chin. After that match, missionary would be most likely." She said again, bending herself next to me and talking that nonsense again with no expression whatsoever. Ichijou would probably flip one and punch her square in the face, but I have better things to do. Like training.

"Can't you say anything... That isn't a dirty joke, witch?!" I said back, trying to lift myself up again, and again *BAM!*, I miserably failed, kissing the floor and making myself look pathetic. Shit, my chi levels are almost at zero, and my arms and fingers still hurts from the previous match. I'm... I'm still very weak... I thought with wits and tricks I would fool and defeat others but...

"We love you, you know that, Annabelle?" I heard a soft voice from above. In surprise and shock, I lifted my head and follow the direction it came, only to see that Campbell Witch bending over me, extending her arm to help me. Did she just said she loves me? "Me, Ryuubi-chin, Maybe Gremory-chin and even Tsukino-chin. We all love you in a way. We might not know each other that much, but we're a peerage now, a family. So, if anything is bothering you, even if you don't tell us, don't forget that we'll be there for you. I bet even Tsukino-chin will level a country to save you and smack your head for being such a reckless idiot."

"..." I pouted. Sheesh, even the pervert is now trying to sound cool, succeeding even. But a family, huh? Mother Kagura was always training and doing missions, but she always had time for me, as for My father Desmond, He's not a bad guy, just kinda... Racist. I ran away from home as soon as I discovered that I was a bastard child and the reason why mother abandoned her other family. I wonder what's she doing now.

I shook my head to clean up my clouded head and sighed, taking Tasha's hand to stand up and grinning at her. Maybe I'm not as strong as I thought. Sure, I'm still a pretty awesome ninja. Doesn't take the fact the others are trying too. Besides, those two are more gifted than me...

In more than one way.

"Tch, trying to sound cool? So not-like you, Tasha." I chuckled, crossing my arms and giving her a typical smirk. She tilted her head to a side in confusion.

"Cold." She said, blinking a few times and sighing. "The air, that is. My jack might rip."

And a nipple joke. There we go~.

"Yeah! You re totally right, Campbell-dono! We are family!" And Ryuubi smiled again, taking her way to beside the witch and friendly slapping her on the back, however, *BAM!*, since the monkey has no idea how ridiculous her strength is, she just opened a crater on the concrete floor for Tasha! Ouch, that's gotta hurt. "Ah! I Apologize, Campbell-dono! Please forgive me!"

"It's alright. Maybe Tsukino-chin likes it rough. Better train as soon as possible." And she's back. Oh, man. I thought for a Second that I would have to deliver my backstory or something for this girls.

"Ara, ara, arguing already?" A new voice was heard in the room, and soon as possible, the three of us turned around to find out who it was. Instead of a familiar face, however, we stared at a bunch of roses and other flowers at the entrance door. "Good afternoon, Ladies. Good match for you all. I'm impressed by your efforts and struggles. I'm now sure that I can trust my beloved idiot daughter to you plus the Sekiryuutei, so as a token of gratitude, I brought the prettiest flower for you four!"

"..."

"...?"

"Bush is talking. I know it has lips, but not voice."

"Easy there, witch." I said, slapping the back of her head and laughing a little because of that same idiotic joke.

"Oh, sorry. Those same flowers are in the way, if you excuse me." And then that bush of flowers lowered a little, revealing by the other side a extremely beautiful, fair-skinned redhead, with a smile that can cause global warming. Oh, gosh, she's so pretty! And she has a nice rack! I'm just want to... Poke them! But, wait, did she said... Take care of her stupid daughter? Don't tell me... She's Gremory's mother! Holy shit! She's a MILFTBOAALM! A mother I'd like to fuck the brains out and a little more! "Hello, Rina's peerage. Let me introduce myself: I'm Alice Gremory, you dear King's mother."

***DRIP! DRIP.***

"Huuuuh~?"

"Sorry, I just had a stroke. Nothing serious." I said, turning my eyes to another direction and trying to stop the bleeding from my nose. Tasha is giving 'that' kind of luck, while Ryuubi is picking a few tissues for me. Believe it, I'll need some more of those tonight after that one.

"Oh, well, here. Take those beautiful flowers! I picked them myself from my own garden(and Astaroth's) and chose the prettiest ones to give them to my precious retarted daughter's peerage! I hope you all like them!" She said, smiling although she's speaking ill of her own daughter. However, yes, those flowers are pretty. Roses, Camellias, sunflowers, every kind of flower that can make you smile. How, so she's not just a eye-candy, she's also a sugarplum. However, I noticed that she was now empty-handed, as she gave all of her flowers to us. How about our little Sekiryuutei?

Wait, '_our_'?

"Ma'am, as Much as I loved the present you brought to us, it bothers me that you've not brought a bouquet of flowers for the Hong Long!" The monkey girl lifted her hand and stated the obvious, while Tasha was too busy sniffing her flowers to care.

"Nice question, and I have the answer right here." And then she pulled on-screen a new face, a pretty girl with short blond hair, fair skin, light blue eyes and carrying another bouquet of pretty golden flowers. For some reason, she reminds me of someone. I can't really put my finger on it, though.

"Greetings, commoners. Please, no need to bow before me, I just want to know where is the Sekiryuutei for me to deliver those lilies for him from lady Alice Gremory." She said in an arrogant, disdainful tone, as she turned around her eyes to avoid looking at us. Let me guess, she's a Phenex, the immortal birds of the demon world and one of the remaining 27 pillars from the original 72. Lady Gremory... Yeah, I guess that's the thing, giggled and patted the blonde's head in a caring way. Ah~, I want her to pat me too.

"I'm so sorry about her. She's my Goddaughter, and her name is Raven Phenex. As you might've noticed, she inherited the bad genes from that same clan." Nailed it. So she's a Phenex. "But, Rei-chan, you're the one who picked the your half of the flowers."

"..." And I guess Lady Gremory cut one of her fuses, since 'Rei-chan' began to glow a deep shade of Crimson, and turned around from us. Oh, Great, now's a lady Ravel with a touch of Lord Raiser, isn't that just swell? "I-It's not like that, Lady Gremory. Ikkun and I... I mean, Tsukino Ichijou and I are just acquaintances."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've misunderstood things when you were shouting his name while looking at his match."

"Oh."

"I-It's not like that! Not at all!" And that's just overkill. Was that even suggestive?! That was just ASKING to be taken in a bad way! I couldn't stop laughing, and Tasha had a bloody nose and burning cheeks for that. Ryuubi was just tilting her a little, but she has an idea what the others are saying. "And you three! Stop staring at pme like that! Just... Just tell me where Ikkun is!"

"Is it Christmas? Tsukino-chin might stuff the turkey too early." Tasha rolled her eyes and said that lame joke. It was really lame, but because of the situation, I couldn't help it but laugh even more, as even Lady Gremory joined us much for her goddaughter's embarrassment.

"Shut your mouth! I mean it! I'm... I'm a Phenex! I'll burn you all to ashes!" She said, as she began to cry. Yep, too much spiritual damage can turn a Phenex into a mess. She pouted and squished her cheeks, and then she lifted her hands to block her swollen face, only to show us a small cute package.

"Oh, so you brought cake too. I mean, I don't remember doing that either." Lady Gremory said, looking at the pink package and snapping it from Phenex's hand.

"Ah! Lady Gremory! That's for... I mean, that's mine! I made it myself!" Phenex dropped her flowers, in which Ryuubi fortunately caught before it could hit the ground and tried to reach for her stolen present, uselessly since the redhead was way too tall for her. "Give it back!"

"Only if you admit that you made it for Ichijou-kun." She teased, as my peerage partners and I were laughing out loud, seeing the little miss Phenex blush to the point she was on fire, and turning around to see us and sigh.

"I made the cake... For Ichijou-kun..." She sighed as she said those words. I snickered. Pfff~, that guy is attracting more females that I actually thought. It's actually funny, really. as far as I can tell, he's probably afraid of women in general, and that's why he doesn't want a harem. He's getting one. Poor lucky bastard.

"You can always make a cream-pie with him, instead." And that crossed the line a little, both of them. I snickered so hard I think I just messed with a facial muscle, and while Ryuubi couldn't possibly understand that joke, she only smiled to her. Lady Phenex, however, finally break, and she shoved the cake into Lady Gremory's chest to run away from us.

"**YOU COMMONESH AR SHOO CRUELL~! WAAAAAH~!"** And goodbye. She ran away from us and disappeared from our sight. Sic, so much for the Phenex immortality. Lady Gremory turned to us and smiled.

"So, any idea where Ichijou-kun might be? Gotta tell him his f-buddy left some cake for him."

I have the slight idea that me and Lady Gremory gonna have a smoooooth~ relationship...

.

~~x~~

.

"What?! Gremory is in a com-?!" I screamed, but before I could finish it, dr. Beelzebub tossed a surgical tape and sealed my mouth shut. Wait, Gremory is in a **coma**? How come? I got the worse from Nemesis-San, and I'm... Pretty wracked, but I'm still going, so how come?!

"Shut up before I melt your mouth with acid. this is an hospital, you mindless mongrel!" And she shot that venomous and threatening look at me this time. She blinked a few times, and sighed, slightly annoyed as she adjusted her monocle again. "Apologizes for you, Sekiryuutei. Just do not... Scream. This is a hospital."

"..."

"But as I was saying, the rest of your peerage is in good condition, but your king entered a comatose state. Berolina Gremory from the Gremory house is in a coma, despite the fact that her condition is far from critical." Dr. Beelzebub continued, as her assistant was now playing with a red glass ball In front of me, probably to cheer me up. "This was probably caused by stress. Lord Zephyrdor had that same reaction against lord Asmodeus back in the golden days of the previous Sekiryuutei. It was also her first Rating Game. Her problem is in her brain."

"..."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry for that." And she removed the tape from my mouth, leaving a hella burn mark there! It whined like a brat for a few seconds before finally calming down.

"Aw~... That freaking hurts~..." I said, while my numb lips were turning back to normal. Gremory is traumatized, huh? I'm sorry for that, can't say that I want her dragging me around, though.

Shit, that sounded incredibly selfish.

"Ichijou Tsukino. The red dragon emperor. Can I ask you a question?" She said, as she summoned a handful of magic circles, a bigger one in front of other smaller ones, and began to type on them like a portable computer. "When you were on Juggernaut Drive, or even Balance Breaker, tell me, how was it?"

"How was it..." I tried to recall everything from my Balance Breaker, since I Have still no idea what that Juggernaut Drive is. I tried and tried, but it was no use. I can't remember it, because I was not the one using it. It was Yagura. I was just watching her fighting by my Internal classroom, in a state of pseudo-trance, and just when she was about to finish Nemesis-San off, I woke up from it and broke free from her mind control. Since she didn't do it with ill intentions, I can't be mad with her. I sighed. "Sorry, Beelzebub-sensei, I can't remember a thing."

"It's quite alright. Perhaps mental state stays the same during those forms and Balance Breaker. The data I've gathered, plus the already collected one from that snake, should be enough to further know what lies in those artifacts of God. It also seems that the identity of both Ophis and Great Red are also somehow printed in it. The extension of it, however, is I know." She said, as images from my match against Nero, Ginko-San and Nemesis-san(loosely) were playing on her 'rune-screen'. She dismissed those and sat on her original seat from before. "I'm not just a doctor. I'm also the chief advisor of the Technology and research department."

"Oh, just like the Lord Ajuka, right?"

***BREAK!***

"Please, I'd hate to put you in the ITU caused by an accident here." For some reason or another, her monocle shattered and her face turned yellow to then purple. Before I could say something more, Lady(?) Katalia put her hand on my mouth to avoid further suicidal words to escape from my mouth. She's pissed now. "Mad? No, I'm not mad, Katalia. After all, I admire that ingenious, prodigy, champion-of-the-underworld, filthy, Unreachable, infuriatingly intelligent, know-it-all and especially DEAD snake of a satan of the previous generation!"

"I-I'm sorry." I said, meeking on my seat and waiting for something (bad) to happen, but she sighed, flicked her own fingers, and calmed down, her skin tone turning back to normal. Scary, now that's a satan I don't want to mess with.

"Do not apologize. I was the one who lost control. And as a doctor, this kind of behavior is... Inexcusable." She said, as she snapped her fingers and her monocle came together on her face, good as new. "Well, well, returning to our matter at hand, it looks like your control over the Boosted Gear is not very good yet, but seeing how much potential you have, plus the fact alone that You're the current host of it makes you perfect for her."

"Excuse me?"

"You can enter now, dear." She clapped her hands a few times, and the door slip open. By the other side of it, there was this incredibly beautiful girl with short wavy purple hair, fair skin, green Aqua and wearing a loose suit with a sun printed on the black tie. She was also barefoot. She smiled at me, and walked towards us, standing next to Beelzebub-sensei to pick her hand. "This is my dear offspring. I named her Irene Dantalion, since my and my husband's titles don't change our origins."

"Oh, so your Husband is also a satan?"

"Not necessarily. **Roygun Belphegor** became the new number one of the Rating Game after Lord Belial's defection, holding the title for so long that the Satans turned him into a sub-satan and general manager of the Rating Game system during the dark age. My dear partner became the new 'Belphegor' after Roygun's retirement, but that's not why she's here..." And she picked my free right arm and made both of our hands lock in a rather romantic way. I blushed a little, and Miss Irene did the same, we locked eyes, and then dr. Beelzebub said: "Ichijou Tsukino, I want you to marry my daughter and have strong children with her."

"..."

"...?"

"When did you called her, anyway?"

"When I was typing your data."

"Was she waiting outside this whole time?"

"No."

Okay, now with that out of the way, I can simply ask...

"**WHAT?!"**

* * *

**I think that was kinda of a forced, but good idea at the time. An arranged merriage for our little loser. Maybe this trope is already overused, but I like those so~ much, I couldn't help but to put it here. I guess this time It'll turn out okay. Peace, now~.**


	26. It's salty

**So, you make you character goes all the way after the character development, then you can pretty much write everything that goes into your head thinking that he's done crying and felling miserable and start kicking ass! That'as the reason I love Issei so much: 'Trauma? Over it, now I have a girlfriend, an awesome power and the existence of two powerful beings inside of me! yeah~!'. Also, Ichijou character development is (partially)done now. Now, time to think other characters to explore and develop. That's while my fic looks so... Flat, because I'mm introducing the protagonist first. Might not be the best of ideas, but now that I've stabilesh him already, let's do the same with the others. It's gonna be a fun ride~.**

Ok**ay, enough rant, let's begin the chapter. As always, Highschool DxD does not belongs to me.**

* * *

"So, yeah. According to Beelzebub-sensei, she's trying Selective breeding. My suppose fiancé is the fruit of two Satans, and according to her, despite the fact that I was completely annihilated by Nemesis-san, my demonic potential plus the power of the dragon within me made the perfect match for miss Irene. And this she wants us to marry and make strong children for the next generation and for the sake of the Purson, Dantalion and Gremory clan."

"I-I see, Ichijou. But can you explain why is she clinging on you like a sloth?"

And I sighed. Now, the four of us from Berolina Grenory's peerage were gathered together in my hospital room. And above all else, we also had a new special guest with us: the only daughter of both Belphegor and Beelzebub Satans, Irene Dantalion, who was sitting next to me on my bed, her arms reaching for my head. This is really uncomfortable...

"I also have no idea why. Ai-chan, why are you doing this?" I said, sighing and turning my head to face her, her pretty eyes making me blush a little. Yeah, I got to be intimate, because she's my claimed fiancé. She giggled.

「Well, since I'm your future wife, better get used to be around you, Tsukino Ichijou.」she said. Huh, well, not even two months ago I hated women and wanted to stay far away from them. Now, I'm engaged until I finish college. Isn't that wonderful? And she speaks in brackets too, so she's totally reliable. By the way, all of this is sarcasm!「Besides, it would be rude from my part to not let you be with your own peerage.」

"So, Gremory's in a coma, right?" I said, the three others of my peerage looking back at me and then downing their heads in thought, since it was from me their heard that shocking news. Our Gremory is now depressed, and because of her lost, she's now in a coma. I sighed. Damn it, I really am worried about her. I turned my gaze around, and Ryuubi was moving her legs back and forth on her chair, trembling a little, Tasha was reading a dirty magazine and Annie was having a staring contest with the ceiling. So much for a bunch of misfits. Just like me.

... Wait, did I say our Gremory?

"Absolutely. Definitely. Affirmative. Tsukino-chin." Without looking away from her own naughty book, Tasha responded to me. "Gremory-chin fell into a stress coma, and so, she might take a while to recover from that."

"Is... That so?" I said, covering my eyes with the palm of my head. Geez, now I feel like a jerk. I should've never have given up the Balance Breaker power. At least not right at the end of the match. Wait, no, I'm regretting decisions, and like Yagura said, that's not very manly. Shit...

"Waaah~! Gremory-dono! I'm so sorry for you~! It was my fault! Waaaah~!" And I turned to a side, seeing Ryuubi-chan comically crying her heart out, a true river of tears falling down her eyes. I wonder what will happen if she encounters lady Gremory again. They say she have a present for me.

"It's alright, Ryuubi-chan. We just have to... Get stronger and win next time, right?" I said in a kinda motivational way. In return, the girls gave a funny look, and then puffed a steam of smoke out of their mouth. Yeah, everybody is exhausted, not even a cliche motivational line like that will help us now. The only difference between us and Gremory is that she can't feel a thing.

Well, at least everyone is okay. Gremory might be where she is, but at least she doesn't have any injures. Ryuubi and Anna don't either, and Tasha... Well, she's Tasha, she's a magician. And I just met the dragon inside my Boosted Gear. Ddraig... I wonder what he thinks of me? The door to the room suddenly opened, and from there, Beelzebub-sensei and Auntie Gremory entered the room.

"How's it going, Peerage of Berolina Gremory? I hope everything is going well. Reminding you that because of my little idiot over here..." And the doctor whacked the elder Gremory from the back of her head. "I moved every single one of you girls to Ichijou Tsukino's room. Pardon me, but a huge pain in my ass!"

"Heheh~, you're such a party pooper, Mary. That's why I didn't invited you to my marriage, nor I would to the birth of my dear daughters if you wasn't the doctor!" And the taller redhead pinched the doctors cheek until it turned red. She let it go when Sensei lifted a syringe filled with something purple right next to her eye. Auntie Gremory turned to us and smiled, walking towards us. "Good afternoon again! So, Ichijou, how's your first Rating Game?"

"..." I bit my tongue until it literally bleed. Well, I have a broken arm, bruises all over my body, my peerage is a mess and my king is now in a coma, so I'm absolutely fine and healthy! Thanks for asking! Before I could say anything, however, Ryuubi tossed herself to the floor and began screaming.

"I'm so sorry, Gremory-dono! I've tainted the name of your family and the reputation of your daughter by losing in such disgraceful way! I was fine with my defeat by Nero-dono, but seeing the ultimate outcome of this match made me realize I'm unworthy of life!" Well, isn't that a little overboard. I mean, we did made a number on Nemesis-san's peerage, so I don't think we need-... What the hell?! Is that a knife on Ryuubi-chan's hand?! "For this defeat, I shall Give my life in order to restore my honor!"

"What the hell are you doing, and where did you find that knife?!" I asked her, as everybody seemed bored by this event. And when I thought thinks couldn't get any weirder, she pointed the edge of her knife to her stomach and lifted it at high speed. Holy shit, she's gonna really do it!

"I'm so sorry, Gremory-dono! FORGIVE ME!"

**"DONT DO IT, RYUUBI-CHAN!"**

***SHING!***

***CUT!***

***PENG!***

***ZIUUM~!***

**"..."**

"..."

"By the heavens themselves. My ability of 'skin hard as steel' has yet again prevented me from ending my own life." And everything went so fast! The moment the pinkerette lifted her knife and cut part of her gown I though she was a goner, but her skin was hard enough to break the blade and bounce it away to the window! "Just like last time. I'm such a failure!"

"SO** STOP TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF! YOU GOT EVERYONE HERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"**

"Not really. Already saw. Not surprised." Tasha lifted her hand.

"Ditto." Annabelle did the same.

"**AT LEAST WARN ME ABOUT THAT SHIT!"**

"Aaah~! What the hell, you two, stop being noisy! This is a hospital, and you are really making me angry!" And before I knew it, Beelzebub-sensei tossed a syringe right into my arm, and soon enough, my body faulted a little, and I fell into the bed again. Before she could the same with Ryuubi-chan, the pinkerette closed her mouth with her hands. "Great! I hope we're all in an agreement here! Geez... Your kin and servants have no manners, Alice..."

"What can I say? Gremories are tricky bastards."

"Reserve an entire room for your daughter and her knight to have a Healing session alone. The things I do for you..." I blushed hearing that, while Tasha snorted a little and covered her bleeding nose. Healing... Session... Alone. Geez, what the hell~. I wonder what actual sex helps during those healing magics.

"Hey, since there's too much noise in here, can I put this gal here? She's being a nuisance in my workplace..." And we all turned to the door, and there was another man there: an extremely tall, handsome man with tanned skin, long, dirty and messy purple hair wrapped in a pathetic tail, a goatee with a ribbon in it and equally violet eyes covered in shadows with a serious stare. I mean, wow, he looks like a panda with those bags. In his arms, he was carrying a messy and crying Rei-chan. Oh, so there's where she was. The girls keep saying about a Phenex coming along with Lady Gremory, but to think it was her. The taller man then wilded his eyes looking at us. "Oh, aren't you...?"

"Yes, dear. They're the current Sekiryuutei and Berolina Gremory's peerage." Beelzebub-sensei finished for him. I gulped. Wait, 'dear'? Don't tell me...

「Good afternoon, dear father. This is the Sekiryuutei mother was talking about earlier.」the girl hugging my head said, smiling at the purplehead in front of us. So he's the pseudo-Satan sensei talked about earlier! Holy shit!

"Oh, the Sekiryuutei, and his peerage. I saw little miss Gremory earlier, so I can say that I've seen you all by now." He sighed; passing the crying Phenex girl to Lady Gremory and walking towards us. Oh, shit, he's probably gonna ask about the marriage! Worse, he'll brainwash us all to think everything has been planned since the beginning! He stopped in a place he could face us all, took a deep breath, and threw daggers at us with his eyes, a shadow ominously casted upon his shiny violet eyes, like a predator in the dark. "So, mr. Sekiryuutei, miss Campbell from the Campbell family, Miss Sayuri from Hanzo village and Miss Liu Bei, apprentice of the monkey King Sun Wukong. I have something to ask for you four."

"..." I gasped, as everyone else in my peerage. Oh crap? What is he gonna ask? By the way, who's that Sayuri? I gave a glance at Annie, but turned back to the satan when he grunted at us. I gulped once more, and said in a meek voice. "O-Of course... Lord demon lord, milord..."

"Very well, my sole request for you four, later informing you king to do the same, is... Please, do not challenge another mock-Rating Game~." And his powerful voice suddenly became whiny and weak, as he puffed a smoke of exhaustion out of his mouth and his eyes narrowed in a way that he looked more miserable than before. Wait, what? "I mean, I already have to deal with the Phenex brothers and that magician challenging me for one day and night, plus that brat from the Bael clan wanting to fight all the time and the other countless Rating Games I have to organize, and then Cohen goes to my office and says _'Dude, I want you to make a Mock Rating Game for my daughters'_ out of the fucking nothing, making the rearrange my whole schedule and even delay my Rating Game with Ruval-San and Gylgas-san. Irene's birthday is also around the corner, and I have to arrange that, plus her marriage with the Sekiryuutei, my visits to the dentist, buy some more gallons of coffee, and so on and on and on and on..."

"Calico, you know that you can lend some of your work to our servants." Sensei said to her husband, as he continued to mumble under his breath and looking miserable, drawing some stuff with his long nails on the silver plate next to him.

"Well, you see Mary, they can't handle the burden. Two already died doing what I would do in a second, and the ones in a coma are far worse. Sometimes, I wish Roygun-Dono hadn't retire or Diehauser-dono hadn't defect us. Now I can't even blink an eye with so much work." He dismissed his commentary with an awkward handwave. "Not that I don't like being a satan or anything, but doing all this work is tiring, and unlike the main Satans, I can't simply just shrug that off and put those for later. Rating Games are important, but at least I wanted the Phenex brothers and Mudrock-kun to stop fighting all the time~!"

「You worry too much, father of mine. You earned the title, so those petty little problems you face in your job as a satan are nothing compared to your efforts to reach your current status」Ai-chan said, as she blew a kiss to her dear father. The gloomy face of the purpleheaded satan shined for a few seconds, and then went back to his depressed self.

"Thanks Irene, but not even your words will make my paperwork disappear."

"Cohen can always stop by and help you, Calico. He just needs the proper motivation!" Auntie Gremory said. Lord Calico looked at her with an incredulous gaze for a few seconds, and facepalmed.

"Hahah! No, thank you, that guy already helped me by messing with my schedules with that stupid Rating Game." Lord Calico opened a sarcastic grin, and grunted again. That one kinda made me feel bad, since he apparently doesn't sleep that much. And now the Rating Game screwed with his plans. In the end, he turned to us, and sighed. "However, congratulations for your first Rating Game, servants of Gremory. I'm impressed."

"Huh~..." I murmured under my breath. I think I'm blushing. Geez, but it feels so good to be complimented. I'm happy with this! "Thank you... Very much."

"Don't flatter yourselves. He says that to everyone." And our five minutes of glory lasted just ten seconds. Figures. Everybody on the room just headbutted the floor, as I just sighed and hit my head on he pillow for being so stupid for believing that. The author of such heartbreaking moment, the satan Beelzebub, pushed her husband away from the room and took her way outside as well. "Now go away, those kids had a harsh match and your own problems gonna infect them. Go report to Cohen their Rating Game or something..."

"Right. Cannot lose a second with that idiot..." And of they went. Huh. Now it's just me, my peerage, Ai-chan, Rei-chan and lady Gremory. The last of them picked a little pink box out of her back and placed next to the crying Phenex on the table, right next to her head.

"Hey~, Raven. Remember that you made a cake for Ichijou? This is the perfect opportunity for you to give it to him~." She song-singed. Ai-chan then snickered, just like the rest of them. Rei-chan wilded her eyes in a flash.

"Gah!" And fast as lightning, she picked the cake and rolled on the floor like a boss. Then like a Smeagol out of hell, she clinched to the cake like she would her own life. We all gave her a funny look, so she snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah. The cake. My mistake."

"Uh~... Rei-ch-...?" And before I could say anything else. She stood up, slid her way(really, she even left a wheel mark on it.) all the way to me, and shoved that piece of pink cardboard in my stomach. "What...?"

"I made this cake for you. Feel honored for it!" And she opened for me and passed me a fork, as the cute strawberry cake revealed itself in front of everybody. With the exception of Lady Gremory, everyone gasped. "Now eat it with your heart's content. If you don't... I'll be mad."

"Okay~..." I said, my voice slugging the way out of my mouth, as I picked the fork and tried to carve a piece out of that pretty cute cake. However, when I was reaching for it, a sting of pain hit it, and I dropped the silverware."Shit..."

「It looks like some of your injures have not fully healed yet. Don't worry, Tsukino Ichijou, I'll assist you in this」And Ai-chan picked the fallen silverware and forked a piece of cake off, now moving it to my mouth. Holy molly! Is this the legendary Lover-Feeding?! Yes, it is! This is real! This is happening.「Now, open your mouth and say 'aaah~'.」

"Gah...!"

"Oh, the legendary Lovers-Feeding! Way to go, Hong Long!" Ryuubi-chan said, smiling and giving me the thumb up. Oh, so she's also into this. Annie was giving me the dirty look, and Lady Gremory and Tasha were quiet, but their bleeding nose and stare were giving me the wrong vibe. However, the worst of them was Rei-chan herself, as she was giving me the cold shoulder.

"Err~... You wanna bite, Rei-chan?"

"Humph...!" And it was her sole response, as she crossed her arms, puffed and turned to another direction. Oh, now a tsundere. Hey, Lady Gremory, I smell your plan in here. "Miss Irene, don't you have... Other Places and assignments to attend instead of being here?"

「I certainly do. Instead, I rather stay here with my fiancée. Bonding with him should be enough for us to become close.」And now the demon heiress patted my head and put the fork in my mouth. Wow... This cake sure is delicious.

"Huh! To think the Sekiryuutei would be engaged to the princess of the Dantalion and Purson. I must say, good for you two. I mean, the Sekiryuutei and the little prodigy, what a match." And Rei-chan continued with her little monologue, even with her face turning purple as my fiancé's hair. She's jealous. Holy shit, this is rubbing on me as well...

「Jealous? You, that is.」

"As if!"

"You." And suddenly Tasha slid her way to beside the Phenex Heiress, touching her shoulder in a casual manner. She turned for the witch and gave her a stern look, only to be shattered by her next sentence. "It's okay. Mistress."

***BUM!***

"WHAT THE HELL...!" Rei-chan's face exploded in embarrassment, as her hair was caught on fire again and her face looked like it could explode any second now. "Measure thy words, commoner! Like I would be a mistress! I mean, anything like a slave!"

That's official, she likes me. Sorta, I dunno...

"You. Mistress. So don't worry." And Tasha continued, as Lady Gremory's nose simply gushed with blood, Ryuubi-chan's face went all sparkle and Annie smirked. Oh, brother. "You. Me. Dantalion. Dragon. Foursom-...!"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll be really mad!" And the Phenex girl pouted again, as then Lady Gremory picked out of nowhere a old-looking jar, walking to next to us. The smile on her face said it all: was something really nasty.

"Hey, girls, looks like Ichijou-kun still needs some healing~" she said, as Raven sudden paled, and Ryuubi let a loud 'ooh~', approaching the older redhead.

"Holy moly! Is that the Legendary Succubus's Ring, one of the most powerful healing ointments there is?! I'm surprised that you have something like that in your possession, Lady Gremory!" The pink-haired girl said in awe, as she opened the jar and let a stinky smell out. She put a finger on it and saw the honey-like ointment on it. She looked so elated."Oh~, it's so sticky and smelly. Gross~!"

"Now, now, who's gonna volunteer to treat our Ichijou with this little pretty thingy? It can be more than one~!" Her cheerful tone was giving me too much bad vibes, as Ryuubi-chan and Tasha tried to lift their hands, but Annie stopped them in time and pointed to a specific direction of the room. And the temperature here rose in a second. Oh~, shit... I remember a certain someone who has a bad story with this medicine. I turned around and, yes, Rei-chan was vividly on fire!

"You... Malicious... Perverted... **DEVIL LADY**!" And then, in a turn of events, Raven extended her hand in front of her and blasted a fireball at Lady Gremory! And by a nail she dodged that one!

"Waaah~! Raven, I'm not the one you should be targeting! You're the tsundere! Aim for Ichijou! AIM FOR ICHIJOU!" The redhead mistress said as she dodged in a funny dance the barrage of flames against her. Me? For me, she can burn all the way she want...

"You demon of lust! Burn together with your horniness!"

"Ayayayay...!"

"**AGAIN WITH THE SCREAMING?! THAT'S IT, ALICE! SHOCK TERAPY FOR YOU THAT IS**!"

"Hiiii~...!"

.

~~x~~

.

Home... Sweet home. After an entire prolonged holiday running away from dragons, fighting blondies, struggling with my inner self bullshit, fighting forked-cats and holy knights and demonic possessions, I can finally go home and return to my semi-normal life...

However...

"Oh-Hoh, so that's Ichijou's house. Smaller and bigger than I was expecting."

"Probably sound-proof. Big enough. Porn stash?"

"A humble house for a humble beginning. As the red Dragon, there will be a time when you'll face great wealth and fame, and live in a castle brighter than the jade palace itself!"

"Why the hell you three followed me all the way to my house?!" I said, turning around and facing the three gals standing in front of my house with me.

"There's an university next to my condo. It'll be smelling like teen spirit for a while because of the golden Week." Annie lifted her hand and said that.

"Campbell mansion. Too far away. Too weak to go. Stay here for the night." It was Tasha's turn, also lifting her hand to deliver that one.

"A storm is coming this way. Master Son Wukong forbade to return to the Jade Palace for a while until I can use the monkey staff to go back safely." She said apologetically, clapping her hands together and smiling shyly. I sighed. Actually, I stop caring about girls around me the second Tasha followed me home to use the magic circle, but again, if my mother and sisters are already home, goodbye despair. Well, since Gremory was taken back to the Gremory household, they won't mind the new girl as a substitute?

Wow, Tsukino Ichijou, what an asshole-ish thing to think! I guess it's because I didn't find a single nice person in the underworld... Maybe Ai-chan, but because she's my fiancé... Wait, Am I really considering marrying her? Gaaah~, what the hell...

"Okay, but let me take a peek inside first. If my sisters are around, we're history. My mother should will ask things, but at least she's gonna protect us." I said with a thumb up. They nodded, and I picked my keys in my pocket to put it on the keyhole and open the door. And finally home. The was only a pair of sandals on the entrance floor, so... Maybe mum is around! I removed my shoes, and the others did the same. It felt so good to step on the cold wooden floor. Simple things like that can make such difference!

"Smell. Good." In the midway of the corridor, the purple-haired witch said sniffing the air around her. Huh, taking a quick sniff myself, I noticed the spicy scent of Mapo tofu! Oh, man! mum is indeed back!

Leaving the girls by themselves, I dashed to the kitchen, feeling that delicious scent of home food! Oh, man! Almost and entire weekend without this love! This care! Only pain and indifference! Finally! I can simply push those negative feelings away and talk and be happy with my moth-...!

"Welcome back, Ichijou!" But instead of the tall, brunette mother of mine, the one standing in front of the oven preparing the tofu dish was the nine-tailed fox spirit Akabane Yoko, using my blue apron. Suddenly, my happy face faulted a little, and things came back to the usual gloomy tone. Sigh, of course...

"Oh, it's just you." I said in a deadpan tone. Instead of a simple snarky remark or a foxy grin like she would usually do, she gasped under her breath, and made a sad expression. First the hug before the match, and now this. She's being a bit odd, lately. "It looks like mum and those hags are still away. Good, I won't need to explain the extra girls here."

"..."

"By the way, sorry about this: they'll be more girls today. So, uh, could you make more? If you need it, I can help." I asked her, as she took a deep breath, and turned a trembling smiling face to me.

"No, no. It's fine. I can... I can handle it. Don't worry." She said in a reassuring way. However, she looked down and gasped in surprise, only now noticing the magical cast around my left arm. Akabane let go of all of her kitchen utensils to reach her hands to it. "Oh, no. Ichijou, what happened?"

"Ah, yeah. Nemesis-san's assault kinda blew me...literally. Don't worry, though. Beelzebub-sensei said it'll heal really fast." I said nonchalantly, swinging my left arm fourth and back to show her there was nothing to worry about. She frowned. What now?

"What do you mean 'don't worry'?! I was seriously worried about you! I could feel the auras around Nemesis-san's peerage! They're not ordinary Devils! How can you even say that?!" She shouted at me, surprisingly enough. Now I have to deal with another mood-swinger. This is getting annoying. She shifted back to the sad face from before, and looked at me with watery eyes. "Ichijou... Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shot it."

"What... What am I to you?" She asked.

"What are you talking about? You're the fox spirit that freeloads in my house and want me just to have an spiritual snack once in a while and Cubs." I said in a deadpan tone. She let the spatula slip out of her hand and suddenly, everything went quiet. What the hell is wrong is wrong with... Everything?!

"Yes, you're right. I mean, I did say that to you when we first met, right?" She said without taking her eyes out of the oven and the food she was preparing. "But... I care about you, you know."

"Yeah, but if you're lucky, then the next Sekiryuutei will be a Japanese boy as well." I finished, sighing. "I'll be takin my leave. If you need anything, just call for me. I'll help anytime."

And her response was silence. Geez, what the hell is wrong with her? Maybe she has been drinking too much heavenly sake. Kitsunes like those. Anyway, I showed the rooms for the girls, and after a quick explanation of the things in the house, I took my way to my room, opened it and tossed myself on the bed.

"Aw~, to think I'd miss my dirty sheets..." I said, burying my face on the pillow and letting a deep moan of relief escape my mouth. Finally home. No more Rating Games, no more Gremories in the way, no more worries for now... Yet, this bitter taste of defeat doesn't leave my mouth...

Thinking about it now, Nemesis-san's peerage is really strong. And Yagura had to use [LEVEL ZERO] to at least have a chance against the King. Wait! If she used [LZ] on Aria-San, akio-san and Nadja-san and then used my own body to reach balance Breaker, this means I can reach Balance Breaker by abusing [LZ] as well! Wait, no, Yagura has an absurd level of power for living inside the Boosted Gear, And I'm still green. Sigh, this means I have to probably flat at least a hundred girls to reach that quota... Which makes me think about another great issue about it...

Not all my adversaries will be big-breasted girls... Nor will have pride of their rack.

"Not all girls are cursed with oppai, as well some of them just don't want them... I must think of another technique to cover that potential threat!" I said, standing up from my bed and clenching my right arm and pointing it to the skies. I must brainstorm this! "Yes! This is my new objective! I shall search and develop a new technique to completely destroy the spirit of my flat-chested enemies, either male or female, incapacitating them to fight back! A technique so powerful and shameful, even** [DRESS BREAKER]** and** [LEVEL ZERO]** will pale in comparison!"

[**PALE IN COMPARISON?! WAAAAAAAH~ HAHAH...! NOT AGAAAAAAAAIN...!]**

**[OH, GROW UP, YOU GIANT GECKO!]**

"Eh...?" I summoned my Boosted Gear since I think I heard a wail in it, but in the end, nothing. Am I hearing things again. "Huh... Must be my imagination."

***KNOCK-KNOCK!***

"Done. Playing with yourself? Dinner. Ready." Came the voice of Tasha by the other side of the door. Of course it was her, who else would make such a stupid dirty remark. I said I was just finishing things, and soon left my room to the kitchen, to eat Mapo Tofu and salad with the girls. However, according to Annie, Yoko went to bed earlier, since she wasn't feeling so good. I must thank her for the food later, though...

But, for some reason, it was salty... Really **salty**.

* * *

**Everybody knows and loves this formula: Boy likes girl, girl pretends to like boy to avoid/gain something, girl starts developing feelings for boy, boy is told/discovers/is told by the girl, he ends up upset, girl tries to explain/gain him back, ?, profit! I particulally love this formula, and being a sadistic person, I love when things goes to worse. Now, what would happen if things goes reverse? Boy knows girl is only interest in him for something, she develop feelings for him, boy still thinks girl is only interested in something? Yeah, that's one of the reason why I have my doubts about Issei X Rias too.**

**You see, I have my doubts about Rias' feelings for Issei in the beginning. He's the good-natured if not perverted kouhai, who has a secret gear? Now, she saved him, but from that point, when did she developed her feelings for him? During his match with raiser? She asked him if she wants her verginity too, in a way I think she was negotiating/bribbing him with her V-card. Xenovia is another problem. How balanced is her "selective breeding"/love for him? Does issei angst about his struggles for being the sekiryuutei, for people only knowing him(initially) because of that arm? Those are concepts not very well explored canon-wise, and I'll be discussing those topics in this fanfic as it goes on. How balance "selective breeding"/love can work? Character development can really make things better? Is having grownup-children leading hell just because of their power-level a good idea? How much a person can take being seeing not as an individual, but a "thing/legacy" from the past?**

**...**

**Naw... I'll go with the road and continue to make crazy stuff to happen. and ... That's it. for now~. Stay golden, y'all.**


	27. strange morning, strange day

**hey there again, fanon. Did you miss this story? I hope you did, because I brought you all this new chapter. Hahahah~, I dunno either why I'm so determined with this fic. Maybe it's because I'm hyped about the last episode of BorN. As a first anime-watcher then LN-reader, I must say, those changes were a little forced, even for someone who liked the Akame ga Kill! and school Days endings. So I'm kinda excited, yet not so much about the finale. Are they gonna pulled it megnificantly so much it might end up in a 4th season, or things will go out of control and goodbye anime adaptation? BTW, jitsu wa watashi wa had it's trailer! Yay, more supernatural harem shenanigans! Well, enough of that, let's go to the fic!**

**As always, DxD does not belongs to me.**

* * *

"Woof, woof, Ichijou-sama~."

"Wan, wan! Rina loves you, Ichijou-sama~!"

"Me. Good bitch?"

"Take me to heaven, Hong Long~..."

"W-what...?" And then I woke up in a completely different place, laying on the cold floor, without any cover or something to comfort my stay. My eyes are a little sensitive to the light now, but soon they grew used to the new light, I found myself in a completely different place: I was not in the Tsukino Household where once I played video-games with Ichijou's sisters. Oh, no. I was in some kind of palace, laying on the black polished floor, surrounded by gigantic statues of the previous Satans, in a long corridor with several drawings of epics and black details. I was not just in a palace, but also in some kind of throne room corridor! "Ah... What the hell...?!"

"Oh, look. It looks like my favorite one has awaken!"

"Eh~? But you said I was your favorite, Ichijou-sama~."

"Rina wants to be the favorite too~!"

"Choose me. Good bitch."

"We can share the same place. As long as he doesn't forget us~."

"Oh~, Great idea, Ryuubi-chan~!"

All those voices... They seemed so familiar, yet in a tone so bizarre and deranged for me. Only one of them was from a male, an coarse and smug at that, what all the others were feminine and pretty weak and broken, it was like sanity wasn't even in them anymore. I turned my eyes to the direction where I heard those voices, and at first, everything was pitch black. After a few seconds, I could now see further into the darkness, but the image by the other side of the lounge made me wish otherwise...

"Ichijou...?" I said, trembling. Yes, by the other side of the corridor, sitting on a Crimson throne, there was the current host of the Gauntlet of the Red dragon Emperor. However, a smug, eerie grin was spread all over his face, as he was now wearing the robe of the Lucifer Satan, his Boosted Gear holding four black leashes. Those four leashes... We're holding the collars of four girls wearing skimpy clothes by his feet. Four girls I knew way too well. "Foxy?! Gremory?! Witch?! Ryuubi?!"

"Huhuhuh... Thanks for solving this little problem, Ryuubi-chan. You deserve a reward." That... Man that looked like Ichijou said with a grin, as he pulled one of the leashes and consequently the pink-haired devil whose collar was linked to it. Instead of pain or horror, she seemed delighted, to an erotic degree, for being treated like that. Ichijou hooked her by the collar and Forcibly kissed her. They started a making out session right in front of me, as Liu Bei trembled like she was having some King of nirvana. All the other girls moaned and sobbed seeing such scene.

"Aww~, no fair~. I want a kiss too~!" All the other moaned, clinging on him like really horny dogs. I gulped in horror as he turned his Emerald eyes to them, discarded Liu Bei to a random side like a ragdoll, as she was now panting and drooling on the floor, and began another sessions with every girl on his possession. In the end, he was surrounded by panting, trembling girls in minimal outfits and dull, lifeless eyes.

"I... I never want to be apart from my master..."

"Woof, woof... Rina wants to be with master forever..."

"Me. Happy slave."

"Those are... The chains of love... I won't ever break them... My master..."

"Good girls. I love you all so dearly. Now, let's take care of the remaining one, shall we?" He said, as he lifted his other hand to reveal another leash, that one loose and longer than the rest. He pushed it, and suddenly, I felt a strange force choke me. No... This can't be... Hesitantly, my eyes followed the trace the black leash was leading, to the floor, down all the way to the stairway from the throne, rolling forward and then...

... Attached to the collar in my neck.

"My dear, dear... Annabelle."

"A-Ah...!" I stood up and tried to reach for my ninja weapons in my clothes, but all I felt was skin. Lots of skin! My pajamas were now a lewd set of nightgown and lingerie, covering almost nothing, but just enough. I sneeze due to the cold wind blowing on my exposed skin. An stronger force pulled me to his direction, and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs. I tried to get up, but again the invisible force pulled me closer to the Sekiryuutei at the throne, as now his... Slaves were surrounding and clinging on him, moaning his name. I stopped completely still, straight and magically unable to move in front of him. "What... What is all of this, Ichijou?! What is that?!"

"Oh, you. Don't you remember? Being the Red Dragon gives me power even higher than a God's, so it was only natural for me to simply cheat my way to the top and make this world the way I want. Power is the answer for everything, right?" He said still with a smug smile on his face. Instead of a snark, I gulped. Huh, so power did corrupt him. "As you can see, dear Annie. I'm the King now. Everything is on my hand! The white dragon is gone, heaven is gone, the Satans are gone! Now I'm the supreme emperor on this world. I'm at the top, a place not even my pathetic senpai could reach."

"You... You chose domination instead of the righteous path. Can't say I blame ya, I would do the same." I said as a joke, as he chuckled like he wouldn't if he were in his right mind. Shit, I can't even reach the suicide seal on my back to end everything here. Not that it wouldn't make a difference. "But not on this magnitude. Using even your allies and peerage."

"Well, well, listen to this! This is just rude, Annie!" He said laughing, as he shook all of his slaves away standing up and walked to face me, our faces just a few inches. He picked me by the chin, and smiled devilishly. "Dear, dear Annie. There's no such thing as allies and peerage anymore. The world for me now is divided in three things: my slaves, the dead, and those lovely women whose minds I didn't break yet..."

"Why... You...!" That was the last drop. I opened my mouth and tried to bite him, but the invisible force stopped me when I was just a few nails from his neck. He put two fingers in my open mouth, and began to massage my tongue with them.

"You're so cute, you know that, Annie? Despite your lack of assets, you're smart, cunning, cute and an awesome ninja. I'll enjoy breaking and modeling you to be my slave." He said, as he removed his fingers from my jaw, and I coughed in disgust and uncomfortableness. Dear mother, I knew that power could corrupt people, but... This is just... Too much. He picked me by the collar and forced me to open my mouth. "But trust me, you'll enjoy this as much as me~."

"S-Stop...! Y-You monster...!"

"No, no, no, dear... Not 'monster'. 'Master'."

And then he forcefully kissed me. My mind went numb in a blink of an eye. I tried to fight against it, but everything went so quick. His tongue invading my insides and making me feel strange, while the taste of his saliva made me feel dizzy. I lost control over my body, as soon enough, I wasn't struggling anymore. I couldn't move, just feel... Everything... Is going... White... I can't fight... I'm... Too weak... Too weak...

Too weak...

Too weak...

Mast-...

***BAM!***

"Yeow!" And the next thing I faced was the hard wooden floor. Literally, I just literally kissed the floor from the ceiling, and I think I almost break my neck. What a way to start a day...

Wait... Was that a dream?

I pinched my own cheek, and soon regretted it as a red mark appears on my pale skin. Yep, that was a dream! A dream where I was a fucking slave! Of the red Dragon, no less! Geez, that's so uncool. Like hell I'd let that happen!

But again, he IS the legacy of the red dragon emperor, the host of the gauntlet of the Crimson Welsh Dragon Ddraig. It might take decades, but he'll be strong. Ridiculously, even. Huh... Now I'm doubting myself, while wishing for the best of him. Kuh! Whatever, one day I'll be the king of the Vampires, and so strong not even the red dragon will be able to fight against! Besides, he's an idiot. Even with all that power, there's no way for him... To be... Anything but... An idiot.

'_Being the Red Dragon gives me power even higher than a God's, so it was only natural for me to simply cheat my way to the top and make this world the way I want. Power is the answer for everything, right?'_

...

Power can corrupt people, can't it?

Ah, I'm overthinking! I'll just go downstairs, eat and go to school. I'm back to my old and boring routine, so better be on my best on the first day. I yawled, stretched myself a little and walked to the stairs leading to the ground floor. As soon I was there, a divine(sowwy...) scent invaded my nostrils. I walked to its direction, and it led me to the kitchen, where the rest of my group sans Foxy and Gremory was having a small breakfast.

Scrambled eggs and sausage, what a strange one for a Japanese house. The one who was cooking was of course the dragon, as the other two busty girls were eating on the table. Also, for some reason, the cast on Dragon's arm was gone, and he was dirty all over.

"Okay, what the hell just happened upstairs?!" Ichijou said turned to me with a frown. He was finishing the eggs on his fridge, and as he mixed them, he continued. "I can ignor that sound from earlier, but I just have to ask when you have a massive bump in your forehead!"

"I do?" I said as I reached my hand for my forehead and winced in pain as I could feel the swollen bruise in there. Ouch. "Sorry, I was sleeping in the ceiling, but then I had a nightmare."

"Please consider sleeping in the bed next time." He sighed, as he finished the scrambled eggs and placed the fridge on the table, as he sat next to Liu Bei. "You're not a bat... Completely. Right?"

"Right~..." I said as I picked a plate to myself and sat next to the witch. The purple-head looked at the plate, and sighed.

"Eggs. Sausage. Morning blowj-...?"

***PINCH!***

"Finish that sentence, and I'll murder you."

"Good. Good food. Thank you." And soon I released Witch boobs from my grasp. Normally, I would laugh at her, but my current mood wasn't in it's finest. I tossed my eyes to the dragon in front of me as he picked his own bowl and put rice and the eggs in it, wincing in pain as soon as he tried to take one bite.

"How's your arm, Ichijou? And where's the cast?" I asked him. He stopped rubbing his arm and looked back at me. Images of the nightmare flashed within a second, and made me blush a little. Shit, no. That was just a nightmare. Just a piece of my mind.

"Well, the cast disappeared midway night. And my arm is doing pretty good despite the usual pain. It doesn't bother me that much, but still hurts." He answered, clenching his hand in a fist a few times to prove his point, only to grimace in pain for that. Idiot. "Thanks for asking, though."

"No prob."

"We can always use this medicine Lady Gremory gave us!" And out of nowhere, China boobs reached for under the table and from there picked a exaggeratedly big jar, sealed with a robe and cotton cover. Wasn't that the strange ointment red boobs III tried to push to us? "Succubus's ring! The best medicine you can find in the demon world! You can almost feel the healing and warm aura from it, a true divine medicine!"

"I'll pass, thank you!" And the brunette in front of me facepalmed and lifted a 'stop' sign in front of the monkey girl. She pouted a little, putting the jar back to its place. "Just... Put that in another place."

"Speaking of Ladies, where's Foxy?"

"She left earlier today. Said she have an encounter with other supernatural faction leaders across the country. She'll be back by tonight." He finished his meal, picked five lunchboxes and placed them next to us. "She prepared those for us. How considerate."

"Cute." Said Tasha, poking the cloth of the lunchbox. I gotta say, that's kinda adorable, even comic from that fox. Ichijou looked at the again, and blushed, turning to a side and coughing a little.

"Huh~, don't want to know what she wants back with that." He said nonchalantly, but the spark in his eyes was screaming that he liked the present quite a bit. Oh, you idiot, you can't escape me. I'm a ninja, after all...

'_Be my slave...'_

...

Grrr...!

"Hey, Ichijou!"

"Yeah...?"

"You're... You're weaker than me, right?"

"Dick-move, Annie! What the hell?!" He grunted. Liu Bei only smiled and picked her own lunchbox, as Tasha turned her eyes to us, and took a deep breath.

"Dick move. Futan-...?"

"Shut it, Tasha!"

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

What a unusual morning. First sleeping on the sofa because I accidentally locked myself out of my own room, then climbing all the way usto my window to pick my uniform and open the door. I got stuck in one branch on my first try. Then I had to prepare some improvised breakfast because I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to buy some proper things at the market. And after that, Hellsing said something about being stronger than me.

She looked troubled, but she's the third one to be. Gremory is in a coma, Akabane is acting strange, and now Hellsing is saying nonsense out of nowhere. What the hell is wrong with everybody?! To have an idea of how much screwed I am, the sanest members of the group are the battle-crazy monkey girl and the perverted witch.

Speaking of which, no pun intended because I'm not that lame, I left Ryuubi-chan on her own in my house, since is gonna really rain anytime now, while Campbell was walking beside me to Kuoh academy. Yeah, apparently, she enrolled here when we're all training back during golden week, making her also my fellow student, not just some random pyromaniac girl that appeared before me. The more you know...

"Does this makes you my classmate? Worse, my senpai?" I asked her miserably, trying my hardest to pass unnoticed by the crowd of students next to a busty, pretty, tall and aloof purple-headed girl. Since this is Kuoh, if any group of students ever found you like that, the boys will hate you and the girls will spread rumors about. Shit! Damn it all!

"Me. Second year. Your senpai. Deal with it." She said in her usual monotone and broken tone. This is just great. "You. Call me Tasha instead."

"No, not here. At least not for now." I said back, grunting. Please, don't make a dirty joke, we're right next to the entrance gate~. And then... We passed. Phew, at least now we can part ways. "Well, that's my cue. Going now. See ya later, Tash-... Damn it!"

"Later." Was her only response, as she waved a girly goodbye and walked to another part of the new building. When I took a peripheral view, all I could feel were deadly glares and sick giggles. Now, I've been caught in a Kuoh net of lies and jealously. Just my luck...

I dusted my worries away, and hurried to my classroom. Ninja is probably also around since she left home earlier too when we're all washing the dishes. I walked through the corridor, and entered the 1-B class, my own class. Man, never thought I would say this, but I missed this place. Maybe it was the enough-of-this-shit mentality, but my place one seat away from the wall feels so inviting now. And, like always, there was Kamiyama Shiori, devouring a fish vanilla sandwich. She took a bite out of it, and then looked at me.

"Oh, Tsukino-kun. Good morning. How was you holiday?" She asked, mouth stuffed with bread, vanilla ice-cream and sweet beans. I sighed, and smiled weakly.

"Worse than I was hoping for, but better than expected." I said. That's true, actually: hellish training, Insane rating game and some sessions of creepy medical procedures from hell aside, I actually feel more relaxed, calm and I have now more control over my Boosted Gear, not to mention I got some pretty good friend-... Acquaintances in the underworld. Like I was expecting, she gave me an confused look, and I just waved that comment away. "No, nothing. It was good. Kinda. You?"

"Mine was good. At least from what I could do. Grandma is doing great, and I won the price for a trip to the hot springs." She said, as I snickered in bitter irony. She smiled for the second time for me, and that one made me calmer for now. A sat beside her, and she picked another vanilla fish under her desk to give to me. "Hungry?"

"Ah! Thank you." I said as I picked the ice-cream and unfolded the plastic bag, taking a bite out of it. Huh, by the taste of it, it came from Osaka or somewhere near it. Neat. By the way, every time I see Kamiyama Around, she's always eating something. I hope it's not a serious thing. Maybe a disorder? But I'd be rude to ask, so none of that for now. "It's good!"

"Really? I don't like it very much." She said, taking one final bite and grimacing from it. "Better than what I've been eaten, though."

That one... Hit kinda hard.

The rest of the classes was the usual one. Teacher came, teacher went, I didn't understand half of things and had to ask for help from nearby classmates. Typical things. It ended in a blink of an eye, and lunchtime arrived. I unwrapped my lunchbox Akabane made, and started to eat it. It was surprisingly good. A simple lunchbox with rice, sausages, some fish slices and pickles, but everything good, tasty. I looked aside, and Kamiyama unwrapped one bigger than my own, filled with other good stuff. More: her one was a three store box filled with food. She's indeed a great eater!

***Din~, Don~, din~, Don~!***

"What? An announcement so earlier?" I wondered with myself as I finished my lunch. What unusual, an announcement in the middle of lunchtime just right after Golden week. We all stopped our doings to hear it. A few seconds later, the voice of Nemesis Gremory, or Morimoto Shizuka as her alias goes, came.

'Attention! Tsukino Ichijou-kun, from class 1-B, please present yourself to the headmistress' office! And please, come alone. That's all. Have a nice evening.'

typical. When it's not Rina, it's the other Gremory who calls for me. That's sad. Maybe for now I'm really the servant boy going right and left at someone else's order. Doesn't mean I don't wanna change that. But for now, since this is also from the headmistress Morimoto, I guess I have no choice...

"Huh, how unusual. What did you do, Tsukino-kun?" And Kamiyama asked turning to me, her mouth filled with rice and meat strips. I don't have time to come up with an excuse, so I'll go with the usual...

"I don't know." And without further ado, I took my way to the headmistress' room. Can't I have a normal lunchtime? As long it's not any supernatural problem, I guess I'm okay for now. But who Am I kidding? If it's me, then of course it has something to do with the devil society. At least Kaichou will be there to explain things to me.

And here I am. Headmistress' office, a simple door in the middle of the corridor. Being the ultimate loser that I am, I knocked a few times, and soon a voice as smooth as silk said I could come in. I opened the door, and there she is: long blackish-blue hair tied in a low madam's ponytail, blue eyes, fair skin and measurements close to none, wearing a suit and doing the Gendo pose. Headmistress Morimoto Shizuka, Nemesis Gremory's alias, by the other side of the table, beside a very known blonde. My... Spiritual Sister(?) Aria Argento, whose breasts came back to their gianourmous regular size. Phew, now all those pervert old men at Lilith's hospital can stop threatening me for, albeit unconsciously, shrinking her sizes.

"Good morning, Nem-... Headmistress Morimoto, Aria-San." I said, coughing a little because of that little slip. Of course, she's headmistress Shizuka now. She let out a sigh, and picked a few papers and organized them the toss to the other far side of her table.

"Yeah, good morning, alright." She said, probably bored about something. Intuition tells me is about Gremory again. I wonder how she is now. Not that I care about her... That... Much? "Say, are you free this afternoon? Since you don't have any... Clubs, to attend to..."

"..."

"... I was thinking that you could help a certain someone to take a trip around Kuoh."

"A transfer student? But why me? I mean, don't you have Kaichou Serena to take care of that?"

"Meh. I don't like her."

"What? Why?"

"Because her gramma Sona was a whorish hypocrite! Now suck it up and do as I say, you faggot!" She screamed and leaned at me, and soon blinked a few times, sighed and sat back on her seat. "I'm sorry. I'm really not in the mood today. Look, I just want you to walk around with this person and show him the place, he's not a transfer student, so just showing him around wil be enough. Anything, just ask Aria."

"Right. Well, so where's my protegee? I gotta knew him before I can have any kind of..."

***ZING!***

"Huh...?" I looked up to the ceiling feeling that uneasy aura around, and under closer inspection, there it was, a part of outlines were different from the rest. Ninja? No, a head popped out of it, and it was not ninja, but a handsome face with fair skin, spiky short white hair and yellow eyes, just like ninja's.

"Oh-hoh. You've spotted me. I'm impressed. Nothing less from the Sekiryuutei, it seems." A rather hoarse voice spoke from it, as it pushed the disguising cloth away and landed on her two feet in front of me. There he was, wearing a typical gakuran uniform, more or less my on height, lean and pretty stoic face with handsome features. I can't believe it: there's another male around here! "Yo. Tsukino Ichijou, right? The name's Ren, and I'm your baggage for today."

"Uhh~... Yeah, I'm really Tsukino Ichijou, host of the Sekiryuutei. Good afternoon." I said back, the boy in front of me Giving me the thumb up. "I'm your escort for today. Am I?"

"Yeah. That's Ren. He's a shinobi from the Hanzō ninja village or something. Take care of him and take him to a ride around the school." She said. Aria-San, on the other hand, walked towards us and gave me a little tap in the head.

"I'll put in you a seal here. If anything, you'll just have to activate it for me to contact you." She said, while I rolled my eyes wondering what cellphones are for. But I guess that'll do for now. And then, she flicked my forehead, with enough force for it to leave a bruise in there. ouch! I don't get it.

"Ouch!"

"And that... Is For shrinking my breasts during the Rating Game. Watch for your hands next time, bro." Aria said in mock(?) seriousness, smiling soon and giving me another pat on the head. "But I forgive you."

"Thank... You?" Sugar-Ice personality on its finest. Ren was eyeing us so curiously, while headmistress sighed.

"Okay, okay. Okey-dokey. Second period is coming closer. Better not waste any more of your time with this. You can go now." She said, picking up some more papers and organizing them file by file. Aria-san gently turned us around to the exit and pushed us to there, but before closing the door, she pushed Ren further and pulled herself next to my ear.

"If anything goes out of control, just tap the rune twice. I'll run at lightspeed to help you out."

And she pushed me away from the headmistress room. What was that about? Ominous as crap, I tell ya. Well, here we are, facing each other in front of the headmistress office. Wow... I always wanted to have a boy friend, but this is... My first contact with someone with my same gender and age. I'm nervous.

"So... Ren-san... Ren-kun..." We faced each other for a whole minute, as I coughed his name a few times to get used to it. In the end, I couldn't do it. I couldn't make a conversation with a guy around my age. So much for that, my dear sisters. "I'm sorry, Ren-san. I just can't talk with a boy my age. I hope you can understand."

"..."

"...?"

"What kind of declaration is that?!" He said stomping on the ground and screaming at me. Oh, look, another straight man! I'm so glad that I've found someone out there like that!

Wait, does that makes me the idio-... Ugh, I'm thinking too much!

**'PEEEEEEEIM!'**

"Oh, it looks like second period is on. So I'll be going for now. See yah later, Ichijou." And he picked a small black sphere out of his pocket and tossed it to the ground, lifting a great curtain of deep and thick smoke. In the next moment, when the most died out, he was no more here. A smokebomb like those from cheap ninja movies.

Oh, well. Bygones to bygones, I'll have to show him around anyway. Huh... This makes me feel kinda relieved, I'm not the only boy in the world. Not to mention the priest, Nero-San and Hyung, but now I have someone who's around my own age and isn't trying to kill me... For Now. I returned to my class without any problems, and sat next to a Kamiyama Shiori who was just finishing eating her riceballs. Geez, she's really a eater, huh...

Second period came like a lightning, and as always, I completely off'd during the lectures. I'm not... That interested by now. My mind went afloat elsewhere. First I thought about Kamiyama. Maybe I should ask her on a date... In a restaurant, maybe? She's always eating something, she'll accepted it... I guess. But then, my trail of thinking went elsewhere.

Akabane? Huh, she seems upset. Since I came back from my training, she's been acting all strange. I wonder what happened... She's probably afraid of her snack being taken away. But why Am I so worried about her? I mean, she's only interested in me because of this arm of mine. And since I don't have anything to give her, I shouldn't be giving a crap about her. Yet, I do... My mind went adrift again. And landed on the least likely person.

Gremory... I'm thinking about Gremory. She's in a coma, and I shouldn't care... But for some reason, I'm kinda worried about her. Thinking about her being on a coma... Is making me shiver. No. I don't care! Of course not! If anything, I'm glad that she's like that! No more pretty freeloader! No more naked calls and stupidity around my house! No more misunderstandings! What I know about her?! Nothing! She didn't even tried to know me! She's the wrong one! I hate her!

...

...

But why?! I can't be comfortable?! Why can't I simply say 'thank Nemesis-San that witch is away from me!'?! Why can't I think that?! Why I can't stop thinking about her and a way to make her better?! This is ridiculous! Am I... Am I an idiot?! What the hell?! Why?! WHY?! WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?!

"**WHYYYYYYYYYYY**...?!"

...

...

"Uh... Because by producing air, the plants also produce their own aliments. We already talk about that in the previous lesson, Mr. Tsukino." And when I snapped back to reality, the whole class was eyeing me as I was standing on my two feet upward, hands on the head, mouth hanging open, sweating buckets. Everything was so quiet, a falling nail would be heard for a mile. "Mr. Tsukino, are you okay? You're crying."

"Am... Am... Am...?" I couldn't finish my sentence, as I started to hiccup and feel the hot tears running down my cheeks and chin. What the hell... I can't... Why Can't I... What... I don't get anymore! I don't get anymore! I picked my stuff, shoved inside my case and put it by my back. "I'm sorry, teacher... I can't... I can't... Please, excuse me...!"

"Ah, wait, mr. Tsukin-...!" And I ran away from the classroom, crashing the door open and walking away through the corridor. I don't care where, I just want to get away from here! I slipped, and kissed the floor. My stomach hurts! What the hell?! Why... Why am I crying?! Why am I doing this?! I'm scared; I'm so scared... I can't simply punch or shove the reason away! I can't do anything because I don't know what the hell I'm feeling! I'm feeling sick now...

I ran to the bathroom and once there I threw up in the toilet. What the hell is wrong with me?! What am I caring?! What is this in my chest?! I can't... I can't understand... What the hell is wrong with me?! I can't... I can't...

***KNOCK KNOCK!***

"Ichijou... Are you in there? What's wrong?" I heard a voice by the other side of the door. It's Ren. Because that's the only male voice I've heard in a long time, despite being a little high-pitched and too hoarse. So he came here to check on me. How considerate of him. "I saw you running in the corridors, is something to matter?"

"Go away. Can't you see I'm mourning the death of my sanity and the upcoming storm of madness that will probably wash away my mind of any kind of happiness that might come?!" I said in a rather bombastic way, as I slid all the way to the toilet floor, in the same level as my dear friend of toughest times... The toilet.

"What the hell are you saying?! You're being poetic... In the toilet?! That's disgusting!" He said, looking probably upset.

"Begone, friend of mine! For I am turned into the beast that can no longer understand the ways of this world! The revelation made me mad! The intelligible drove me into the abyss! The light now scares me, so my only path is through darkness!"

"You're just messing with me, aren't you? Stop being melodramatic!" Ren began to hammer the door with his fists, clearly annoyed and wanting to open the door. I hiccuped repeatedly as my angst grew even further.

"Is there someone out there... that Can fill my dark soul with **LIIIIIIIGHT**...!"

"Oh, c'mon! That's low even for now!"

Okay, okay. I'll stop. C'mon, give me a break. I was the straight man for almost two months, I need to be the over-dramatic fool once in a while or else I'll become a grumpy jerk for the rest of my days. Huh, maybe taking extra poetry classes has it's downsides...

"Okay, fine. Sorry about that. I had a minor case of mental breakdown." I said as I opened the door of the toilet and let the light come in. Arms crossed and frowned eyes, there was the albino Ren, tapping one of his feet. I ignored him for now and walked to the sink to brush my teeth and gargle my mouth with some water. Disgusting. I can still feel the fried tofu in my mouth~...

"Minor case of... What?" I dived my head into the water again and washed out all the bad feelings and vibes in my system. Sheesh, okay, deep breath, deep breath. C'mon, put it together, stupid Ichijou. Since all the women of my life are either 'bitchy' or 'caring', I can't really say that I have the best experiences with this. I mean, I was either spoiled or dragged around by them, so there was no much chance for me to feel something back, and those things... Are making me sick~.

"I dunno. Maybe I ate something bad, or I'm feeling things I've never experienced before. My body is rejecting new emotions as a disease. M**Y BODY IS REJECTING NEW EMOTIONS AS DISEASES**!" I said as I turned to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, saying every word like my life depends on it. She looked surprised for a moment, then annoyed.

"Well, you're sick, that's for sure."

"REN...!"

"Oh gosh, what?"

"Will you be my best friend?!"

"Wait, what?"

"We have so much in common!"

***SLAP!***

"Jeez, snap out of it! You're making me feel sick, y'know!" And then, the albino guy slapped me. He slapped me in the cheek. My messy mind suddenly became clear again, and soon I returned to normal. Oh, so that's how being a Boke feels like. It's not bad, but I better stay focus for now. I slapped myself a few times, and sighed.

"You're right. Sorry for that. Let's try this again." I said coughing a little and trying to hide my blushing face. That was lame. I turned to him, extended a hand and waited for his response. "But yeah, let's be buddies. I mean, you're the first male who wasn't hostile towards me, so this makes you a person of respect. Even if not, well, we can just cross swords and be rivals. This is how it works, right?"

"..." Ren went quiet for a while, frowned at the hand in his reach, and turned his eyes to me. "You know I'm a ninja, right? 'Never compromise' is the first rule."

"So what? It's not like you'll be the first or the last to ever want my head or something. I can handle being friends with a ninja." I said, sighing. I have other ninja friend too. So I guess one more won't kill me... Yet. 'Never compromise'... Let's call this an alliance, then. I'm your escort, anyway..."

"This does not makes friends." He said, crossing his arms. A few seconds passed, and I saw Ren sniffing and scratching his nose, turning his eyes around, playing with his fingers, tap his arms with them, and then finally landing his eyes on my hand. He blushed, and extended his own for us to shake hands. "So... Let's stick with alliance."

"Yeah, that's right."

And we shared grins and a moment. Yet, I can't stop thinking about those other two... Shit! Are those girls growing into me?

* * *

**Yeah, how about that? I might try to put some kinda emotions and development into the characters in this fic, but being a crazy chick and making everyone goes hamlet is also funny. besides, ichijou needs some idiotic moments, or else this straight man persona will be his only one. Now, to harem... Or not to harem? BTW, his arranged marriage with Irene plot has not being dropped yet. Let's have just a miniarc regarding ren and his reason for being at Kuoh academy. So, until next chapter! Stay golden~.**


	28. Tsukino's new friends!

**And we're back with new shenaningans between son and mother. This chapter was really difficult to write because I didnt knew who to focused more: Kyou or Ichijou. In the end, I think I made justice for both. I hope you all think the same. Thank you for reading until here! Stay golden~!**

**as always, Highschool dxd does not belongs to me~.**

* * *

And it was over. The golden week holiday on the beach was over. It wasn't bad, it was actually great. Eating grilled squid while dancing around the fireplace and just enjoying the waves. My dear daughters... Sigh, Daughter and step-daughters really putting their differences aside to enjoy the sea. So much, they convinced me to let them stay a little longer. Puppy eyes and excuses about stressing about college and work melted me into a blob of fluffy-ness, and so I return alone, while they enjoy one more week at the beach.

Well, at least I can have some time alone. Hajime is now around Europe, and Ichijou must still be in school by now, so I can move things back inside and make some dinner for him and I, plus the girls. I hope he had fun despite missing the beach...

I parked my car on the garage, and soon I started unpacking my things. Since it was just me, there was just two baggages for me. I placed them next to the door to the house and I was about to opened when out nowhere...

"Ichijou~."

"What the...?" ***GLOMP**!*. I felt a sudden embrace around my being, an attack coming out from the deeps of hell, trying to suffocate me with their two meaty lumps. The action was so sudden it rated me immobile and speechless for a couple of seconds, as those two fleshy, soft monstrosities tried to eat me whole! Recovering my sanity, I pushed the thing away, taking deep breaths to regain what was lost!. "Ah! What the hell?! Who are you?! Stay away from me!"

"Ara~? That fluffy feeling... Certainly belongs to a female. I know Ichijou bears an striking resemblance to a girl, but this squishy feeling left on my arms put in check my questions about him. This voice is also very unfamiliar to me." Is she analyzing me? Apparently yes with all that groping motion! Holy shit! A molester?! Oh, no! My Ichijou has been deflowered! By an sexy, tall, busty redhead**!(which doesn't nullifies or even diminishes the gravity of the crime in any way, of course.)** "Perhaps... You're his mother?"

"What if I am?! It may not look like, but I'm blackbelt in Karate! I can chop you to nonexistence!" I said, clumsily taking a battle pose. Kinda out of shape, but I can still do this! Instead, she looked surprised for a second, and smiled.

"Wahahah~! How cute. The mother is also very cute, it seems." She said, reaching her hands for my face and sandwiched my face between them. She was so direct, it left me immobile again. "I wouldn't mind having you as my dear sister-in-law~."

"Wawawawah... What?" I'm confused. What? How the hell is this happening? She removed her hands from my hand, and soon placed them on her hips. Gosh, look at her rack, she could make a living out of a farming industry.

"But let's not talk about the future. Speaking of which, I didn't present myself, did I?" She winked at me. "My name, as it calls, It's Alice Gremory. You might know for now, but one of the guests in your house just happens to be my dear daughter, Berolina Gremory."

"..."

"...?"

***DRIP! DRIP!***

"Madam, your nose is bleeding..."

"Mother, you say?" No wonder Rina-chan seemed so high-class. Her mother must be very rich to apparently buy rejuvenating medicaments or is just that pretty to be a top-model. Teen pregnancy is also a thing, but she's just too fabulous as well to be a runaway. Oh, great, I had a stroke. I cleaned up the mess running down my nose and took a deep breath. "I would never knew Rina-chan's mother would be so young and pretty. I hope that... I'm not touching any sensitive subject."

"Well, it's true that I married at a fairly young age, but that wasn't, and still isn't, a problem." She said with a smile. So there's where Rina-chan's politeness came from. She's also a very charming and good with words. "As I was saying, Pleased to meet you, lady Tsukino. May I have your name?"

"..." Oh God, I'm going crazy for this lady. She's so adorable, just like Rina-chan. However, something tells me she's dangerous. The aura around her is also kinda uneasy. I went quiet for a second, and finally tried to say my real name, only to cough it a little. No, I'm not falling for this again. "I'm... **Anzu**. Yeah, Anzu."

"Tsukino... Anzu. Charming."

"Well~, Alice-san, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" I said uneasily, motioning to the entrance door, like a true host would do. Alice-San smiled brightly again, as she bowed lightly.

"I'd love to. Snacks and Tea are my second love besides my family." That's really, really juvenile. Endearing at some point, but strange and bizarre if you think about it. Whatever, I reached for my key, put it on the knob-hole and opened it wild to pick my luggages later...

Only to face a semi-naked pink-haired girl wearing panties and a towel over her neck and drinking milk out of the bottle. She looked so relaxed and just-out-of-the-bath-ish... What? Wait, is that... Another girl in this house?! What the... She looked at us! What now?!

"Ah, Lady Gremory and another stranger." She said with a bright smile, in total contrast for the current situation. I went mute out of the sudden, my brain being too damaged to comprehend the scene in front of me. The one who spoke was Alice-san.

"Ah, Liu Bei. You're here. I was worried about you, there is storm coming out." The redhead next to me said like it was no big deal. Wait, Liu Bei? As in the General Ryuubi Gentoku of the Three kingdoms Romance? Is she... Also a chuuni?! Alice-san picked me by the shoulders and presented to me to the pink-haired girl. "Oh, and that's 'stranger' is the dear, dear mother of your Queen, and therefore also your master."

"Wawawawawhat...?" I'm at loss of words. Ichijou is into this kinky stuff? Sure, that girl's pretty and have a large bust(I'm starting to have the feeling that Ichijou likes busty women.). Ryuubi-chan looked at me curiously, and smiled, opening her arms and letting her censor towel fall to the feet.

"Ah! Welcome back, dear mother!"

"Just call me auntie! Anzu! Call me auntie Anzu!"

"Now, now, I wonder where the others servants are at? Rina is still at home after the Rating Game, but you girls are still rolling, right?" Rating Game... Rating... Game... Rina-chan is in at home after... A rating Game... Is that a new lingo I don't know about? And why... Why is she... Wait, are those panties on the floor? And they're not from any of us! And again with this servant thing... And... Queen...

My son... My Kin... Just became a sultan...

...

...

***SNAP!***

"Did you heard that one, lady Gremory? That sounded like a large, thin piece of string ripping out."

"Indeed. How curious. Lady Anzu, do you might have any idea what caused such nois-...?"

"**ICHIJOOOOOOOOOOOOU**...!"

.

~~x~~

.

"**Atchoo**! Shit, what a day to catch a cold. Maybe training at the hot springs all the time was not the wisest idea."

"Another idea that makes no sense to me." And Ren said while taking a sip out of a juice box.

Currently I'm at the old building's garden, sharing my time with the albino ninja and talking about nothing in particular. This is the first time I'm skipping classes, but after that incident, I can't look anyone in the face for today. His backstory is typical: he's a ninja from the Hanzō village, also known as the Ninja village of the Hot springs, and his mother is the current KAguya, the number one shinobi and the head of the whole place, plus his father is unknown because apparently lady Haruka, the Kagura, has a whole bisexual harem, about dozens of men and women. That's... Actually pretty neat. Women can have harems...

I just shared my current adventures, my dad's failed harem, my dear mother and of course, the fact that he's my first male friend, all the other men either hate me or tried to kill me.

"The only male in a peerage. So it's a harem." He said taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"No! It's not! It's just a coincidence. I mean, I know that I'm the only male so far, but..."

"Harem."

"Oh, shut up." I said as I tried to give him a friendly punchy, but stopped since I didn't know if it was the right time to do that. This is what friends do... Right? Bah, better not risk it. Besides, he might get the wrong idea and then I'll be having a knife stuck on my skull. "What about you? Any luck with the ladies?"

...

Holy shit, I sounded just like my dad. That's depressing.

"Never compromise, remember? I do plan to have some kind of connection, but for now, I'm just doing my job. The alliance included." He finished with a sigh. Oh, right. Never compromise. I wonder if Hellsing also is around because of this. She's been a great ally and a good friend, so maybe this is just in my mind or something. I hope so, at least. "By the way, I've just graduated to become a high-class ninja, or Jōnin. So partners comes and goes with each mission. Plus, we have connections with other villages and we form alliances with other species in order to survive."

"Figures. Not even the supernatural can escape politics." I sighed. Gremory's father is the president of the underworld, Hellsing's father is a leader of a vampire faction and Akabane's the leader of the Supernatural Kantō region. Come to thing of it, despite being the Sekiryuutei, I'm pretty much the common commoner. "I wonder if the Sekiryuutei can have those powers."

"Well, you ARE a devil, and the legendary Welsh Red Dragon of domination is one of the strongest creatures in the universe. You can just Boost enough times to punch the current almighty lucifer in the face and claim your place. The problem is, that's not cheap. At all." He said as he rested his back on the outside wall of the building by my side. Gremory's father, the current lucifer... The white-haired pretty boy sitting on a pointy throne and thinking that everyone knows him. This is not the most desirable qualities in a person, but something tells me he have all the rights to be a douche. "You might die. Or else, you'll die. You can't even reach him without being crushed by his immense demonic power. At least was what my old lady said."

"He's that powerful, huh?"

"Not as powerful as the last Lucifer, but he's really close to the original. Sirzechs was a special case. Cohen is a lucky shot." He said. This left me speechless. Sirzechs is the father of Millicas Gremory, the current grandmaster and Gremory's grandad. Not to mention, the current lucifer is her father and Millicas's daughter is her mother. This make her somehow like Ai-chan, right? So... Why does she insists on being like Lady Rias? Wait, I can't say anything, because I wanted to be like senpai as well. "What about you? Want to be like your senpai?"

"Nah, I've already passed that phase. I can't be relying on him too much. Nor do anything too risky like him. Issei-senpai was also a special case, doesn't mean I can't be too." I said. He looked puzzled for a second, and sighed. "What I'm trying to say... Is that I'll try to be a hero on my own. Ichijou, the champion of the underworld... Huh, doesn't sound so bad."

"Honorable. You're a proud guy. This is not very smart of a move for a devil."

"Heheh, you can say that, but... I'll try. I'll become the heir senpai would be proud of. Yeah. The next hero, for his soul to rest in peace."

"..."

"..."

...

"Okay, seriously, we need an idiot." I deadpanned for him, as he also turned his face to me in a bored grimace. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish I had someone less serious than us to talk to. I'm a straight man type, of course I need an idiot to balance it out, or else I'll turn emotional. This happened during my training at the hot springs, and stuff happened. "Or one of us can be the one."

"In that case, i just so happen to have the perfect candidate."

"Sorry, no self-vote is allowed here." And we grimaced again with those clashing snarks. Are you kidding me? This is beyond ridiculous. It's like French kissing, we're both fighting for control with our tongue-... Holy shit, that analogy is awful.

But suddenly, I want to French kiss him.

...

...

Wait, what?

**"GAAAAAAOOOOOH... IT'S HAPPENING AGAAAAAAAIN..**.!" I ascended from my seat and screamed at the heavens when that absurd thought just went through my mind. Ren also jumped out of the sudden in surprise.

"**IS THIS HOW IS GONNA BE?! YOU SCREAMING NONSENSE OUT OF THE FUCKING NOWHERE?!"**

**"I CANT HELP IT! I JUST IMAGINED MYSELF FRENCHING YOU!"**

**"YOU WHAT?!"**

"Eh...?" And after that declaration, reason hit my head like an arrow. Damn it, I just let that one run loose this time. Ren was eyeing me with that kinda of stars you give to a great spoiler or a shocking revelation. He was surprised. Well, I just said it. I can't do much now aside from to try to explain myself. Am I blushing? I am blushing. I can't even face him now. Here it goes. "Uuum~, yeaaaah~... Ya'see, Ren, I've been alone for a big while, now. I don't have much of a called 'social skills', and in all honesty, you're my first male friend and all. I have no idea how to handle a conversation with a guy, nor what I should or shouldn't do. Maybe it's because it's my first time, I can't really imagine you other than another girl, and my nervousness is making me say stupid things, because since you're such a nice guy, I guess I'm mixing my friendship with you with my crush on a girl."

"..." And the only response I had was an incredulous blushing face from him, as the ninja facepalmed himself and lifted him hand in a stop sign for me. "What the f...! No, just no! You should be angsting the flick out, dude! You're suppose to be a hero, you should be thinking about how you're gonna change the world with your power or how you're gonna protect your friends! Not thinking why you feel homoerotic attraction towards me!"

"I know. I'm so sorry..." I said, covering my face with my hands and crying tears of shame. That's just wonderful. I feel like throwing up again.

"Now I'm feeling weird too. That's just wrong. You're the escort, goddamnit! How the hell can I feel safe when I know you have feelings for me?!" He shook his own worries away and pointed a burning finger to me. I took offense at that I also pointed at him.

"Shut up, you! This is just a misunderstanding!" I said back, but he stepped back a few times.

"N-No! Stay away from me! Everybody knows how Hyoodou Issei was with his girls! And I like to sit without a donut floater, thank you!" He said as he shielded himself with his arms crossed in an 'X' across his chest. My eye began to twitch, As my levels of rage were going off the scale. In the end, I clapped his head in between my hands and head-butted him in order to make him stop!

"Shut up, you damn piece of bread! I'm not a pervert, and I just said everything I'm feeling right now is new to me! I might be in love with you or not! Well, I'm sorry, because I just don't know!" I said as he snapped back from his bitching and began to stare at me like a roadway deer. That was intense even for my standards, which are pretty low. I blushed again and turned my eyes to another direction, but still sandwiching his face in between my palms. "I just don't know, okay? Try to live your life without any friends or few good family members and see what happens."

"Well, I don't know who my father is, but I guess I can understand." He said. Of course. Another thing about being the child of a harem: sometimes you just don't know for sure who are your parents. His mother is the legendary Kaguya, the leader of the hot spring shinobi village. His father is another feather in her plumage. Kinda opposite of maybe Aria-San. "Not to mention, I have several half-siblings as well, so I can't really relate. If anything, I apologize."

"Nah. I'm sorry, too. Never should've said that. Sorry for making things creepy or anything." I said, returning to look at him. We crossed eyes, and then divert them away again. This is so awkward. My first boy friend, and I blew it up. Damn it. "So~, we good?"

"Only if you let go of my face." He deadpanned, as I realized I was holding his cheeks this whole time. I let go of him and an awkward silence fell upon us. So much for first interactions.

"Bah! Whatever, let's hit the road. Then I'll show you around." I Said to him after slapping myself a few times. "After that little show, I have no reason to go back and pick my stuff. I think I'll skip classes for today. Let's go eat something good."

"Yuramen, Sekiryuutei. I personally like tomatoes and ramen. Let's go to a ramen stand." He said in his usual deadpanned tone. I picked my wallet and checked it's content. Damn it, I'll have to save a few to buy groceries today. Maybe if mum is around, I can ask her to do that for me. "Let me guess: everyone for themselves."

"Sorry, I'm running really low. I have to feed the freeloaders in my house, and that's just..."

"Harem."

"Oh, shut it!"

***POP!***

"Eh...?" And out of the sudden, when I was about to take the first step, the head of a certain someone with green hair popped from the dirty ground, as she looked exhausted and tired, but she had her time to smile.

"Yo, Ichijou. It looks like you grew bored of the classes as well. What do you know? Maybe mr. Momma's boy isn't a saint after all. Although you can no longer be a saint, anyway." Annabelle Hellsing snickered under my feet, as I bend down to face her dirty face. "I literally just dig a tunnel out of my class, but it's easier than it seems. I'm a ninja, after all..."

"Just in time, Annie. I was going to eat a ramen with this new guy. Care to join?" I said nonchalantly. At least tried, since it'd be rude to simply say 'let's split' later. She gave me that pretty sly grin, and I avoided her gaze. "We won't split the bills. Everyone by everyone. Happy, now?"

"Well, you're honest. That's your biggest flaw and best quality." She morphed her grin to a smile, as she emerged her upper-half from the ground like a swimmer would, and began to scan the place. "Like always, the old building is the best place to escape. So, who's your friend? Is he a monster or a devil?"

"Well, not exactly. I just met him today, too. Here, his name is Ren and his a shinob-..." And I turned to the boy next to me. Whoever, when I did it, I stopped mid-sentence when I saw the livid look in his eyes. A shadow from his bangs was casted on his eyes, and the only thing I could see was his glowing yellow eyes shining at us. "Err... Ren-San, what's the matter?"

"Sayuri...?" He dryly said. I remember that name. wasn't that one which Beelzebub-sensei said back in the hospital? Wait, hold on. This means...

"A-Ah... Nii-nii...!" I turned back to Hellsing, and from the depths of hell, the image of a pale, trembling, sweating damphyr, slowly sinking herself on the ground. Back to Ren, he was about to take the first step. "I mean... Sowwy, Ichijou, but I just... Forgot to... Iron Albert... So... Bye!"

***POP!***

"Wait, what...?"

"SAAAAAAYUUUUUURIIIII...!" And hell break loose as Hellsing dived into the ground and trailed a dirty path away from us. Before I could even ask him, he simply pushed me away and dived into the ground like water too. I was perplexed for a second, with my ass on the earthy floor, and just realized that a magical barrier had been casted around campus...

...

"Ah! What the hell...!" I screamed to no one, as I followed the path left by them. Before anything, I tapped Aria-san's rune and let it run so that I could stay tuned to her if she picks the call.

.

~~x~~

.

And with the misunderstanding out of the way, I Tsukino Kyou was now brewing some tea for the two lovely guests in my house. By the way, I need to go out and buy some groceries and drinks later. We're running kinda low in food, and since we had... Let me see, Rina-chan, Annie-chan, Yoko-chan and now Ryuubi-chan, four more guests, I guess is understandable. I just hope no one is starving. By the dishes beside me, I can say that Ichijou is trying his best...

"What a lovely family you have." Alice-san said looking at some old photos in a special whiteboard, while Ryuubi-chan was taking a nap on the couch. The family photo board. All the small pictures of the Tsukino's in vacation or special occasions. Granted, there are not that many, but at least is something. However, instead of a picture, the redhead picked a small drawing from one of the borders. "Oh~, and what's that? 'Me and my bestiests Nina and Julia'? Who are those?"

"Well, you can say that they're childhood friends of Ichijou." I said, pouring the tea into two cups for us and putting the rest in a thermal bottle. Suddenly, ***VOOOOSH!*** I heard the sound of something like a broken pipe squishing water, and when I turned around, Alice-san was having a violent nosebleed! I picked some tissues as fast as I could and ran for her! "Oh, my god! Alice-San, what happened?!"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just... Elated to know he had some more... Acquaintances." She said in a rather calm tone, as her bleeding halted, and she used her own sleeve to wash it away. Don't do that, Alice-san! That dress is so pretty! "So... Childhood friends, huh? Wonder why there's no photos of them. Not even recent or old ones. How odd~."

"Well... Stuff happened, and then their dad forbid him to even come close to them... That's a long story." I said with a sigh. She turned to me, and gave me a confused look. However, it changed to an understandable smile and soothing eyes. "There's also not many photos because... I dunno, the camera was old, and they wouldn't appear on it. I don't even remember how they were. I wonder if they're good girls now."

"Like your son?" She asked with a sly grin. I don't know if she's mocking or praising Ichijou, that smile is misleading too much. I just ignored and walked to the kitchen table to place the tea set there. Alice-San walked to it and picked a cup for herself, taking a quick sip. "Huuuum~. Delicious. You're pretty good at this, lady Anzu."

"Really? Well, I did take some tea ceremonies lessons before marrying, so I guess I can make a good tea once in a while." I said, blushing and scratching the back of my head. This is so juvenile, but I did it anyway because it became an habit during my highschool years. I sat on the opposite side from her and sipped on my own coffee.

"Oh, my. If your son inherit such passion and grace, It makes me so happy that my little idiot is around him~" And again she was saying nonsense with nonsense. Around... Him... Are they a couple? I mean, Rina-chan is indeed good-looking and high-spirit, if not a little airheaded, while my Ichijou can be really rude and kinda of a jerk, but at least he's honest and down to earth. If they get together-together, maybe they'll fix each other to be a good and balanced couple. "What do you think?"

"They're... A good match, to say the least." I said, taking an awkward sip out of my tea. She's matchmaking our children? "But they're still very young. Maybe we should have them some time to get used to each other."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just the old style kind of woman. Please forget about it." She handwaved the problem away, however, another one, even grimmer; surfaced and she placed the cup on the table, now using her hands to cup her face and support her breasts on the table. "Let's talk about something else, shall we?"

"Huh~... Sure."

"What would you do if your son decide to marry numerous girls in his life?"

*BAM!*

"Lady Anzu?"

"I have fallen, and I refuse to get up!" I said to the heavens, kissing the cold and hard floor.

I guess this is the start of a wonderful friendship...

.

~~x~~

.

"Damn it! ANNIE! REN! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I said to no one as I could see only two flashes of lights dancing in midair. My Boosted Gear now in standby for precaution. Everything was going so fast, everything was in a confusion of bright lights and flashes. In a blink of an eye, I saw a glimpse of light coming in my direction, and as Fast as I could, I dodged it, as a demon-wind shuriken just almost cut my head clean off! Those two are not messing around.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THE VILLAGE, SAYURI!" A silver flash echoed, as it clashed again and again against another green one. Suddenly, fireballs were fired against one another, and they clashed, causing an even bigger explosion!

"HAHAHAHAH...! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE, REN!" The green flash said back, launching another barrage of ninja stars against the other one, which responded it with it's own barrage of kunais! The weapons would clash and fall flat on the floor, unfortunately, also where I was standing! Rhongomiant materialized in my hand as I used it to defend myself against the sharp objects! But the ferocious attacks wouldn't stop!

"Could you guys please just...!" And they went back to clash with each other! The whole P.E. Area became a mess of holes, explosions and slashes, and since I was in the middle, they would collide and and bump into me, hitting me like some kind of pinball machine! I tried to call for their attention, but they again would hit me down! That's enough, now! "I SAID..."

**[BOOST!]**

***PUNCH!* *BOOOOM!***

"Uwah...!"

"Hyaaah...!"

*WOULD YOU GUYS SHUT UP?!" I said as I punched the ground with all of the strength in my Boosted Gear, and in the end creating a crater which size covered good part of the P.E. Area. The two ninjas were taken back by the impact, and landed on opposite directions, with me being the midway between the two. Finally! We can start again and talk this ove-... **AAAAAAAAAAH! FUUUUUC**-...! I think I broke my arm AGAIN!

"Shit. That was a close call." Getting out of my own misery, I heard from a side. I turned to that direction and saw ninja balancing in one of the cracks of the area, cracking her fingers with her thumb again. She regained her composure and looked at me. We clashed stares. "Hey, Ichijou, that was close! We were just having a good time trying to kill each other~!"

"Don't give me that crap! If you're gonna kill, then at least give me a reason! He's my escort, y'know!" I said to her, as I turned to Ren, who was still bloodshot from the adrenaline from before, standing up and cracking his neck. "How about you?! What's your excuse?!"

"Tch! Family matters! Outsiders can't say shit!" He blasted. I frowned at him, and he immediately changed his persona, now turning a little red and avoiding eye contact with me. "But... I'll tell you... Because you're my ally. And I'm not like that. Sorry."

"Don't sweat it, bro. Ichijou may not look like, but he's an alright guy. He's a tsundere, also." I turned back to Hellsing, and she was shrugging like it wasn't part of her business. I frowned at her, and she just gave me a shit-eating grin. "You want a reason, right? I'll give you a reason, then! This lad in front of you, the silverette with hidden flat-boobs, is my dear, dear older half-brother. And he wants me because I abandoned Hanzō village in order to pursue my dream to become the Vampire King!"

"So... Your real name is Sayuri. I understand your ambition to become the Vampire King, but I can't see any problem in wanting to kill YOU." I turned back to Ren, as he coughed a little. "Let me guess, she either is wanted because she knows too much about the Village Secrets, or because she either killed a hundred other companions, right?"

"..." Ren stayed quiet for quite some time, before coughing again and turned his golden eyes to me in a threatening way. "You don't understand, Ichijou. Granted, I'm still yet to reveal why I'm here and why I need some guidance and a tour around Kuoh's campus."

"..." I gulped. Yet, I didn't think that for a while. I was too happy to have a friend to care. But not, I'm afraid I'm between my first ninja friend and the second deal. He frowned at me a little more, and then turned his attention to Hellsing.

"Very well, I'll say it: the reason why I'm here it's because this place, Kuoh academy, will be the place of meeting between the leaders of the underworld and the remaining high class of the vampire kingdom. They hired Ninjas from the Hanzō village to serve as their bodyguards." He spoke, as his gaze became even murderous at Hellsing. "Thus, the leader of those two factions shall be present. That includes the members of the Hellsing family."

"Which means Annie's father and mother will be here as well." I concluded. I kinda can understand the bad concept of other races Vampires have, but still, what's with all the ruckus with the tiny-boobed knight and friend of mine? "So? Is there something to matter to a little family reunion?"

"You don't understand, Ichijou! In order to become the vampire King...!"

*CRACK!*

"One must prove that he or she is stronger than the current King, and therefore more suitable to lead the proud race that is the Race of the night..." We then focused on Annabelle Hellsing, who again cracked her fingers and smiled at us. However, that smile, combined with the eerie shine of her golden eyes, chilled the entire area, including my own spine. Wait, does that means what I think it means? "You're smart, aren't you, Ichijou? So you know what this will lead me. In order for me to become the next Vampire King..."

... T_he Current Vampire King, Nosferatu Black, must be killed by my hands!_

...

...

"Just like the Klingons."

"You jus HAD to tell a joke, didn't you?!"

Oh, wait! I'm back to be the straight man!

* * *

**So... Midway comedy, midway action with some slapstick. Is this maybe a foreshadowing for future events? Who knows and who doesn't? I'm actually very excited aboiut this arc, since this will focus on the development of other girls and peerages, and not just Ichijou, who showed us that everyone can be an idiot sometimes. BTW, maybe slapstick comedy isn't really my thing. Boke-and-tsukkomi is more like it. **

**Next chater, probably more shenanigans. Stay tuned and golden~. Nice vacations, everybody!.**


	29. Between flat-chest and AA-cups

**Hello again, fandom. How are you all? Having a nice vacation? maybe not, maybe yes. I hope yes. Anyway, this chapter we have a little more o drama and downright action scenes. Kinda naruto, kinda typical shounen series. I hope that's satisfatory for now. Until below! **

**Highschool dxd doesnt belongs to me, thank , and I',ve also renamed the title of the story, since it kinda makes more sense, and because the backwards R kinda has it's charms...**

* * *

It kinda pains me to see Nemesis like that...

Maybe it's pride, or arrogance, or just general idiocy, but sometimes I can't help but to feel sorry for her as the Headmistress here in Kuoh academy. If it wasn't already her role as the local watching devil, together with that other exorcist and that angel asshole, she now has to fill paper upon paper with enrolling, faults, indiscipline, payments and checks and all of that, plus the fact she has to contact a certain construction company to put protection grills on the windows because apparently some jackass Jumped to his death one time. I wonder how she's not broken now...

Currently I'm just here seeing her doing her work as usual. She just called me here so that I can be close to the school and My bro if anything goes wrong. The only thing I'm doing now is eat snacks and drink tea. Maybe...

"Hey, Nemesis, maybe you want some hel-..."

***ZING!***

"Shut the hell up, Aria!" And before I could finish my sentence, she just tossed a pencil against me, which I dodged for a nail, as it stuck on the wall. I turned back to Nemesis, as her mood soon turned back to normal. I'm really getting used to this. Alastor lineage and all, she's short-tempered as long as I remember her. "Just... Don't talk to me. Please, Aria, don't make me hurt you."

"Sowwy, I just wanted to ask if you need a secretary of something. I mean, look at you, you'll reach a millennia in two years if you're not careful. Then I'll have Nero just for me." With that mentality, things are not so bad. She shot a gaze at me, and sighed. "I can be the one. You don't have to pay nor need to justify it. I'm your friend, Nemis."

"I appreciate you concern, But I don't need a secretary right now." She said as she returned to her paperwork. Stamp that, sign this, all at the same time and under the same rhythm. She stamped one twice and now is writing another upside down. Seriously? "Just coffee and a good night of sleep is needed."

"Maybe not. You're forgetting really important things, Nemis." I said as I reached for my pocket and from there, picked five colorful tickets with a happy cartoonish whale there. Nemesis ignored me for a second, but then wilded her eyes and stood up from her chair. "Like those tickets to the water resort you were suppose to give to Rina and her peerage after her loss as a consolation prize."

"Gimme dat!" She said as she leaned from her place and tried to snap them out of my hands, I back-stepped and dodged her assault, as her grumpy face met the table full of papers. Some of them flew into the wind, as she stood up again to face me. "How... How did you...?"

"What's yours is mine. What's mine is yours. That's the rule we share since we were brats, maybe it wasn't that wise of you to try hide those things in the panties table." I said with a grin, as she slid to kiss the table again. Consolation prizes, huh. Rina would still be devastated, though. A good water to refresh the mind also works. "You're such a cool sister, Nemesis. Why you hide that from others?"

"Because I don't want to look weak around them, specially Rina." She said with a sigh, returning to her seat. I gave her a puzzled look, since that answer didn't... Answer anything. "I personally don't like to show off, but if she thinks I'm weak, she'll think I'm unworthy the title of the next head of the Gremories. She'll never forgive me for that.

."

"Oh, yes. That. Still, you should be more open. What would gramps Millicas think?"

"..." No answer.

***Bzzz... Bzzzz... Bzzz...***

"Wow, bro sure is a troublemaker." I said as I heard the signal beside my ear ring. It's the emergency signal. Ichijou is in trouble... Again. Weirdness seems to take a like of him. I deactivated it and took my way to the door, bidding one final farewell to Nemesis and leaving the tickets on her desk. I grinned to her. "I'm going now. But I still think you'll need a secretary."

And then, before she could retort that with anything, I was off...

Now, time to solve some dragon problems.

* * *

_My dream... Was to be the best ninja in the world!_

_I was super talented, gifted beyond my other siblings and even the other children of the village. My mother, being the super Kaguya, the demoness of the black moon, was only one plus in my way to become the best of the best!_

_And before I could reach adulthood, I did it! I became the first Jōnin-ranked ninja in my grade of age! Not even Ren, Ran, Himawari or Kiri could reach that! I was so happy for my achievement. I could do so much more than other ninjas, like going on dangerous missions and do awesome things like assassinations and escort missions! They even said that I would be the next Kaguya if my development continues like that! Everything was going so well!_

_But somehow... I felt empty after all of that. I loved my father and my mother, but there were always so far apart. Mom Haruka as the sex-driven leader of the village, dad Desmond the racist vampire leader of a distant nation. They would volleyball me from time to time under my childish requests, and because of that, I could interact with them, but not both of them... That alone was what makes me sad..._

_I guess... Being all that jazz can't help me with my personal problems..._

_But then it hit me: if I can become the next Kaguya... I can also become the next vampire King! Yes! That's it! If I can kill the vampire King, mom and dad will never need to be apart again! We can be a happy family of psychos altogether! All my sisters, my brothers, and my parents! All a happy family!_

_And I know I can do that, after all... I'm a Ninj-..._

.

~~x~~

.

"Okay, I'm done here."

"What?" I mean, what? Sekiryuutei just interrupted my motivation flashback! That's very rude! But now that I looked at him, he seemed really pissed. REALLY pissed. Arms crossed, frown pushed until humanly possible, and anger emanating from his aura. Ichijou entered FUBAR mode.

"I said I'm done! No! Fuck this! This is BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT, I tell ya!" He said, as me and Ren stopped our tracks of waiting as the red dragon tossed a hissy fit. "WHAT IS THIS?! Is this how my life gonna be from now on?! Fucking revelations and twists everyday?! NO! THIS IS BULLSHIT! HOLY SHIT! Do you think I like this?! Do you think I wake up in the morning and think with myself: 'oh boy, I wonder what kind of fucked-up shenanigans I'm gonna deal with today'?! No! **NO I DON'T! I FUCKING DONT! THERE'S A LINE, ANNIE! THERE'S A LINE THERE IT SHOULDN'T BE CROSSED, AND I'M CROSSING IT BACK-AND-FORTH LIKE SOME KIND OF FUCKING BUNGEE-JUMPER! AND IT'S NOT FUNNY, ANNIE! IT'S. NOT. FUCKING. FUNNY! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...! *GASP!*"**

"..."

"..."

"Arf... Arf..."

...

...

...

"Sayuri, your friends are fucking weird!"

***BAM!***

**"... -UUUUUUUUUCK!**" And he summoned his Rhongomiant again just to beat Ren beside him to nonexistence, as he flew with the contact of the holy sword and came down crushing the replica of the old building. He turned to me, as suddenly his eyes glow golden to me. "That's it! This is my resolution!"

"Huh...?"

"I can't let you kill him, because he's my escort! But I can't let him kill you, because you're my friend! There's only one solution: I will beat you two so bad you won't even be able to stand!" He said as his Boosted Gear announced [BOOST] yet again. In one leap, he covered the entire area between us, as in some good feet, and landed right in front of me. In one smooth, quick swing, he brought his sword down onto me without the slight hesitation, and fast as I could tried to deflect his upcoming attack.

***KLINK!* *FLASH!* *BOOM!***

And I did it. I used my kunai to successfully deflect his attack to beside me, but when his massive sword hit the floor, it opened a crater with the impact, pushing me away from a side. The assault didn't stop as he lifted again his sword and tried a horizontal slash. I backed again, and for another inch the dull blade didn't cut me. However, the edge of the sword began to glow. In an instant, a energy slash was launch from the edges of Rhongomiant, and I was hit! That alone was enough to push me away until the ethereal cut dissipated!

***DOOON!***

"Ugh...! He's even stronger than I thought!" I said to myself. I landed only two feet, feeling the pain of that dry slash in my stomach. His level of development is absurd. To think I was just messing with him when we first met... He leaped again against me and tried another slash. That one, I carefully dodged without having any more surprises. We came face-to-face, and he continued to try to cut me, as I pushed the flat sides of his sword to avoid it. "Wow! Look at you! Better than ever! You've improved a lot, Ichijou!"

"Damn straight I have! I didn't spend my whole holiday running away from a dragon for nothing!" He roared to me, as his assault became ever wilder and fast. He ended up bruising my palms. Oh, but this is the perfect opportunity for a trick...

"Yes! Not bad at all! But you forget that...!" And I messed a step on purpose as he leaped again and tried to whack me with that dull blade. However, as he did just that, I activated my special escape ninja technique, and in the end, substituted myself with a piece of wood. He slammed that log to the ground, but it was only too late for him to finally realize he just attacked something that it was not me! "... I'm a ninja, after all!"

And the stood there, dumbfounded for a second, as I appeared by his back, mouth filled with pressure needles, and without any second to lose, spat all of them into his back, right on his weak spots! With all of them launched, they stuck on his back, and he froze. Yes! Now with him out of the way, I'll just need to deal with Ren!

***Voosh~...***

"What the...?!" And when I was about to turn around, still with my grin, the image of Ichijou simply... Disappeared. No, it wasn't just that! The needles I spit didn't even touched him. They hit the ground instead! Was that an afterimage?! "So fast...!"

**[WELSH DRAGON! ALTER BOOSTER! CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE!**]

"This is so old it's really getting on my nerves, Annie!" I heard by my back, so I turned around and faced Ichijou, his feet covered by Crimson scales and his Boosted Gear covering his whole arm, as he lifted his now red Sword, preparing an attack! "Take this!"

**[CHANGE! SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS!]**

***SLASH!***

And it was in just an instant. I crossed my arms, summoning a pair of swords to help me take his own blade, but in that same instant, he descended his sword against me, and then, stopped. He even missed for a few inches. I was about to counterattack, but then *SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!*, dozens upon dozens of slashes began to cut me from all directions! A phantom effect?! Was he always that fast?! Fortunately, my ninja vision was enough to block a good portion of the attack, although by the end of it, my fingers and wrists were sore because of that ruthless assault. He leaped against me again, and we clashed blades, stopping there.

"Don't make me do this, Annie. You're the only person in this world that I can understand!" He said under his own breath and teeth. Somehow, he's more than pissed. He seems... Hesitant. Of course, maybe he haven't killed before. Amateur. Or maybe it is something else. I dunno. He's blood-thirsty, that's for sure, as it's even harder for me to grip on my wakizashis correctly. I tried to push him away, but he only clashed with me again before I could do a thing. "Now, you listen to me...!"

"Ninja art: acid eruption!" Those words made me despair a little, as the floor beneath us began to glow a dangerous red. Shit! That technique... I bent backwards, a and with that little slip, I kicked Ichijou in the face, landing my feet on the floor and jumping backwards away from him! And for a nail, the floor there erupted like a volcano, sending the dragon away! Emerging from the burning sole, there was my dear... Brother. Yeah, brother. "Tch! Sharp as usual! No wonder you were a Jōnin at the age of six!"

"Oh, how cute! You're being the mr. Exposition! You've grown so much, Ren!" I said, as I leaped towards him and picked back my wakizashis! He made some hand signs, and draw a little of blood from his pinky. He finished his little ritual and a curtain of black smoke arose. In the end, a big, greasy toad appeared in it, as my... Brother landed on top of it!

"C'mon, Jiraiya! Arrowhead tongue!" He commanded. The road opened his eyes, and something like a grin was draw in his lipless mouth, as he opened it and something as fast as a bullet came out of it in my direction! *ZAP!*, my sixth sense was enough to help me stop and dodge that one in time, but another invisible gush of wind went from behind me to back into that toad's mouth! Before I could react, another invisible gush of wind came in my direction!

***ZAP!***

***ZOOP!***

***ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!'***

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" And after that second assault, that amphibian didn't stop, as something was coming in and out from his mouth in my direction like a machine-gun! Even with my ninja instincts, I couldn't formulate a plan when I was too busy dealing with that one!

And then it happened: in one careless move, the corner of my eye missed one of those gushes, and something cut my leg! A superficial damage, nothing like it would last, but out of the sudden, my body felt weak. That cut made a chill run down my spine, as my sigh began to blur and I couldn't no longer stand up straight. Is this... Poison?

Shit! I can't... Take another one of those! He's still attacking me, but I have to take the risk! I stood still on my feet and taking some others hits in other Areas, but avoiding vital ones like organs, members and head, I hand-signed and then spat a black mist at him!

"Ninja Technique: dark curtain!" I jumped to a random direction at a distance, as the attacks became out of control, hitting in all directions, but not far enough to reach my current location! Once there, I picked a syringe with a special kind of antidote under my skirt and stuck it within my veins! 'Always prepared for the worst', that's the second golden rule for a shinobi! Phew! After some seconds, I was back in action again! I looked at the curtain of confusion I spat against my... Brother, and was really to give another hit at him, when then...

"Jiraiya! Oil river! Ninja technique: demon breath!" From the depths of the smoke cloud, a massive inferno of red flames encircled the place, the amount of power in it enough to clean my curtain of dust, as my... Brother appeared by the other side, spitting fire while his frog was spitting a jet of a brown liquid! He looked at me, sharpened his eyes and stopped to catch his breath. "Now! Use oil bubble!"

The toad nodded, filled his giant chin with something, and spat a giant ball of grease in my direction, at the same time Ren spat himself a fireball at it! The two fused together, and the result was a even bigger and faster sphere of flames! It's too fast!

Damn it! I have to...!

***BOOM!***

"Hah! Now we're even, sis!"

"As if! You own me big time already, Ren."

And I did it! I summoned Albert just in time to protect myself using his thick, powerful shell. The smoke from the explosion soon vanished, and I could see his wilded expression of surprise. Huh, even with that, I'm still one of the strongest. He hand-signed a bit more, but I was faster, and kicked Alfred against him!

*WHACK!*

"Gah!" I hit him right in the face, and he fell on his ass a few meters away from Jiraiya, which disappeared soon after in a cloud of white smoke. Without losing any tempo, I jumped to the skies above, picked a pack of ninja stars, and with it, pinned him to the ground by his clothes! He was now stuck! "Ah! Shit! Why you... SISTER!"

"That's the end for you, Nii-Nii! When you see grandpa Sasuke in hell, tell him that it was your little sister who send you there!" I said. I blew a whistle, and rolling his way towards me, Albert Joined me in my free fall. I landed on him, and making sure to not lose my aim, I hand signed and touched the thick, green shell of my turtle. "Ninja art: Expansion thunder!"

And with that, Albert's size grew tenfold. A perfect execution! With no more chances for Ren to survive or even escape, I stomped hard on Albert, and like a meteorite, I was coming down ready to turn my idiot... Brother into pancake! He blew a few fireballs at me, but it was no use!

Hahah! Goodbye, Ren!

"Turtle... SMASH!"

***BAM!***

***PUNCH!***

**[BOOST!]**

"Wha...?!" But before I could hear a noisy smash, I heard a *BAM!* instead. Albert stopped flat, but from here I can see that he's not even near ground level! It can't be Ren, so this means... Oh, hell no!

**[CHANGE: DRAGON SMASHER QUEEN!]**

"Quit the bitch-hissing! I'M TRYING TO TALK HERE!" And before further notice could be heard, Albert, even in that massive size, bounced up and down, and then a massive beam of energy emerged from below him! That blast engulfed us, and before I knew it, I was flying into the air, doing flips like a fricking professional diver, as Albert was doing the same, returning to his original form and then disappearing in a puff of white smoke. While in midair, I looked down, and there he is, Tsukino Ichijou, his Boosted Gear and Dragon claws in another form, with his left fist pointing at the heavens! What the hell... It was him who did all that show?!

I landed on my two feet, but because of the momentum, I slid on the sandy floor and tripped, rolling on the ground until I had enough balance to put myself standing up. What the hell... That's... That's not normal... That's impossible! He's... Much, much stronger now. This evolution can't be normal. Is that... The true potential of the Red Dragon Emperor!

"Will you hear me now, Annie?!"

"Shut up!" I said with all of my strength, as he gasped in surprise. What the hell is going on?! How is he stronger than me?! No! He's not stronger, it's just that Boosted Gear doubling his power every damn ten seconds! Well, time for that one! I bit my finger to draw a little of blood from it, and began to make some hand-signs. This one, not even the red dragon emperor will be able to contain! I finished my sequence of hand seals, and then lifted a hand to the skies! "You think you're better than me?! Well, I have my own trump card!"

As I said that, Lightning started to form in my hand, as a thunderbolt out of nowhere hit me from the heavens and increased the flow of energy around the place. I grimaced in pain, feeling the skin on my hand peeling due to the excessive energy, but I suck it up and continued with the ritual. Yes, this is the ultimate summoning, my ultimate attack! Qillin!

"What the... Ugh...!" Dragon was surprised, wilding his eyes in admiration as the flow of lightning around my hand began to grow, however, he grunted a little, grimaced, and held his head in apparent pain, as it looked he was having a headache, the Gremory symbol inexplicably appearing under his feet, only to disappear again. In the end, he opened his eyes, and glow a menacing yellow glare at me. "So... You're really gonna use THAT. To think I thought you were the cool one."

"What the..." And even more surprises as suddenly he morphed back to his original form, and in another second, summoned his Scale Mail armor. Tch! Like that's gonna work on This!

"I know what you're thinking: not even this form will be enough to deal what will come with that technique of yours. Well then, if you're gonna go all out against someone as inexperienced as him, be prepared to expect something similar from me!" He said, as a glimpse of green light flashed from his eyes, and the gravity around him escalated tenfold. His armor began to glow in a crimson light, as the aura around him was so powerful it was visible on naked eye. **"["I, who is about to awaken, Am the Red Dragon Emperor who has discarded the principles of domination...]**"

"So this is how's gonna be, huh?! I'll show you! I'll show you that I'm still the strongest! I'll show you that I'll reach my dream!"

"**[**** I shall walk the path of Justice by having unlimited hopes and dreams... ****I shall become the King of the Crimson dragon...!]**"

"Forbidden summoning technique: Thunder God emperor Qil-...!"

***BREAK!***

***GRAB!***

***DOOOOOON!***

**...**

"That's enough, Annie." That voice... In just one second, I saw a flash right before my eyes, and like it was nothing, a hard, firm grasp reached to my wrist, and cut the flow on energy on it, canceling my technique midway through. I looked to a side, and two big, shining blue eyes were staring at me. Tch! As expected from someone descending from the Hero of the underworld...

"Aria-san..."

"So, your mother let you out of the village scout-free, and that's what you're doing? Using forbidden techniques on your pals?" And by the blond hair, enormous bust and green eyes, I could see it was blond Boobs. She sighed, and smiled, then grimaced. "Can't say Ainot proud of ya doing some progress, but ya goin' a lil' two far..."

"Don't you dare talk like my mother. I hate that dialect."

***CRASH!***

"Tsukino-chin." And I tossed my gaze to another direction. From the skies, a breach was open on the ninja barrier, as from there, Witch Boobs free-fell to right in front of my other opponents. The Scale Mail armor then stopped the show of lights, then bursted away, revealing an unconscious Ichijou inside, who would kiss the floor if it wasn't for the giant bazoongas of our Bishop to soft his landing. She hugged him "Me. Save you. Just in time."

"Oh, and It was. Stupid sis heeya tried a forbidden art. Could've kill the red Dragon Lad in an blink." Aria gripped my wrist even more, but I just needed to shook it away to escape her grasp. My technique was dead, the barrier has been destroyed and I don't have enough chi to make another and try again. Besides, my fire is all gone now. "Sayuri, U escaped a big mess, yonredy."

"Tch. Whatever. I'm a ninja, no regrets." I said, but my chest felt heavy saying that. I shook that feeling away, and sighed. I'm going home. I have... Nothing to do here. "So I'm going. See ya around..."

"Hey! Annie! Sayuri! Whatever your name is right now!" I stopped midway my track, and turned around to see the Red Dragon emperor, struggling to stand up, as he tried to walk towards me, pushing Tasha away and drawing his sword and Sacred Gear. "Where do you think you're going?! I have unfinished business with you!"

"Give it up, Ichijou. Aria-san is here. In the end, if we're not careful, we both are gonna die."

"I don't care!" That one was surprising. He stomped hard on the floor, and completely summoned his Sacred Gear, as it announced [BOOST!] again. "Even if she stays in front of me, I'll still stop you and punch the hell out of your goddamn face!"

**[BOOST!]**

"...?!"

"I have my problems too, y'know! So shut up and suck it up, because I'm not letting anyone go away because something I know I can stop!" He said, as his clenched his grip even more around his sword. Aria-san was also surprised, and Tasha tossed her eyes to me. "I'll not let you do something idiotic that can possibly kill you! I've already lost people I like because of some stupid decision! Stop right now before I break your legs and scream to you until you realize what you're planning to do is insane!"

"Huh, adorable. Are you trying to lecture me? You know nothing." I said, gripping my heart a little and gulping.

"Yes, I know nothing! But this is stupid, and that's enough for me to stop you!" His Boosted Gear announced another [BOOST], but as I could see, he was struggling to stand up. His legs were all wiggle, and he curved his back to try to maintain his posture.

"..." He's really trying to stop me. He's no longer in condition to try, but he's doing it anyway.

I wonder... If Tasha's right. I looked at her, and for the first time, she smiled. She's waiting for me to realize it. I looked at him, as he had teary eyes, ready to burst another hiss. Tch, maybe I walked with him too much. I'm... Really making friends with them. I'm walking stray from my objective. From 'getting stronger to become the vampire King' to 'fooling around and having fun'. He's getting stronger... And that same thing is in my way.

Sigh, should I go stray and get stronger before the reunion, or should I stay and fool around while my goals rots away with the wind? I need my time to think.

"Hey, Ichijou." I turned back to him, and smiled. "Can you stop me?"

"I WILL stop you! Because... Because... I want to be your friend!" He said, sniffing a little and then tossing me an determinate glare. "I hate to admit it, but you're the only sane person I can rely on in this world. And if you die doing something stupid... I'll kill myself and go to the afterlife just to punch you in the face!"

Tch... Maybe I'm really my mother's daughter...

"Well then... Good luck with that." And then I made a gush of wind blow around me, using my escape technique to run away. I'm at disadvantage, better get out of here. "Goodbye..."

"W-Wait! You bitch...!"

**[BURST!]**

And the last image I had was him kissing the floor in one smooth move, as his Sacred Gear announced that one last time and then disappeared in thin air. I'll be gone for now, I have no intention to kill anyone anymore.

Maybe I'm getting too soft again...

I... Can't be a ninja anymore...

.

**~~x~**~

.

"Welp, she's gone. It wasn't even an escape technique. That was an tele-transportation one. She can be on the other side of Japan by now." Aria-san said, as I payed like a corpse on the floor. Shit... Letting Yagura take control again, and suffering a down on energy. I'm Being pathetic again, and there it goes another one out of my grasp.

...

...

Aaaaah~! This sucks!

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Hell!" I said as I pushed myself to the other side and landed on my back next to Ren, taking deep breaths of defeat and staring at the sky. Oh, it looks like it's noon already. I've been fighting for quite some time. No wonder I went [BURST!], class is probably out too. Now, I'm sore. "I can't believe another one... Escape from my grasp."

"Pshaa~. You should change your name to Drama queen Gear drive. Like seriously." I heard that annoying but welcome voice next to me, I pouted and gritted my teeth.

"Go back in being unconscious, Ren. I'm trying to suck my own defeat before I really snap." I said to him. I heard also a grunt by the other side. I can't really move, and that means I can't smack in the head...

That sounded so awkward given the situation I'm in...

"Besides, you're not dead or anything. Mission kinda accomplished, right? You don't have 'kill Annie' in you paperwork, have you?"

"You threatened me, risk the life of everybody else and in the end, I'm laying on the hard ground, semi-conscious. You suck!" Ren snapped back at me, frowning and being an annoying ass. I shot my eyes back to him in that same expression, we stared at each other.

"Says the guy whom had his ass kicked by his baby sister! You suck harder!" I responded. He took offense at that.

"No! You suck harder!"

"You suck the hardest!"

"I bet your dragon sucks even more!"

"And I bet you have a ninja art that makes you suck even more than that!"

***PASH!***

"Gah! Sand!" We both said as suddenly dust came flying into our eyes. My arms were too sore to clean the dirt away, so I could only tear and spit. When I finally could open my eyes, Aria-San and Tasha were standing besides us.

"You two suck. Did you two forgot your objectives? And by the way, I can't believe you skipped classes, bro!" Aria-San with a rather disappointed tone, while I gulped and turned my head to a side, ashamed and kinda pissed. Tasha poked me by the cheek. "It took also forever for me track you down. Demonic barriers are a breeze. Ninja ones are just... Gah~! Too perfect."

"Bad boy." She said, I grunted.

"That's not fair, Aria-san. I was protecting a friend and my load over here. I could take them on if I Wanted!" I said. Ren spat next to me.

"Yeah, right. You know what? I don't want to be part of another threeway with you." Ren said to me, and we started another staring contest. Aria-san laughed at us, while Tasha was just turning purple as her hair, probably holding her urges to make a dirty joke. Sigh.

"Look, Ren, how about we talk? Let's eat something and just talk." The taller blond said to us. We turned to her and she gave us a smile. "I mean, we can't tour you around now, so we can just eat something and you can tell us what's wrong with your sis. How about it? My treat. Whatever you want."

"..." The albino frowned a little, looked at me, at her, at Tasha, to the skies, and when his stomach growled, to his belly. He sighed, and turned to me. "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that ramen invitation, now."

Good one. And if we can track down Hellsing, better. But I'm starting to think my problems will only get worse from now on...

* * *

**Well, what do you guys think? Sure, his breakdown was really fun to write, but that also raises some questions: Does puppet protagonists does ever feel down or even have small bursts of anger? I mean, would you all ever imagine ichigo having a fit, or kaneki ken throwing a tantrum from all the shit he's been through? It would be kinda funny, but also tragic. That time was funny, at least for me. I had fun with this chapter, and I hope you also...**

**Now, stay golden~. I'll go watching that new anime, Here lknown as "My monster secret"! Until next time!**


	30. Ice-creams, ointments and drinks(Oh,my!)

**Wow, this chapter was actually pretty hard to pull out. No action sequences, only shenanigans and the epic return of the slapstick. Let's not forget that this story is also a comedy. DXD apocrypha will come next... Maybe after a break of mine. After that chapter, maybe I'll choose one of my old fics and gave it an update. 30-chapter fic, here we go~.**

**As always, Highschool dxd doesnt belongs to me~.**

* * *

"So, let me get this straight: you invited us to eat ramen in a cheap, but famous Ramen shop just across the school, knowing full well that your allowance was running short this week..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"... And seeing that your money wouldn't pay for all of us, which I may remind, YOU were the one to invite us to eat under your treat, you instead convinced us to eat cheap snacks in a nearby convenience store. Is that right, or did I make a mistake halfway through?"

"Y-You're right..."

"..."

"..."

...

"What the hell is wrong with you, Aria-san?"

And that final blow was enough to crush Aria-san's pride, which was probably melting together with the soda ice-cream bottle. She didn't had the money to pay for our ramens, so the only way to cover her promise was to eat cheap Snacks(dagashi) in a convenience store just right around the school's corner. I don't blame her. I'm also running low this week. Not to mention, I have to save some food, because at this rate, I'll have to buy a whole market to cover my peerage and the extras...

"C'mon, Ren. That's enough. Aria-san just wanted to talk." I said to him, biting my own doughnut and tasting the sweet flavor of cardboard. Tasha was, big surprise, licking a sea sweet-salt ice cream, while the trouble duo were eating soda pops. Enough to buy some candies, but not to eat a proper meal. I hate you, economy...

"Bad trade. Motels are cheaper."

"Tasha, please, I want to eat my snack in peace and not choke you with i-DAMNIT!" I said, as frustration escaped my lips and I tossed the plastic box of my doughnuts. They clashed with the trash bin, and I did a 3-points. That sentence was.. Really suggestive. I sounded like a pervert now. I looked at Tasha, as her purple eyes were wilded in shock, her face colored in a deep red. Ren was looking at me with THAT stare, and Aria-san snickered.

"Putting private matters aside, I did request you presence here, Ren." Aria-san said as she bit a portion of her own soda pop sticking out of the bottle. Ren did the same, looking at her. I was also curious, so much I leaned forward to try to look pass Tasha's boobs and to him. "So, how was your day here? Did you have fun with Ichijou."

"Yeah, right. Lots of fun." He said in obvious sarcasm, now turning back to me. We stared at each other, and huffed away. "At least I've found her. My dear, dear genius little sister. Unfortunately, because of some unfortunate events, she escaped my grasp. I really meant to kill her."

"And why's that?" Aria-san asked before I could do so myself. He said something about her paying for what she did to the village, and that alone was enough to set me off. She's part of our peerage, and if she's a terrorist, then it'll be a pain in the ass to track her down and protect her.

"Aside from her planning to kill the vampire King, the person who requested our protection?" Aria-san nodded. "We have also personal matters with that little punk. You see, our dear Kaguya-sama, the leader of the village, is the mother of all of us. She has a harem of dozens, and the people of the village are related to her in some way. In short, she's our idol, so much that we build statues, parks and pictures in her name for the next generation."

"Eh, your mother sure is important." I said, looking at the skies and thinking about my own mother. I wonder if she's back from the trip. Then again, so would my sisters, so I'm not exactly that excited about it. I digress, I gulped another piece of biscuit down my system, and turned to him. That story reminded me of a manga I read once. "So much for a single important person... Let me guess, Annie painted all over one of the monuments or something, right?"

"..."

"...?"

"..."

"..."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"

"I WAS RIGHT?!" Like seriously?! Did that ninja have such a simpleton mind like that?! That's so immature, even for the standards I'm standing myself on! No respect, Annie!

"YOU BASTARD! AND YOU TRIED TO PROTECT HER?! NOT ONLY SHE'S TRYING TO KILL THE VAMPIRE KING, BUT YOU KNEW THAT SHE COMMITTED THE ULTIMATE ACT OF DISRESPECT TOWARDS OUR MOTHER KAGUYA!" And he continued to scream at me, as he walked towards me and picked my collar to pull me closer. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU DEAD, YOU SONNOVABITCH!"

"LIKE I SAID, YOUR SISTER IS A MORON! AND DONT YOU DARE CALL MY MOM A BITCH!" I screamed back, picking him by the collar too. We growled at each other. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"BRING IT ON! I'LL MAKE YOU EAT YOUR WORDS!"

"Tsukino-chin...!"

"Wait for it, Tasha, those two..."

"AND I WILL BURN YOU TO ASHES, YOU FISH NINJA!"

"WHY YOU...!"

"YOU WHAT...?!"

***CRACK!* *CRACK!**

""... Ugh!"" And we both flinched in pain, hearing the horrible sound of our bones and joints cracking against each other. The strength of our will soon faded and was replaced by regret and sorrow. We fell on our asses, and clashed our backs on the floor. "Aaah~! What the hell! Ichijou, you suck! I hope you burn in hell..."

"And I hope you get an allergic reaction..."

"And there we go. Losers be losers." And Aria-san sighed, picking us by the collar to help us get up and support our bodies on the wall of the convenience store. This is lame. "In any case... Annie will try to kill the Vampire King, and Ren here's trying to prevent that by killing her, while Ichijou-kun wants to protect her. Geez... Love-triangles are much more simple than this crap."

"That guy even said he wants to French kiss me!"

"I've already said It was a misunderstanding! Aria-San, you know me! Help me!"

"I Kiss Nemesis sometimes. And Ginko, and Nadja, and Aiko. As you can see, a little chance of play-side doesn't hurt."

"I WASNT ASKING FOR THAT KINDA HELP!"

"SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH DEVILS?!"

"Chill." And out of nowhere, Tasha picked two more soda ice-creams and shut us up with them. I almost spat it out, but instead I munched it in disgust. I hate soda ice-creams. My body is still twitching from pain, so getting upset might not be the best of ideas. "Cool. Head. No. Screaming."

"Tch. Whatever. You know what I want and what she did, and if I know my sister, she won't be around until the meeting." Ren said. Wait... Does this means she won't be home until the meeting is over? Probably yes. Somehow... This makes me uncomfortable. I mean, she's the only one that can keep up with me during the straight man sessions. Ren turned to me, sighed, and pointed his fingers to me. "So you can show me around without any fears of us encountering her again. I'll go home recover and then we can start our tour tomorrow. But if she ever shows up... I'll kill her."

"Understood." I said with a sighed. He frowned for me, I frowned back. "But as her Queen and part of her peerage, I'll say that: I'll try... I'll stop you, Ren. I don't want to do this, but if you want to carry this plan on... I'll kill you."

"..." And silence. Everything went so quiet I could hear the sound of the wind. Tasha was bewailed, Aria-san was also surprised, and Ren puffed a smile? He turned to me, ate the rest of his Ice-cream and gave his stick to me. "Y'know what? Mother was right, Sayuri did find good friends. Or maybe you're just too naïve about anything. Think you can stop me, as well as stop her? Let's see. See ya tomorrow, Ichijou."

And he made some hand signals before a gush of wind blew in our direction and lift a curtain of dust around him, finally taking him away in a second, like how it happens in Ninja movies. Jeez, now I have to deal with that. My life sure is not taking any breaks, but I ain't stopping either. No, I have to start to move, or else I'll be stuck again...

"Are you really gonna do it?" Aria-san asked. She seemed more worried than curious. I have an idea what she meant by that, but I just let her finish it for the sake of certain. "Kill him, as you said? You'll kill him just to keep Annie safe?"

"No, of course not! I'd never kill a friend." I said. They now look freak out. Yeah, yeah, I don't know how to turn my sarcasm button off, so people have this difficulty to read my mood. In all honesty, I want to strangle, but not kill him. "That was just an empty threat. I won't kill him, nor let him kill Annie. I'll break their legs, though."

"You know that they're ninjas, right?" Aria-San said, smiling weakly in my direction, with a faint hint of pride on it.

"Then I'll wait ten seconds."

"Maybe other ninjas will be there. After all, they're the vampire's bodyguards. Not to mention the vampires themselves."

"Then I'll wait another ten seconds."

"Lord Desmond and Haruka-sama may be there. They're the strongest of their own categories, and you saw how capable those siblings wer-..."

"Another ten. Twenty. Thirty! A freaking minute! A goddamn hour! I can wait that much! No, forget that, I'll stop Annie as fast as possible! If I have to level a mountain just to punch her in her ugly face, I'll do it and punch her again for making me level a mountain!" I said with a bit of irritation. I get the point, there'll be assassins and vampires all over the place, plus the representative Devils for the meeting. Well, I'll avoid a terrorist attack and have the opportunity to help a friend by... Turning her face into mincemeat. Two birds with one Stone!

"Tsukino-chin." I heard from beside me, but before I Could turn around to face her, Tasha suddenly launched herself towards me and hugged my head. Oh, crap! Another of those asphyxiation hugs! Jugs on my face... Can't... Breath. She loosed it a bit to face me, and for the first time, she smiled for me. "You. Love. Anna-chin."

"W-What...?!" What?! No! I don't love that suicidal vampire! That dumbire! I just don't want her to make a stupid choice! I've already lost... Friends because of it! "It's not like that, Tasha! I just don't want her to get hurt! No, wait, I want to kill her myself! Yeah! That's why!"

"Bad. Liar. Love."

"Shut up! I hate you, Tasha!"

"You know, Ichijou... I wonder how you would be without the Boosted Gear." Snapping me out of my little struggle with Tasha, Aria-san pcalled for me, and was now smiling brightly for me. She reached for my head and patted right there. I don't get. Have I changed? In what? "I was hoping for you to end up in the cold, distant and stoic type, but instead, I got you. You've... You've changed a lot."

"What are talking about, Aria-san? I never changed. I just have a new objective now." I said with a glacé pose, growling at Tasha as she's still hanging around my neck. Aria-san snickered. I frowned. "What? I'm me. The old, constant Ichijou! I changed? Yeah, right."

And she snickered again, but before I could retort her, she came even closer and hugged me. Again with that sensation... Why Do I hate this so much? I turn so calm with those. Maybe I'm really losing what is left of humanity in me. I sighed, and hugged her back. Tasha encircled us and closed the gap left. From Aria-san's Mouth, I could her say 'Sorry'. I don't know why, but this made me happy... I looked at the stick on my hand. It says 'winner'.

My only luck shot during this whole day...

We end our Dagashis in peace, and soon enough, we bid farewells, as Aria-san said something about 'taking care of Nemesis's stress'(the less I know about it, the better.), and since a storm is coming up, Tasha would still be around, so she volunteered to take me home. Unfortunately, for my embarrassment, we went home in a piggyback ride.

"Tasha, put me down! I'm okay, really! I can walk!"

"Negative. Too much bruises. Stay quiet. I. Take you home." She said, while I was covering my blushing face with my hands. Those things won't be stopping anytime soon, are they? I can't complain, because my body is indeed crap now. Just avoid brute movements, and I'll be good as new tomorrow. Kinda. "You. Good guy."

"Geez, thanks."

We arrived at my house, and once Tasha put me down, I stretched a little and walked to my entrance door. Before anything, I looked around, and nothing new. Maybe it's just Ryuubi-chan for now...

I opened the door and took a quick glance at the entrance floor. I was surprised to see a new pair of shoes at it. Those are definitely from mum! She's home! Best of it: apparently, my dumb sisters are still away from some reason. Yeah! But also, no! This means she probably knows about Ryuubi-chan! Oh, crap! Better get It on and try to explain myself! Discarding my own pair and running to the living room, I entered the place already with a bow.

"Welcome home, mother! And I know what you're thinking, but Ryuubi-chan is just passing by! She can't go because of the storm and...!"

"Snoooore~... Snooooore~..."

"kyun~... Kyun~... Kyun~..."

"What...?" But instead of a warming welcome or some scolding due to the new unknown girl, I heard snores and sighs coming from the living Room, which made me lift my head, and fill it with dozens of question...

Why is Auntie Alice here?

Why is she and my mom down to their underwear?

Why do I smell alcohol?

Why is auntie Alice groping my mom?

Why are they asleep?

Why is Auntie Alice here?(version 2.0)

"Oooh~, lesbian org-..."

*CLUCH!*

"One word. One more word, and you die, Tasha!" And before she could complete that disturbing joke, I picked her by the cheeks with only one hand and clutched them together before anything but air was leaving her lips. My mind is already a mess, I don't need a trigger to push me further over the edge. Strangely enough, it was Ryuubi-chan whom disrupted my own reveries, as she appeared by the kitchen door with a cup of juice in her hand.

"Oh! Greetings again and welcome back to thy residence, Hong Long." She smiled at me, as she started to pick my mother's and Auntie Alice's clothes, folding and putting them on the sofa in the most unneeded neat way possible. I was still stuck because of the two madams fallen on my floor, one of them my dear progenitor, and simply pointed to them waiting for an answer. Ryuubi-chan was fast on the catch. "It looks like you've see the mess lady Gremory caused here..."

"..." No shit.

"Well, it all started with our lovely noon dinner. We ate some fish, some miso soup and even a little of rice and meat, when Lady Gremory brought her sake breed from heavens. Things happened, and she convinced Lady Anzu to start a drinking competition. And... Well... They battle like true goddesses of Drinking!" She said with a fist to the heavens, smiling triumphantly and screaming that last sentence to the heavens above.

"Don't look so proud about my mother drinking her ass off!" I said, but soon shutting myself off so my mother wouldn't wake up with a severe headache. Geez, thanks a lot, Lady Gremory~, my mom is a goddamn mess when she drinks. She'll be so grumpy tomorrow. Whatever, better put things in order. "Look, just... Help me cover them. I don't want them to catch a cold. My mom is already moody in a hangover, you don't want to see her during a cold."

"Much thoughtful! Let us help our dear mother Anzu!" And another one calling mum 'mother', not to mention now she chose to call her 'Anzu'. Well, whatever. We picked a big king-sized blanket on the closet, and with it, we covered the two adults with it, being sure to not miss any part of it and having the problem of catching a cold. With that out of the way, I sat on the sofa and sighed. My body hurts, and now, I have nothing to eat. At least I'm at home. Ryuubi-chan then sat next to me. "Welcome back! How was your day, Hong Long?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I sighed again, facepalming and trying to stretch my body only to wince in pain. A Rating Game and now a battle Royale against the ninjas, what a week. At least my problems are over for now. "Now what? We can't watch tv because of there two, and I'm not hungry. I think I'll hit the sack..."

"...-!"

"Shut up, Tasha."

"Well, we can't watch this 'teeveeh' or do anything because this will disturb or dear mother, but we can do something else!" Ryuubi-chan said, standing up and clenching her hand into a fist in determination. I got a bad feeling about this' "I know! Since we're still to know each other, Hong Long, let us participate in a ritual of mutual bonding and trust!"

"Ah, another one of those?" I moaned. What? We're gonna share sake like yakuza? Well, two of our party are already out of commission, so a little more into it won't be bad after all. "Whatever. I'm a little sore, so I hope I don't need to do much during it."

"Don't worry, Hong Long! This won't take long, and we won't need anything else except ourselves!"

"Eh...?"

.

~~x~~

.

Sometimes I wish I could just turn back in time and completely change my choice of words...

Granted, that was a thing since they made me break up with Nina-chan and Julia-chan, but this is another situation which recalls me of that...

Right now, I'm facing Tasha's naked back, sitting on a plastic stool, almost completely naked sans my private parts covered by a pink towel, and behind me, there was the heiress of the Three Kingdom dynasty, equally naked and pouring some liquid soap on her hands...

"Care to explain why the hell we need to do this?!" I screamed to her, as Tasha covered her ears to probably avoid having her eardrums exploded. Ryuubi-chan laughed, and lifted her hand in a rather professional way.

"Don't you know, Hong Long? In order to strength our bonds as a family and a peerage, we must overcome our fears of leaving our backs hard to each other! By showing ourselves in our weakest and most vulnerable state, we are trusting each other with the our utmost loyalty and signs of Bonding!"

"But we really need to prove our trust in each other in that way?"

"You can thrust me anyway, Tsukino-chin."

***WHACK!***

"Ow~... Head. Hurts."

"Gosh, I missed that."

"So, let us begin! Hong Long, please wash Tasha-dono's back! I'll be washing yours own while She will wait for her turn!" I tried to say 'no', but she gave me a sponge and turned me anyway to wash Tasha's back. And here I am again, in a situation which will probably kill me, under the same roof where my personal executioners live. Fortunately, they're still in vacation, so I'm safe for now.

I sighed, took a deep breath, and picked the small washing towel from my side to Tasha's back, beginning to scratch her back with it and producing some more foam. Oh, wow, her skin is so smooth and delicate. I might rip it apart just from washing it like that. Another thing: this trusting thingy... Is actually working. Yeah, somehow, I feel a lot better now. No pain, no fatigue, just the small itch in my left hand because of the fracture from before, but nothing else. It's... Good. Really good.

"So, how is it? Good, huh?" Ryuubi-chan said as she washed my back with an incredible delicacy I doubted she had. She's really good in that, maybe she's using an old Chinese technique by pressing some pressure points. I nodded in response, and she smiled. "Thank goodness. Master Sun Wukong did teach me well. Not even the highest ones could withstand my massages! And nothing more fitting than pleasure the red dragon with it!"

"Y-Yeah..." I said, now trying my best not to moan. That would be embarrassing. Instead, I focused on Tasha's back, while herself has been awfully quiet now. No jokes? So unlike her.

"Okay, time to change! Hong Long, you'll be in charge to wash my backs, while Tasha-dono will be washing yours!" She said back. We all turned around to do the opposite.

Now, I was facing Ryuubi-chan's back. And what a back. She's all covered in scars, scratches and muscles, but somehow still manages to have a feminine appeal. I touched her once, and she's so stiff and strong. Her skin is also so rough, but smooth and hot. She's like marmor with this skin, so hard yet elegant. Handsome monkey King, eh? Fitting. I touched her there with a finger, and she moaned...

"Haw~..."

"Sorry."

"Do not worry, Hong Long. It's just it has been so long since someone touched my back. I forgot how sensitive I am there." She turned around and smiled. This kinda reminds me of another manga I read long time ago, something about 'a clean back is from a man whom never flee from a battle' or something like that. I picked a sponge and began to scrub her back with it. "Oooh~! Nice one, Hong Long! You are a lot more smooth than I Thought!"

"R-Really? Much appreciated, I guess..." I sighed. Maybe I am good in another thing besides cooking, unlike my sisters used to say. "You have also such a nice back, Ryuubi-chan. It must took you years to have something like that."

"Affirmative! Sun Wukong was a monster during my training. But don't worry, now, nothing can stop me thanks to my iron skin!"

"Is that so? Well, good for you." I said. Now I'm doing a genuine compliment. What the hell is wrong with me?

By the way, Tasha is really all quiet back here. I wonder what happened. She's not even scrubbing my back or anything. No, wait, better avoid that. She's probably thinking about something perverted to say about this situation. Like something about 'going raw' or 'I'm wet' or something along those lines. I won't be surprised... Ah. I need more soap, this one's dry already.

"Hey, Ryuubi, could you pass me the lotion? I need more foam here." I said, stopping my scrubbing section to call for her attention.

"Of course, Hong Long!" She said to me as she picked something and passed it to me. I was about to say something, but the thing in there made me despair internally...

That's not liquid soap! It's that ointment Auntie Alice gave m-...!

***CLUTCH!***

***FOOOOOOOOIM~!***

"Ah!" But before I could say something, a pair of arms clutched by my back around my chest, and a pair of soft, squishy pillows went down clashing against my back! A shiver ran down my spine, as now I could feel two pointers going up-and-down by it! "Gah! Tasha! What are you doing?!"

"Washing~... Your~... Back~..." Her speech is even more paused than before! I turned around to see how to escape this situation, and she had a very lewd expression on her face! And now she bit my ear! Brrrr! That's hot-... That's horrible!

"Hey! C'mon now! Stop it! Ryuubi-chan, help me ou-...!"

***RUB!***

"What?!"

"Excellent idea, Tasha-dono! Let us wash ourselves with our bodies! I'll be washing Hong Long's chest with my back, while you wash his back with your chest!" She said in a happy tone! No! This is not an excellent idea! This is an hot... Rrendous idea! Ryuubi-chan is now rubbing her smooth, soft skin again my chest, and my body is getting hot because of the contact with them! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Calm down, Ichijou! Just count down Pi! 3,14...

...

Oh, yeah. I just remember those.

"Aaah~. How curious~! My head is getting blank~!" Ryuubi-chan said as she rubbed her back against me even harder, while moans were escaping her mouth. Her face was also turning bright red. "Haaaw~! Haaaw~! I'm getting hot~! Is this the effects of this medicine~!"

"You knew it was the goddamn Ointment?!"

"Waaah~! Waaaah~! Tsukino-chin~!" Was all Tasha could moan, right next to my ear and blowing the nape of it while violently rubbing her breasts against my back, clinching her arms even more against my back! I can feel her nipples touching my skin!

"Look! I think we are already clean enough! Time to dive! C'mon-...!" I tried to escape that erotic sandwich and reach the tub so that I could dive in and drown myself to death! However, the floor was wet, and the stool I was sitting on slipped with the sudden movement! And since they're rubbing on me...

"Kyah...!"

"Whoa...!"

***SLIP!***

***BAM!***

***BOING! BOING!***

...

"..." I can feel them. Both of them. They fell on top of me, and now I'm with my eyes closed, waiting from them to get off of me or something. Instead, however, they just continued to rub themselves against me. Softness, pointers, fleshy meat rubbing against my scars and skin, while everything I could do was to bit my tongue...

"Waaah~... Waaah~... Tsukino-chin...!"

"Hong Long~...! Hong Long~...!"

"..."

...

I dunno if it's the Ointment, but for me, that's it.

"That's enough." Was everything I said before they could reach any lower. They gasped in surprise, by before they could ask for anything else, I stood up and, dominated by rage, pinned them to the floor by their wrists. "That's it! I'm tired sick of you girls trying to pin me down, control me or just having a good time with my misery! It's payback time, now!"

"Eh...?!" Both of them said, as I reached fork the lotion and handed a good amount out of it, covering my hands with that gooey medicine from hell! I reached for them, as squeeze one of each of their breasts as hard as I could. Their only response was a sweet moan. "Hyaaaaah~...!"

And everything after that went completely blank. I just recall that Tasha has sensitive breasts, While Ryuubi-chan is very vulnerable in her ass... And moans, so much moans...

_"HYAAAAH~! Tsukino-chin~!"_

_"HONG LOOOONG~~...!"_

...

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

Uhh~... What happened? I really need Another way to have some timeskip, because getting knocked out is getting annoying by now. My body is all cold now, but not sore anymore, and I was resting my head on some very soft pillows. The cold wind is probably coming from the open window. It's nighttime from I can see, or rather, can't see...

Also, I can'f move for some reason...

"Ah! You're awake now!" I heard from above my head, and then I noticed: those are not pillows! They're Ryuubi-chan's breast-okay, that joke is old, so I'm not really that surprised. She's hugging my head, and I'm hugging her by the stomach. Also, she was wearing my Minatsu's pajamas, and I'm back to my shirt and shorts. Now that's a bummer. "How do you feel now?"

"W-What happened?" I said in a low tone, as she hugged me tighter and giggle. I remember the naked back-washing, the revelation, the awkward 'soap-landing', my efforts to escape and then...

"You hit your head pretty hard on the tub." ... Having a threesome with the rook and the Bish-hitting my head on the goddamn tub! Yes! That's right! That's what happened! Not... Illicit... Sexual... Encounters. "I must say, your endurance and durability are improving, Hong Long! You broke the tub pretty hard and was even shouting something with the kinds of 'I won't be controlled anymore' and alike. Must've been really intense, epic dreams!"

Epic, no. Intense... I think I just wet myself in a way...

"Uh-huh... Yeah, epic dreams." I said back. There's also something tugging me from behind, clutching my waist. As sluggish as possible, I looked back, and now, I can see that Tasha's here too, wearing Shion's hostess uniform and hugging me from behind, sleeping like a baby. "Uuh~... Ryuubi-chan, about my clothes..."

"The sound you produced awoke dear mother Anzu. She picked some clothes for ourselves and dressed you up! She's really the mother of the legendary Hong Long." Oh, so mother, even though she was probably snappy at the time, took her time to dress me up and put me onto bed. However, like I was expecting, Ryuubi-chan grimaced a little. "But her demeanor regarding our status was not the best. Her divine punishment even penetrated my iron skin skill. Heheh..."

Classic mum, putting the Tsukino siblings in their place since XXXX...

"Classic mom..."

***FOM! FOM!***

"Uuuh...?" What am I pinching right now?

"Oh. That tickles!" Ryuubi-chan laughed. Wait, what tickles? What the hell Tickles?! This is not cloth, this is skin! Soft skin! Under cloth! "Hong Long, don't tickle my posterior! I'm seriously sensitive there!"

"...!" I'm touching her butt! Her ass! Her posterior! Her backstory! My face on the plot and my hands on her backstory! I'll become a sexual deviant like my dad! Nooooo!

No, calm down, that was probably an Unconsciousness thing. I was probably asleep. After All, I wouldn't touch a girls butt like that...

"It's warm, isn't it? Just don't pinch it." She said as she continued to pat me on the head. Yeah, being spoiled like that sure is nice from time to time. Not to mention, her ass sure is a nice warm spot. I still can't believe I snuck my hands to inside a girl's panties in my sleep, not to mention that dream I had. Am I really that of a pervert? Or is their influence towards me? Another thing: women have **weak spots**... That's a great info for a new technique...

...

...

Gah! Focus! Ichijou! It's not the time to think about women's butts! Annie is around and is planning to kill the current vampire King! You have to stop her, and stop Ren to try to kill her! All while taking care of a goddamn reunion! I said all those cool things to Aria-San and Ren, yet I have no idea how to do it!

"Hmmm...!" I said, motorboarding Ryuubi-chan in frustration. This is so complicated! I thought maybe being reckless would be the answer, but the more I think about, the stupider everything becomes! It's downright suicidal!

"What's the matter, Hong Long? Having a bad dream?" The pinkerette called oh so sweetly, while patting me even softer. I'm having another turbulence in my life.

"Hey, Ryuubi-chan... Do you ever wonder so hard about something that, during those, you just wanted everything to disappear?"

"Negative!" Oh... That was quick.

"...?"

"Hong Long, let me tell you something: I never wonder. I never dream; I never think of tomorrow!" She said with conviction. That actually surprised me. To think the descended of a warlord would have that kind of mentality.

"Why's that?"

"I've learn that back in the Jade Palace. Master Sun Wukong would say: if you think too much into the future, you won't ever live the today." Ryuubi-chan hugged me tighter. "So... I live everyday. It's good that way. Drink when you can drink, sleep when you can sleep, eat when you can eat, fight when you have to fight. That's the secret of a good life."

"..." I sighed. Of course she wouldn't think like that. She's a supernatural since birth. On my side, I'm an ex-human. I gotta think about the future, or else I'll get none, no matter how frustrating and scary it is. "That's a very simplistic way of thinking. I can't think like that."

"Why? Don't you like where are you now? I can hug tighter if you want." She said as she gently pulled me further into her bosom. Uuuh~, I can't say that I don't like it, but that's not the problem here. "That's how it is for me. If it's good, then I stay; if it's bad, I just go away and look for something else. That's why I left the Jade palace and joined Gremory's army."

"..."

"So... If you have any problems, let those go away for tonight and have a good night of sleep. After all... We have many tomorrows. Don't think much or else you'll run out of them..."

She said that in such a soothing way, I couldn't help it but blush a little. She's failing, but Ryuubi-chan is trying to help me... She fell asleep in a few seconds, while I was still awake, sandwiched between my bishop and rook, and waiting something to happen...

Live everyday... No. I won't think that way... I can't. Not when Annie is around there, somewhere, probably practicing some ancient techniques and whatnot... And she'll be killed anyway... Probably. While I'm here, doing nothing to prevent that...

I can't... I won't be like that.

Ever...

.

~~x~~

.

And that's how popular my boy is getting: being the center of two lovely girls~. He already have Rina-chan, Annie-chan, Yoko-chan and now Ryuubi-chan and that new girl, Tasha or whatever... Ah, Hajime, if I ever told you, you'd be probably be crying tears of joy and pride...

My head is itching a little again, as I gulped down another bottle of water besides the door to my Son's room. I can't believe I drank too that much, and I can't believe Ichijou broke the bathtub, or how ripped he's right now. What kind of camp trip was that?! It's not much, but wow was that a step!

Eh, they're asleep now. And none on my... Step-daughters or daughter are back. I can rest for now knowing that nothing will happen. However, I can't. My hangover is trying to kill me, and I still have to deal with Alice-san. Ah! Know what? I need another bottle of water...

Sluggish and groggy as only a drunk person can, I crawled my way down the stairs and to the kitchen(that sake was the bomb in all the ways imaginable), only standing up to grip the handle of the fridge and open it to pick another bottle of water...

I opened it with my mouth, aka bit the bottle off, and drank the water of it in just one gulp. Now with that cold liquid in my system, I feel a little better now. A little, as in 'it hurts slightly less than hell' kinda way. Fuck it, it'll still be a bitch to deal with later, so better have a night of sleep to welcome it better tomorrow.

I walked from the kitchen to the living room, where Alice-san was still asleep on the floor and hugging the legs of the table, and I was about to fall down the sofa to take another break, when something caught my eye:

a beautiful bouquet of roses was resting on the table. A gush of wind blew from the window, which if my drunk mind remembers correctly wasn't open at any time, making some petals fly around. That's certainly curious. Next to it, a little paper with something written on it. I tried my best, and the words in it were...

.

_'Thank you for letting me stay for a while..._

_Face this as a 'see you later' gift'_

_._

Huh... No name. I wonder from who this is. Ah, whatever. I made myself a good bed using the sofa, laid myself in there and pulled the blanket away from Alice-san to myself. Tomorrow is another day...

Tomorrow is another day...

"Lady Anzu, it's cold~..."

"Face it for today, Alice-san."

"Waaaah~..."

* * *

**Yay, and here I am again evading the rating with a soap-landing on Ichijou. You guys know in what this will lead, right? Boob-gropping with Rina, bathing with yoko, soap landing with raven, tasha and ryuubi... He'll end up having sex with Annie if I'm not careful. I hope that I balanced well the scens, so anything isn't convoluting much or anything. Like always, stay golden!**


	31. You're forgiven!

**Seesh, it has been a while since I wrote such an extend chapter. I liked to write this one, to be honest. It makes me feel good to known that I'mm reaching another arc that doesn't concern the protagonist for once. Of course, since this is a all-oc fic, this means there'll be some screentime for the girls, and not just ichijou. Hah, I'mm talking like this was really something. But do what? This story grew on me. hahahah~, now, up to the chapter.**

**Like always, Highschool DxD doesn't belongs to me~.**

* * *

The first thing I noticed once I woke up it was there were no boobs in the morning. I was hugging the pillow instead, and for some reason, my lips were sore. I had one of those dreams again. Yagura scolding me for something I can't control. Actually, she said for me to never be too careful with those around me. She just possessed my body one more time so that I had any chance against what Annie would unleash on me. Otherwise, I'd be deadmeat...

_'I'm not saying you're weak or anything, Ichijou. But if you were to fight that creature... I wouldn't say that you would last a second.'_

**[THAT MONSTER... SO THAT GREEN-HAIRED LASS IS INDEED DAUGHTER OF THAT BRAT FROM THE HANZŌ VILLAGE. PARTNER, UNTIL YOU'RE READY, YOUR ONLY RESPONSE TO THAT TECHNIQUE IS TO FLEE, UNDERSTOOD?]**

_'I'm sorry, Ichijou, but you'll have to forget your girlfriend for a while...'_

Stupid Yagura. Annabelle Hellsing is not my girlfriend or anything. Out of spite, I bumped my left hand against the wall, soon regretting because my hand is still hurt from the fractures! Worst of all, because of Mr. Welsh Dragon Ddraig's little opening show, my mind is not a classroom anymore... Is a destroyed building still on fire.

Yeah...

_'I'm cold...'_

I sighed again, and left my bed to do my usual thing: change my clothes, brush my teeth, wash my face and take some minutes of privacy in the toilet, so that I could go downstairs and eat my breakfast.

I took a quick glance at my mom's room, and as expected, she's sleeping soundly for now. Satan knows what she'll unleash once awaken. There was a small note also pinned to the door, written in a very poor Japanese. It read 'Thank you for the meal from yesterday, Lady Anzu. I hope we can have some fun later too! Love, Alice Gremory.'. Typical, it was her idea, but who'll pay the price is me. Geez, I wonder if Nemesis-san's coolness came from her father? He's arrogant, but there must be something on him to balance all of this madness!

I digress. I headed downstairs to eat something to prepare myself to school, and God knows what other shenanigans as the title as the Sekiryuutei might bring me, but suddenly a delicious scent invaded my nostrils. Huuuh~. That's... That's grilled salmon and miso soup. But how? If I can remember well, only I can cook anything from the peerage, not to mention I didn't bought anything. Unless... I walked to the kitchen, and there she is, my 'husband' nine-tailed fox, Akabane Yoko.

"Oh, Good Morning, Yoko." I said. She jumped in surprise, and turned to me, her eyes wilded in shock. I don't get it, what about that senjutsu thing? "Is something to matter?"

"No, nothing, Ichijou. Just a... Cold. Yes, Kyoto is very cold. Kunou had to cover me with her tails to keep me warm." Huh, how considerate of this Kunou girl. She seems pretty nice, I wonder if she's also a Nine-tailed one. I sat on the table, as she picked the fridges and put the dishes right in front of me, pouring some juice on a cup and passing all to me. Everything looked so delicious. I took a bite out of it and... It really was!

"Wow... It's... It's very good."

"Is it? Thank goodness. That was my first try, to be honest. I'm glad that it turned out okay." She sighed in relief, while I was more concerned about her latest behavior. What? No jokes? No sexual comments? No 'I'm doing my best to protect my wife' thingy? What gives? This is seriously freaking me out. I continued to eat pretending that nothing seemed off, when she asked: "Hey, Ichijou. Can I ask you something?"

"Something..." I repeated. Yeah, she just called me by my name. Not 'darling', not 'honey', not 'baby', not 'pinpoint gal', but... The name I have since birth. This is now seriously messed up. I gulped the fish down together with any of my conviction, as opened my mouth, just to shut it up again. I did it again. "Sure... Shot."

"Can we... Start over?" She said, her head down, tapping her fingers on the table. Start over... What? When? How?! Why?! What is happening?! What did I do?! What should I do?! What can I do?! There's so much shit happening on my mind, yet, none of it makes sense, just like her question! In a moment of sanity in all of this frenzy, however, I noticed something crucial: I wasn't the one in the defensive, she was. Akabane was... Trembling? What was that about? Okay, calm down. There's nothing here to discuss. She just wants to start over... Whatever the hell this means.

"Uuh~, could you please formulate this?" I said, gulping down another piece of fish and hoping that didn't tick her off or anything. She looked at me, surprised, and sighed.

"Can we... Meet again?" She said, tossing her eyes to another side. That's just as confusing. Nothing she says makes sense anymore. "I mean... Can we... Can we meet again, without any of that 'I'll suck you dry' or 'I want your babies' stuff?"

"Oh, I get it." I get '_what_', not '_why_'. She wants to restart our relationship. But why? It's not like it'll change anything... Right? "But... Why?"

"Can we? It's all that I ask. I have the feeling that... I've not been the most pleasant person in your life because of this, so... I want us to restart. No second interests, no ulterior motives. I want... To be your friend just because." She finished, as she turned her eyes back to me and I could see they were turning teary. Again, what the hell is happening? Why she wants that? I said it was okay for her to stay like that to me. Hell, Aria-San even said that some people will come close just because of my Sacred Gear, and Like I've decided, I'm okay with this. But... I'm a man, I must give her the right of a response. I took a deep breath, and so it goes...

"Okay... Sure. Let's start over. Truth to be told, I wouldn't treat you differently anyway." She gasped I as finished. Yep, she's my 'husband', alright? Ulterior or not, I do like her regardless. I reached her with a hand to pat her. "After all, friend or not, you're still my husband, right? It won't also change the fact that I'm the Sekiryuutei. So... Don't worry. Let's get along... Yoko."

"A-Ah...!" And now... She's really crying! Oh, crap! I made a girl cry! My sisters will kill me! But instead of a grimace, she was smiling. Moreover, she picked my head on top of her head to place it on her cheek, snuggling there like a true loverwould. I'm blushing right now. I seriously am. "Ichijou... Ichijou~... Thank you."

Yep... I'm a idiot.

***ZOOM!***

"Kyah...!"

"Eh...?" But suddenly, cutting the whole moment, Yoko gasped in surprise and pushed my hand away from her, sweating buckets now. There's something fishy going on. "Okay, what was that? And if the answer is 'nothing', I'll call bullshit."

"Uh... Well... Your Sacred Gear... Kinda rejected me." She said, caressing her hand as she pulled herself away from me. Well, maybe Yagura is jealous, or maybe her claims to be more 'honest' are not that convincing. I'll swallow that one this time. "I'm sorry."

"Well, that thing is tricky. If anything, I should be the one apologizing." I said. "we better be going now. Maybe we can keep up with Tasha if we hurry up."

"You go on ahead. I'll be washing the dishes. If anything, I'll use a rune to get there in time." She said. I shrugged. If she's okay with that, I can't complain. I munched the rest of my breakfast, picked up my things and headed to the door. However, I took a quick glance at her... And for some reason I approached her...

"Yoko..."

"Huh...?"

***CHU!***

I pecked her on the cheek. Nothing more, nothing less. A simple contact. I didn't feel a thing with this. Maybe it was because she was so gloom, she would probably be like that for the rest of the day if I didn't do something. So... There it goes. I hope she gets better. A height less on my subconscious.

"Okay, see ya later." I said, waving a goodbye. She just looked dumbfounded for while I was around, and soon, I walked down the streets to another day in my everyday... Unusual everyday life...

Some weird stuff is gonna happen today, isn't it?

.

**~~x~~**

.

At first, he was just a prey for me...

A naïve, snarky, funny young lad with no magic powers whatsoever, but great energy potential and the intoxicating scent of a dragon. Under closer inspection, it was no mere dragon, but the one and only red dragon emperor. The Sekiryuutei, right at Kuoh academy, where I was just so happens to be looking for a husband and learning about social life.

He grew on me, of course he would. He could cook, take care of people, and is such a tease-target I might die. Yep, he was the perfect boy-toy for me. I could have a nice pack of Cubs from him, as well as a good snack from time to time without the risk of killing him. He was... My one-ticket to a happy, fulfilling and prosperous life...

However, everything changed when I shared some sake with his mother. In order for us to have a contract and a bond, I needed to share a cup of sake with at least one member of his family, and being the good, silly progenitor of the Red dragon, of course I picked the easy choice. The soon we spiritually connected, however, it happened. Everything, from his baby years up until now came down into my mind and soul. So much hate, so much regret, so much tears... I cried once the whole ritual was done. And flee from there.

He was... So hurt... So mistreated... He didn't deserve that. At all. And to think I was only thinking about him as a thing... My little pet. After that, I decided to, at least, ease his pain a little by being a friend of his. Taking care of him, protecting him from this world, and just being always there, not as a bother, but as a companion that always have his back.

The phone ID for his sisters is _'People I should love but don't',_ for God's sake.

When I was done with the dishes, I picked some aspirins for dear mother Kyou and placed it next to some water on a table next to her bed. She didn't said anything, but by the fact that she patted my head before I could stand up again showed that she was awake somehow. I smiled at her. His kiss of worry, and a pat on the head. She's also part of his family. I've decided: I'm going to be, for now, the protecting spirit of this house.

Better be going now. I took a deep breath, looked around to see if there's no onlookers around, and once safe, summoned a magic circle under my feet to transport me to a safe spot in Kuoh academy...

After all small show of lights and smoke, here I am, a deserted spot next to Kuoh academy, near the old building where Issei-sama and his harem would have their meetings. I wonder if we're gonna inherit this place someday. Eh, if one of my guests is right, Nemesis-dono will put this place down or renew it. She can't be that bad.

The spiritual mark on my chest, linking me to the nearest Tsukino, suddenly began to glow indicating that Ichijou came here at school safe and sound. He's pretty lax in the mornings. The only times this thing went nuts was during the Rating Game, which is totally understandable, and during my own reunion back in Kyoto, which I couldn't help but to ignore it completely. But for now, he's safe...

Kinda of safe...

I'm overthinking again. He's gonna be fine now that that Little lady Tasha is around. I picked my own way to business, heading towards the new building, saying 'hello' to some friends of mine and bypassing spirits, ready to have a productive day at school and maybe have lunch with Him, since I made some lunchboxes for us to enjoy today.

***ZING!***

"Khah!" I gasped, as suddenly a very eerie and disturbing aura passed by on me. What's that? That aura... Is similar, yet, completely opposite of Ichijou and His Boosted Gear's. A dragon? How? Don't tell me is another Sacred Gear user! A dragon-type at that! And it's coming from my classroom, where only now I could feel the chilly and disgusting aura. I got to hurry, or else someone might find out and uncover the secret.

As fast as I could, not even bothering to change to my indoor shoes, I dashed to the new building, using my senjutsu to disguise my presence and make as little as possible noise and attention to avoid any ruckus. Like lightning, I crossed corridor upon corridor, finally reaching my destination: Class 1-D. The smell here is awful, putting me in a numb state. I shook those bad feelings away and touched the door once to magically seal it. I tried also a vanishing spell, but the nasty aura there destroyed the moment I was forming it. There's no other way: I'll have to deal with this with my own hands.

Taking a deep breath and summoning some spirits to help me out, as well as replenishing my chi to be at top-shape, I slid the door open in a second, dashed inside and closed it again, sealing so no innocent bystander could be harmed by the Aura alone...

"Oh... So you came. Wonderful. I was expecting you(U-Late!)." I heard from behind me. After finishing the seal, I turned around to respond to it, but the imagery there made me gasp in surprise instead: all of the tables were either broken or stained with blood, the whole classroom a mess, students, my friends and classmates and even the teacher were in a bloody mess, beaten, ripped, annihilated. Fortunately, according to my senjutsu, still alive, just unconscious. Worst of all, all of the lights that would come from the windows were substitute by an eerie Crimson sky, and being by the back of it, there was this tall, skinny, light-haired young man wearing a white uniform from another school balancing himself on a throne of broken chairs and bones. "Hey, Kurama. Long time no see. Welcome back in action."

"Good mother Yasaka..." I murmured, giving my best to avoid throwing up at this scenery. What the hell is this? Why would someone do that? That guy... That guy! I turned to him, my vision all blurry because of my tears, and unleashed my Fox mode. "You! Who are you?! Why would you do that?! Those people... They have done no harm!"

"Well, consider this a fair trade: your boyfriend stole my sister's seat in class; so, the only logical conclusion is that I have all the rights to wrack his girlfriend's classmates and classroom(FU)." He said, crossing his arms and looking at me with such contempt and prepotency that I almost lost it. "Who am I? Someone who your boyfriend wish he was: a perfect main character, **Miyama Rei**(Kkkkkk)."

"What did you say?! A **fair trade**?!"

"Yes. But maybe I should also cut him in half, so that he won't have any more ass to sit on my sister's seat(YOLO!)."

"WHY YOU...!" I can't stand it anymore! No, I'll protect Ichijou and avenge my classmates! This guy's history! I concentrate as much as fox fire I could in one hand and, once I had an enormous fireball, I tossed at him, directly at his face! "BURN TO ASHES!"

"Sorry, sis. Time to get Worfed(lol)." However, now standing from his 'throne of corpses', he extended one of his arms to me, and in another second, he summoned a golden dagger with a purple orb and pointed it at me. Is that...?! "**[DOWN FALL DRAGON SPEAR]**!"

***BOOM!***

**[NEGATE!]**

***VOOSH!***

Impossible! He simply... Redirected my flames away from him! Like a rock in the middle of the river, he simply blew my fire away! And that thing... Is that a sacred Gear?! No, this energy is far inferior to a standard one. Yet, he clashed with a true fox fire and survived.

"Eh...? So this sacred Gear does work. I'll have to thank that asshole of a father of mine later(owned!)." He said, toying and tossing with that spear, Downfall Spear Dragon or something, without a worry in the world. "He even said it has a dragon, Fafnir or whatever, inside of it. How does a dragon fit in such a small spac-...?"

***KICK!***

"Mongrel! Pay attention!" Faster than lightning, I closed the space between us to kick him right in the face! Empowered by senjutsu and Touki, that hit probably exploded part of his brains! However, when the curtain of dust clean off, there he was, good as new, with one of my feet inside his mouth.

"Y'know, I might not be the protagonist of a light novel, but at least let me finish my monologue. This is not Ultra Jump, you can give me that much(SMH)." He said, still with my shoe in between his teeth. In another second, *KICK!*, I kicked him again in the face and used the momentum to jump away from his grasp. I landed not really far from him, and like before, his face was intact. The moment I landed, I've noticed I was the one who lost something: my shoes.

"What's the matter with you? Shoe fetish?" I said, tapping my stockings on the floor, while he had the full set of shoes in his mouth. He looked away and let my pair go.

"No, not really. But if I remember correctly, ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to have something in my mouth to complete my character. Some have pipes, others have a piece of weed, thirds have even swords. I though maybe shoes would be a good idea, but no.(lol)" He said, licking his lips to clean up the dirt on them. "Maybe I should go with glasses the next time around? Do you have a character with glasses, yet?"

"What are you babbling about? And when we met, you said that you missed me, even calling me by my real name. What was that about? I don't even know you!"

"Indeed you don't, I'm a new character, after all. Am I a villain, an anti-hero, perhaps? This kind of approach of mine says is probably the latter, since not even Shounen Jump these days are that violent." This guy is starting to piss me off._ 'New character'? 'Type of character'?_ Is he one of those chuunis? Well, regardless of that, he's dangerous, and he'll pay for trashing my class, and for threatening my protégée! "But it seems that you're not in the mood for a little chat-on-chat, are you? Well, in order to at least try to peel my shell of mystery, might as well fight to know who I am. Like those villains from Ultra Jump. But believe me... I'll defeat you even before this chapter ends."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I unleashed all of my tails, took a deep breath to regain my sage power, and adopted a battle stance. "But you'll shut up with either a warning or a punch. Better both."

"Bring it on, sis. This battle will be... Completely off-screen!"

.

~~x~~

.

Yep, I suck. I might be better than before, but I could reach either Tasha or Ryuubi-chan in time. The Pinkerette went to the shopping district take a look around, while the witch was faster than me to reach school. Stupid non-existent traffic.

At least I make it in time, before the signal could at least ring, here I am at the gates of Kuoh Academy. That walk was actually kinda lonely, and I was still thinking about what Yoko said earlier. Maybe it was because of that I ran so late.

I'm still really confused. She said she wanted to be my friend. I couldn't care less the way she sees me, but that was really sudden. Maybe I'm overthinking, maybe she do want a friend, or thinks I need one...

... Yeah, I need friends.

"Bam! You're dead!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of skinny, pale and feminine arms reached for my neck and lock it in between them. Out of instinct, I reached for one of them with my teeth and took a heavy, violent bite out of it. The stranger suddenly yelped at that, and let me go. "Okay, that's a first! What's with you and biting, anyway?!"

"Do not... Do that... Ever again, Ren!" I said as I turned around to look at the albino ninja behind me. He was fanning over the bite mark with his other hand. Damn, he has some soft skin, that will probably leave a mark. Serves him right.

"The only moment I want to joke around, and you do that. Not cool." He said, massaging the affected area and covering it back with the sleeve of his own gakuran. People are staring now, that's really irritating. "But it's a given, really. Dragons don't feel very comfortable with sudden appearances."

"I dare to say no one does, Ren." I deadpanned, and he leveled it up with me. In the end, we high-fived, sharing our moment of quietness before we leap at each other's neck for that matter. As suggestive as that sounded, we started to walk to the school building together, since I don't have anyone to do that for me. "So... Any clues of Annie?"

"Ya mean Sayuri, right? Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." He snickered at me, cracking his fingers with his thumb. Annie does that too. And now, him. Is that a family tick?

"Say, what's with that finger thing? Is that some kind of code for murdering? I'm really not in the mood for that." I said, mimicking his finger crack but failing due to my fucked-up joints. Thanks, sisters, I won't be ever able to do that.

"Oh, this? It's something I got from mother Haruka. She does that when she's just being playful or happy. It's her way to say she's having a good time." Oh... So that's what she means when cracking her fingers. That's actually... Kinda... Cute? For Annie and Haruka-san, of course. This idiot looks like a fricking psycho with that. "You did saw her doing that while she was around, right? I bet she was either trolling you or having a blast with your misery. Amirite?"

"Shut up. I bet you would see that all the time." I said to him. Instead of another reply, he shined a half-ass grin at me and stomped right on my foot. I stared back at him and gave him a flaming slap on the back! His grin disappeared in a second as he flinched and turned his frowning, teary eyes to me.

"You Jerk. I WILL kill you, someday."

"Let's see about that." I said. And we stared, and stared until sparks of lightning were almost shouting out of our gazes like those old anime cliches. In the end, I finally reached the entrance door. He bit me a farewell, and we high-fived again, as he disappeared in a gush of wind.

I stored my shoes in my locker, put on my indoor ones and began my walk towards class 1-B. That one was also very lonely, and even by the corridors, I couldn't feel either Annie's or Yoko's aura. Before I could enter my class, I headed to 1-C, and took a quick glance inside of it by the door. Yep, no Annabelle Hellsing. I sighed, as I headed to my own class 1-B. Unfortunately, the class has already almost started, so I apologized to sensei and headed to my own seat next to Kamiyama.

"Good morning, Tsukino-kun. You look tired today." Said Kamiyama, leaning close to me in her seat. I had to bit my tongue so that I wouldn't scream at her sudden move. "Is something to matter?"

"N-No... Of course not! I'm... J-Just... Tired! Yes..." C'mon, Tsukino! You faced a dragon and a demon cat before! Why put everything to lose because of this woman? Well, she just so happens to be my crush, so this kind of reaction is expected.

"Huh~. If you have any problems, we can talk about this later. Perhaps we can have lunch together and share our difficulties away." She said with another smile. Suddenly, this became one of the best days of my life! Kamiyama Shiori is asking me to have lunch with her! This is awesome! Ah, but no, wait, I have to take Ren to a trip around school. Damn it. She apparently noticed my own distress. "Hey, what was that? You went from strange to... Even more strange just now."

"Sorry. I was just trying to say that I might not be able to have lunch with you." What's with that gentlemanly sentence just now?! First fright, now I'm talking all that. I sighed again. "Sorry, but maybe today is a no-deal."

"Oh, okay, that's quite alright. We can always have a date, then."

***BITE!***

"...!" Seriously, what is with me and biting! After that one, I thought I ripped off my own tongue with my teeth, but fortunately, that was only a sudden reflex move. I put my hand on my mouth, tears filling my eyes, as I could just taste the blood dripping from my tongue. Kinda ironic. "I'm sorry, Kamiyama. But... Let me think a little bit. That just surprised me."

"Okay. It was a joke."

"Yes... A joke... A joke..."

"So the Dragon is a shy guy next to the idol of class 1-B. What a strange sight to have."

"Huh... Whoa!" I said to that voice coming from my crouch. After that, I yelped in surprise: under my desk, with her head in between my thighs, there was a girl around my age with indigo short hair and hazel eyes staring right back at me! Despite the situation, she looked so boringly.

"Hey, hello, good morning to you, Red Dragon emperor. You might not know me, but I know you... Kinda." She said. Wait, she knows I'm the Sekiryuutei?! How?! Okay, my rating game was broadcasted underworldwide, but why would she bring this up here of all places?!

" 'Red dragon...' Is she one of your friends, Tsukino-kun?" Curious and surprised, Kamoyama asked me. I turned to her, then to the girl, then to her again.

"Err... Well..."

"You can say that, Kamiyama-sama. Somehow, our dragons know each other. Isn't that right, Vritra?" And she lifted her left hand to look at a strange jewel on the back of her hand, surrounded by black tattoos. Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine, and I began to cold-sweat just by looking at it. Is that, another sacred Gear?! "Vritra? Hello~? Don't be shy. You're an evil dragon, after all..."

"S-Shut up! This is not a place to...!"

"Tsukino-kun! If you want to talk with Matsuoka-san, please leave this to lunch hour or ask permission to leave!" Sensei said, as she stopped her lecture to look at us and gave this warning. The whole class was looking at us now. Shit! I picked that girl by the collar and dragged her away to the door. Sensei gave an exclamation. "H-Hey...!"

"Sorry sensei. But you gave us permission." I swear I just grinned after that. Well upon well, I left class with that mysterious girl and finally, once in the corridor, I let go of her and crossed my arms. "Would kindly explain what was that about?"

"You took my seat. Since the beginning of the semester, you've been sitting on my seat. Not that I'm upset, but a warning is good once in a while." She said, deadpan since the beginning. I vein of rage popped on my forehead, as I wheezed the uneasy feeling away from my body, and began the rest of important questions.

"Very well, I'm sorry, it's just... You know that I'm the Sekiryuutei, right? Well, guess what? I'm also a devil, and the sunlight was killing me back then. I had no choice but to change for a seat away from it." I said. She blinked once, twice, and a lamp of realization appeared above her head. I would if this were a cartoon.

"Oh. Batman." That was random.

"Now, My turn. How do you know I'm the Sekiryuutei in the first place?"

"EEeh? Are we playing games~? I rather play video-games~."

"Excuse me?!"

**[Kiruko, don't be rude. This young lad answered your question. Be polite and do the same.]**

"Meh, joy killer."

"It talked!" Holy shit! The jewel really talked! I don't know if this is a dragon's thing, but that strange jewel in her hand really talked! She lifted it until it was right in front of my face, and that piece of green orb shined again.

**[Greetings, Sekiryuutei. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Vritra, it's a pleasure to meet you.]**

"Vritra... The megane Evil Black Prison dragon King..." I said. Gremory said once that: Issei-senpai had another Rival besides lord Vali Lucifer, the host of the Evil Black dragon King, also known as the Prison Dragon, Vritra. His name was... Saji Genshirou, and he was Serena-kaichou's gramps. "It's... A pleasure to meet you, Kuroryuu-Oh."

**[Likewise, besides the fact that megane part I'd like to avoid. Truth to be told, I didn't expect the sekiryuutei to survive after the... Great apocalypse. It brings joy to me seeing he's still alive, although I can't contact him.]**

The **Great apocalypse**... The dark moment when the universe was almost destroyed...

"Hey, hey. Vritra, I was talking to him." That girl, **Matsuoka Kiruko**, frowned at the jewel in her hand, hitting it pretty hard against a wall. She flinched and moaned in pain soon after, while the voice inside her hand sighed. Pff, really? "It hurts~..."

[**Miss Kiruko, please...]**

"You want your seat back? You can have it. I don't really care." I lied. I care immensely. My days beside Kamiyama are over~. Well, it was good while it lasted. At least I can now talk to her without an excuse. She turned to me, and blinked again one eye after another. Creepy as shit. "I mean it. You can have it back. My immunity against the Sun is better now, so don't even bother taking it back. My seat is already taken, though."

"Oh. It actually worked. What a bother." She said, not really that happy either. It's a weirdo after a weirdo, my world just doesn't stop, does it? "Which is a pain, really. My brother probably already trashed your girlfriend..."

"What? Ugh...!" I couldn't even put a reaction to that statement, as suddenly my chest began to burn. What was that about? I discarded my blazer and opened the chest area of my shirt, only to look at a strange golden seal shinning on it. I don't get it! "What... What the hell is that?!"

"Oh... It's a warning seal~. This means your girlfriend is pretty screwed thanks to my brother." She said in a tone that only confused and pissed me off even more. I was about to choke her for answers, but the burning sensation in my chest only worsened. "Go talk with your girlfriend. Maybe she can help you."

"I don't have a girlfriend, damn it! Ugh...!"

[**sekiryuutei-kun. Regardless your affiliation with the yokai, you must hurry! She might me in great danger!]**

Yoko... In danger?! How?! Don't tell me... Whatever is true or not, she might have an idea of what this mark is about! As fast As I could, I Picked my blazer back and dashed towards her said classroom. Class 1-D if I remember correctly! Once there, I opened the door and then...

***SLIDE-...!***

***BAM!***

"Gah!" My hand almost bursted! What's that?! I can't... Touch the door without taking any more of those electric bursts?! Is this a youkai thing?! "What...?!"

"Oh~, it's sealed... Sealed sealed sealed~. Little fox sure is arrogant, thinking she stands a chance against bronie~..." Out of nowhere, in a very morose tone, came Kiruko, as she walked beside me and tried to pick the handle of the door herself, only to have it almost exploded in her palm. "A pretty good at that too. It'll be hardy harsh for you to unseal unseal it~..."

"Serena-kaichou!" I've completely ignored the bitching girl beside me, as I snapped my own fingers and ran towards the student council room! Serena-kaichou, Nemesis-San, even Aria-san can help me now!

I don't know what's happening, I don't know how things are working, but if Yoko is in danger, I have to help her! That mark on my chest... What is it? I wonder if Kaichou can... Answer that for me.

.

~~x~~

.

"Well, wasn't that a thing, Miss Yoko? Truth to be told, I wasn't expecting you to be that durable. Must be because I'm a new character and all..."

He said, as I coughed a little more in discomfort. He's pretty beat-up himself, his clothes ripped apart and I blinded one of his eyes with a seal. He's still human, so no fatal wound can be done against him without permission. However, as a Youkai, I can still mark a number on him. I can still stand without problem, he only hit a few spots.

"Tell me... Did you really just bursted into my classroom and hurt my friends just because... Ichijou took your sister's seat?" I said, cleaning up my uniform from the dust and cracking my neck a few times. My skirt is a goner, and a few scratches here and there, not to mention internal damage because of his powerful fists, but I can still go on. He looked at the ceiling, them to me, then back to the ceiling, now to the floor. What? Does he have some kind of OCD or something?

"What if I did? Do I really need a reason to do what I want to do? Antagonists need a reason to be antagonists? Heroes need a reason to be heroes? The truth is, I have no reason for everything I do... Is justificable." He said it so boringly, I thought for a second he was just joking. "This is my story. I don't actually need a reason to find my villain."

"Tch..."

"Speaking of Manga, how about you unleash a new form of yours?" He said with a lifted finger. What? Now we're in a manga? I shot a confused look at him, and he only sighed. "That's a thing between fights, isn't it? You're in a brink of death, and then you say the lines of 'that's not even my final form' or whatever, and then you do some transformation thing, and you kick my ass. I'm not here to waste my time. It'll be nice also to see that. How about it?"

"Aren't you a smartass. Yes, indeed, I have another form besides that one. But be aware that, once in it, I won't hold back anymore." I said snapping my eyepatch out of my eye to unleash the accumulated miasma in it, as my hair began to turn golden. My fox ears turned even sharper, and my other eye turned red, opposing the golden one. I could feel the outer energy mixing with my own, while my own senses were mixing with the world around me. "It has been a while since I used this form, the combined forces of senjutsu and my own fox powers. **Sessho-seki No Mae Mode**, as I call it. Not even Kunou can match me in this form. Although her true form does beat me regardless."

"Kunou... The leader of the whole Kansai youkai region? My sister tried an attack there. Needless to say it failed thanks to that bitch(lol, puns.)." He said with a sigh and a frown. However, seeing my new form didn't change his way, as he suddenly opened his arms in a defenseless stance. He's wide open now. "I tell you what, let's play a game, a game to know what kind of protagonist I am: you'll hit me once, and I'll say either_ 'Is that all you got?'_ or _'no! I've to... fight!'_. The game continues either way, okay?"

"Are you toying with me?" I asked, as I summoned a flow of chakra flowing throw my hands. This technique is a killer one. He's a threat to anyone, so there's no need for me to hold back that much.

"You don't know me, don't go assuming things. Maybe I'm just an arrogant character who underestimates his opponents and gets his ass kicked in a very humiliating way, maybe I'm really that strong. Don't you wanna know? I bet they wanna know too." He said. He's wide open, so I can't let this opportunity pass by! I leaped towards him, hands flaming with Chi energy, and in just one second ***BAM! BAM!***, I hit him both in his chest where his lungs and heart should be, stepping back once the attack hit! He looked surprise for a second, touching his chest in anticipation, only to shot his eyes at me and sigh.

"Tch... That's all you go-... Bwaaaah!" But before he could finish his sentence, a flood of blood escaped from his body, as his arms tried to reach for his neck. That's right, that's the power of the [Inter gates assault!], by stopping the flow of chakra closing the opening in the lungs and the exit in the heart, the struggling energy inside his body will go awry and explode itself to open a pathway out. "W-What...?!"

He took a step back, as holes began to open in his chest, back, hands and thighs, all expelling gushes of energy and blood, the desperately-prisoned chakra worsening the blood loss. In the end, he fell on his knees, blood flowing outside his body, his clothes a mess, immobile. It was over...

"It's over..." I said, falling on my knees, and feeling the energy exiting my body to the wind, as my muscles lose all of their strength. I'm still improving this technique, so it's only natural that I can't control my own flow of chakra once it's over. It all goes with the wind, and I can't use it for a while after. At least it's over.

"Oh, look. I'm the character that apparently dies but in the end shows itself to be strong by surviving an ultimate attack. What a thing."

"...!" No! This cannot be! I looked up, and yes! That bastard is standing up! But how? Not only I expired his chakra reserves, but fried up his own magic circuits! That would cripple him! But how?! He stood up, and summoned his Sacred Gear once more.

"I like your expression. It's the kind of Cliche expression that says _'This cannot be!'_ Without words. I nailed that one, right?" He said, cracking his fingers and toying with that dagger with that hands. "Let me guess: you all wondering if I can use Balance Breaker, right? The answer is... Yes! Yes I can!"

"What?" Who are they?! What the hell is he talking about?! I tried to stand up, but before I could do it, a flash of light blinded me for a second, the lad in front of me shinning like a diamond. In the end, when the lights died out, a new figure were standing in front of me: a golden, enormous armor with violet jewels all over it's body, and an ominous aura coming from it, as two dragon wings sprouted from it's back to all the directions.

**[DOWN FALL DRAGON SPEAR BALANCE BREAKER: ANOTHER ARMOR!]**

"And boom! Goes the fangirls." He muttered. Tch! I extended a hand to try another senjutsu attack with my remaining forces, but before I knew it, a spear of light crossed the distance between us and stab my shoulder! I grit my teeth to avoid a scream, as the figure descended from the air to the ground. "Don't worry, kurama. This form won't kill anyone here. I'm controlling this energy with all that I have, so don't worry about casualties."

"How... How do you even know my real name?" I asked him. Only nurarihyon-kun and Kunou know my real name, not even Ichijou and my friends, youkai or human, knows about it. Instead of an answer, he simply tossed a card with a chibi version of me to the floor, sliding all the way to In front of me.

"By reading your bio on the fan wiki, of course. Just kidding. It's an ability my father developed for me. Like I said, I'm the **perfect protagonist**, unusual and absurd abilities are my forte. I also have a tragic past, but of course you wouldn't want to hear it right now." He said. I picked that card of mine, and on the back of it, a complete bio of myself were shown, going to my birthday, my name, my family, even my measurements. This guy... What the hell is he? "In the end, I know more about yourself than yourself."

"This doesn't make any sense... What are you? Are you a ghoul?"

"Nah... I'm just a human." He said. Suddenly, golden magic circles began to be summoned by his back, and from it, dozens of dozens of swords, chains, spears and other war treasures began to appear, all pointing to me. He lifted his armored hand and put his middle finger and thumb together in a snapping gesture. "A human with great power."

**[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]**

"Now feel the power of the countless treasures of the panties dragon Fafnir."

***SNAP!***

I gulped. Is this how it ends? But I don't even know... How does he... What about... Ah. Who cares. This ability is a one-ticket to defeat, and even if I lift a barrier in time, with that much of weapons flying in my direction, I won't be able to hold back much. My legs don't work, and I can only use one hand, while the other is bleeding.

I took a deep breath, remembered all the good things I had, and lifted a hand to create a barrier to my classmates. They don't need to die because of a hissy fit of this asshole. But... At least someone will have to explain this mess. I feel for Serena-san.

The things I regret? Not buying Kunou a great gift for her birthday. She did like that stuffed Naruto doll, though...

And the other... Maybe it's the fact that I didn't enjoy some things in this life like I should... Specially...

Specially...

Specially...

"Ichijou... I'm... Sorry..."

***ZOOOOOOM!***

***SLIDE!***

**[BOOST!]**

***ZING! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!***

***TING! TING! TING!***

"Oh, here comes the big damn heroes..."

"Ah..."

"Yoko..." I opened my eyes, only to face not the underworld, nor the Senzu river, but a too familiar back of someone holding a massive blue sword and red dragonic gauntlet, facing against me as the other weapons that were flying towards me would break and fall to the floor. He's... He's here. "...**You're forgiven**!"

"Ichijou..." Yes. He's here. My vision began to be turn all blurry, while my already trembling body was now out of control. He really came. I'm... I'm so happy. This is...

"Such a good reunion, isn't that cute? The hero comes in the nick of time. I sure wasn't expecting nothing new, really. How about you guys?"

"I don't know with who the hell you're talking about, but... You know what? Being the one doing the rescue..."

_Sure feels damn nice_!

* * *

**Introducing a deadpool-character and his little sister. That was the best, but also worst part of the chapter, since I needed to balance where his meta begins and where it stops when his cracky personality begins and ends. And who'd know, the character that just was mentioned once in a whole 30-chapter now shown herself to be a legacy character as well. **

**To be fair, that wasn't an idea. it just came out of nowhere, really.**

**Well, you know the drill, stay golden~**.


	32. Life is epic!

**Hey there, fanon. How's it going? Another chapter to close this arc for now. truth to be told, this chapter is kinda of a trainwreck because everything that might happen here can show how much the story has progressed, and how much I think the character have developed. I do like the idea that I'm doing a decent job by making then more awesome in some aspects as the story goes on. If you're reading this, even if you don't leave a review, I thank you for reading this and have accompany up until this chapter. Thank you and stay golden. **

**As always, Highschool DxD doesnt belong to me.**

* * *

I just knew it, I simply just knew that today wasn't going to be a normal day anyway. I'm getting used to it by now, but unfortunately, I wasn't the reason for the central conflict here. Yoko was. The students of 1-D were all wracked beyond all belief, and the class itself was a mess. All because of the guy in a Scale Mail armor in front of me. Fortunately, when we did break the barrier, Serena-kaichou created another one to evacuate the injured ones and leave only him, Yoko and I around.

I don't know, but knowing this stuff, this guy simply doesn't give the aura Aria-San gives. This means this guy's not the White Booty Vanishing Dragon Albion...

"I can read your mind, y'know." The armor said, taking a half-step onto me. I took a step back, a little taken back by his words? Does he read minds? "I bet you're thinking 'This guy's level power is not even close to someone I know', right?"

"Huh...? No, of course not." I said. Yes, I compared him to Aria-San, but because she's the senpai's granddaughter. Nothing about power levels.

"Meh. I bet you did. You, the Red Dragon, would say something like 'your level of power is inferior' or 'I don't have time to weaklings like you' when facing a new cocky enemy. I know this stuff, you're no different from other protagonists here." He said with a glacé pose. Is he an idiot or what? Well, he can't read minds for what is worth, but it's still annoying.

"Uh-huh. I used to have that kinda of syndrome too." I said to no one, annoyed by his behavior and the fact that he lacks any tack for the situation. I turned to him, a small vein of rage on my head, as sighed. "And who are you to say anything about me?"

"Who am I? Do you really want to know?"

"Wait, on second thought, that topic doesn't seem so hot at all..."

"I was born seventeen years ago, my father is a renowned scientist and my mother was a fallen in the same level of a Seraph, but turned into a renegade when she fell in love with my father. They lived a peaceful, secret life, since her own existence was being chase down by the higher-ups of devil and angelic realms. I was born from this love, me as the first **nephilim** in many years, however, before I could even speak or walk, they found my mother, and killed her right in front of my eyes, while my father, using a new-invented gadget, destroyed the intruders in a blink of an eye. After that incident, my father went mad, and rising from the crumbles of our home destroyed by the Devils, swore revenge against the supernatural. For the next years, he would find and take to himself homeless children to try experiments on them. Sacred Gear implants, Holy light element experiments, fusing of several creatures in our DNA and genetic matter, he experimented those and many more in all of us for a period of time my traumatized mind can't remember, all I can remember were the screens of agony of my friends and step-siblings as they would either die or turned into monstrosities with no more humanity on them. After all those years, with my body implanted with the Sacred Gear [DOWN FALL DRAGON SPEAR], I and more four girls escaped that torturous world, and we went to the streets, where we would be living on dirty water and rotten food from the garbage until a nice couple took us in and out of our miserable state. I was still a kid so I completely forgot about my real parents the horrors we suffered in the Miyama house. For a while, we were a happy family, but one day, a pack of Devils and killing droids of the Miyama house came to us and tried to kill us. In a moment of desperation, I awaken my asleep Sacred Gear combined with my Balance Breaker and defeated all of them in a blink of an eye. My memories returned soon after, and I remembered my hatred towards my father and his experiments. I couldn't let that grief and despair go, so my sister and I went into a journey of revenge and self-worth."

...

...

Now I get why they need flashbacks in series. Backstories are boring as listening to when the mood is not right... I sighed. Seriously, I don't understand why bother with a backstory just now. He also looked very happy to share this with me. I wouldn't be that much if I was telling a story about how my mother died, my dad went crazy and everything in my life sucked so much until now. But he's powerful. To be in a scale Mail Armor so nonchalantly like that, he's powerful.

"I'm sorry for you, I'm really am. But that doesn't explain why would you attack my husband." I coughed a little, but a lot less than before. "Explain yourself. Or I might get angry. And you will remember that, and tell me, because I don't remember Jack when I'm angry."

"So... You're the Sekiryuutei. I was indeed looking for you around here. Aside from the fact that you stole my sister's seat in the classroom, I have another proposals for you." Tch! So Kiruko-San was telling the truth, her psycho brother did made a number on class 1-D of of spite from what I stole from her! The clench around my sword grew, as a burst of fury was boiling in my blood. Attacking people for such a petty reason. "But first, let me explain this: I did that to call for your attention. Miss Kurama just so happened to be part of this class."

"Kurama...?" I repeated that unfamiliar name. Great, another one with no context whatsoever. I turned to Yoko, who was still struggling to keep herself awake, and gave her an question mark. "Yoko... You have... Any idea who this Kurama might be?"

"..." Nothing out of her. I snapped back to him. No, I'm going sidetrack now. The problem now is that Scale Mail and the problems that might bring.

**[PARTNER, DON'T BE FOOLED.]**

"Ddraig?" For the first time, I heard Ddraig's voice outside my inner world. I guess the situation called for a little push so that he can communicate with me. I looked at the jewel in my sacred gear, as it shined with every word.

**[DON'T BE FOOLED BY HIS WORDS OR BEHAVIOR. IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE FORMS OF AN ARTIFICIAL SACRED GEAR CREATED BY THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF THE FALLEN ANGELS AZAZEL. I CAN ALSO FEEL FAFNIR'S SPIRIT INSIDE OF IT.]**

"Azazel... Senpai's mentor and the Occult research Club's advisor teacher?"

"That is correct, red dragon emperor." The armor said, as it flashed golden once more in an imposing way. "However, this artificial Sacred Gear is an improved version. Fafnir's soul no longer is contained, but sealed inside of this it. The power of the Golden Dragon King, the Gigantis Dragon known as Fafnir, is mine to use and abuse. Azazel was weak by siding with a Dragon, but my father was strong to simply tame and slave it!"

**[PETULANT NEPHILIM. YOU'RE NAÏVE AS A CHILD FOR THINKING THAT SOMEONE COULD... NO, CAN IMPROVE ANYTHING FROM SOMETHING FROM THAT FALLEN ANGEL.]**

"That's the part when I say: 'Let's see about that', while kicking your sorry ass for underestimating me. **[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]**" he announced again, and golden magic circles appeared right behind him, lauching countless weapons at me! Fast as my **[SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS]** could, I picked Yoko up, bridal style then to my back in a piggyride, and jumped away from the rain of swords. He gave a brief moment to cool off, steam and blood boiling out from his helmet, and continued with that barrage of blades, hammers and other shiny and sharp treasures.

"Red dragon, if I may, what's the plan? Piss him off much so that he would end up being out of ammo?! I can't keep up with him like that!" I said midrun, burning my legs with violent drifts and curves to avoid the swords in my direction. When I couldn't dodge, I would use Rhongomiant to deflect the projectiles.

**[PARTNER, FAFNIR HAD A GREAT VARIATION OF TREASURES UNDER HIS POSSESSION. IF HE'S REALLY USING ALL OF THAT, A DRAGONSLAYER WEAPON SHALL PRESENT ITSELF IN ANY MINUTE.]**

"A dragonslayer sword... Being kept by a dragon?! That just makes as much as sense as them teaching dragonslayer Magic!" I mentally retorted. Suddenly, however, I felt a chill down my spine, a sensation of utter horror and Thrill only imminent punishment from my sisters could give me. This terror... Was coming from a sword! I could feel it! Even among the other ones coming into my direction, I could feel a monstrous aura coming from that particular golden sword. "Is that it?! Is that...?!"

**[AFFIRMATIVE. YOUR AFFINITY WITH THE BOOSTED GEAR GRANT YOU MY POWERS, BUT MY WEAKNESSES AS WELL. A DRAGONSLAYER HOLY SWORD WOULD DEFINITELY DRAW A REACTION FROM YOU, BOTH A DEMON AND A DRAGON.]**

"This means... That guy is also weak against those, right?!" I said, summoning Rhongomiant once again and stopping in one point. The shower of blades continued, but using that I've learned in mt. Issei, I blocked some of them, and dodged the rest with just a few rips on my clothes. However, when that only sword was coming my way, I stomped hard on the floor, clenched my sword and...

[**NOW!]**

"Gotcha!" And in one smooth but powerful move,** *TING!*** I hit that one right in the tip, while the others were blown away by the impact. That only sword danced on the air for a few seconds, only to be caught by my hands. "Again!"

**[BOOST!]**

"**[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY SLASH!]"** both of our voices announced, with me slashing the air and creating a barrier of white lines out of the edge of my sword. It collided with the barrage of blades, and like before, it stop them all in midair. He's not attacking now, the cooldown is starting! That's my chance! "Eat this!"

**[BOOST!]**

"I must say, you're nothing short of a deathflag." He said, as he raised his hand to counter that incoming sword. The countdown was over, and new golden magic runes appeared behind him! But the sword was about to...! "Don't be alarmed. This will all end soon."

**[DELET-...]**

**[PENETRATE!]**

***CRACK!***

"What the...?!"

***BOOOOOM!***

...

"Wow... That was actually easy." I said, panting and looking at the cloud of smoke right in front of me. That clash between dragons must've been too much, since that part of the classroom trembled, with the floor crumbling. I looked back at Yoko, and She looked so desperate, so shaken. I pat her in the head again, and she calmed down. However, I can't let my guard down, that was... "Easy... Too easy."

**[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]**

I knew it! I can't never be so sure about anything! Like before, a barrage of blades and other weaponry showered over me, as I used Rhongomiant to deflect some while taking some space away from it! Shit! That was close!

"Huh... Is that all you got?" I heard that oh so cliche sentence in the middle of the cloud of dust. And like I was suspecting, there he is, the possible owner of that scale mail armor, a guy around my age, wearing Gessen high's male uniform and with that spiky pale green hair and fair skin dripping blood. Not to mention... His own arm was stabbed by the dragonslayer sword?! That's sick! "I'm disappointed in you, sskiryuutei. If you were the protagonist, your serialization would come to an end soon."

"Hey, Red Dragon, is that normal? That sword is giving me goosebumps even now. Is that normal?" I mentally asked.

**[NO, IT IS NOT. EVEN A NEPHILIM WOULD HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN TAKING ONE OF THOSE BEING BORN WITH A DRAGON SACRED GEAR.]**

**"**That is correct, Sekiryuutei. However, as you can see. I'm not your average extra. I'm the main character! The perfect protagonist!" He said, taking a deep breath and then shining like a star! In another second, his Scale Mail armor returned, unfolding two dragon wings and four new pair of crystal clean angel wings! So he's really a hybrid! "Tragic past, special lineage, a rare sacred gear with lots of potential, immense stock power, physical and magical prowess beyond possible, that's who I am! I am the one who's closer in being the protagonist than anyone else!How about you, Sekiryuutei?!"

"What?" He pointed at me with his clawed hands, as I returned to a battle stance. Rhongomiant felt a lot heavier now, as my Boosted Gear went standby. Does He want to know about me?

"You, who has nothing! No tragic past, no super abilities or powers, no link with the supernatural, not anything! Your only gimmick is your sacred gear, and that's all!" He said, as he picked a card and tossed it towards me. I picked it up and saw a miniaturized version of me, with some information about yours truly. Okay, that's really creepy. "Face it, you're not unique in any way...

You're not strong or resolved like **Lyonel**...

You're not cunning or determinate like **Abel/Katsu**...

You're not savvy or intelligent like **Desmond**...

You're not charismatic or reliable like the **countless Makotos**...

You have no grief or Way of living like **Yusei**...

Nor power to break fate like **James**...

... You're just a Highschool student with no knowledge about the supernatural nor royal blood, who just so happens to be the host of the Boosted Gear. You're as pathetic as your predecessor, the protagonist no one likes, the one who would be substituted at the drop of a hat. That's you, just a small little worm in this world of Giants."

"..." How to respond to that... I'm a worm here, and I'm a worm at home, I'm a worm anywhere. To forever be dragged into something unwillingly because of my Boosted Gear, trying to climb the supernatural Everest named Hyoudou Issei. I looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, with Yoko almost ripping my uniform off from biting it, and sighed. "You're right."

"..."

"Ichijou...?"

"I'm not that strong, or smart, or special. My parents are humans, I had a very typical little brother childhood, I want to date a girl instead of dominate the world and, honestly, I would drop this role to anyone in the beginning." I said, the armor still hovering on the air with it's countless wings, while Yoko reached for me and clenched harder on my uniform...

"No, Ichijou. Don't say that! You're... You're..."

"But!" I said, pointing my sword to him, as he summoned even more magic circles. "I made some really good friends. Some really good friends and teachers that would have been better protagonists that I'd ever be. Doesn't mean I can't become stronger. I am strong, even without those."

"Is that so~? Where are going to with those inspirational words? Going_ 'I'm gonna protect my friends and get stronger'_ stuff? That's so cliche."

"No, of course not. I know that they can protect themselves. Truth to be told, actually, I do like to be... Unfitting, sometimes. People rather be happy than miserable, right? I don't want to be miserable, thank you!" The world looked like it stopped as I said those things. Yoko loosed her grip around me, but an ominous aura began to leak from the armor In front of me. Oh, did I touch a sensitive subject? "Besides, I can be what other protagonists, no matter how perfect they are, cannot in a million years."

"Hah?! And what's that? What can you possible be when you don't have the necessary to be a protagonist?! A main character?!"

"Well, the only thing others can't be other than me... Is being the protagonist of my own story, Tsukino Ichijou"

"..."

"I-Ichijou..."

Yeah, I'm not a hybrid, or a master in anything, or a champion, or a person with a tragic past or royal lineage, but that's what I am, and no one else is...

... **Tsukino Ichijou.**

***ZOOOM!***

***CLANK!***

"Shut that trap!" And in one second, that armor crossed the distance between us and clashed one of his light swords against Rhongomiant. This chilly aura... He's using a dragonslayer sword. "What are you trying to say?! That every difficulty I had in life, every hardship that I was forced to endure was for nothing?! That you, a simple someone, can be a main character that easy even with everything I did and had to do?! No! No, no! Shut up!"

"What...?" Those words actually shook me more than expected. He summoned another sword and tried for my neck. I dodged that one and pushed my sword further into him, using the recoil to jump away and regain some space.

"I am the protagonist! I am the main character! This is my story! A story of hardship and will! A story in which I face everything and get a happy ending! I deserve a Happy ending! I DESERVE IT!" He screamed, his voice reaching my ears as nails on a board. He's delusional, he has what I suffered with Nero-san. Was his past really that terrible? He clashed swords again and this time his recoil almost snapped my arm! "You're just the villain! A villain with an easy life and praises of the world! You can't defeat me!"

[**PARTNER, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. HE'S BLINDED BY RAGE. IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR AN COUNTERATTACK.]**

Red dragon, as much I'd love to end this battle quickly, there's no way I can reach him in this state. His frenzy mode Is really cutting my edges here, and those in his hands are anti-dragon weapons! I have to think!

**[...]**

Red dragon?

[**THIS IS... LIMIT... I CANT... ANY... longer...]**

Wait what?! Is that the time to 'tilt' me off?! I'm gonna die like that!

**[use... Delusions... Your favor... Novels... Cliches...]**

Shit! It's finally cut! Now it's just me and Yoko against this guy! What does the Red Dragon meant by those words?! Use delusions at my favor?! What's the meaning of this?!

"Ichijou..."

"Yoko?"

"He thinks... He's in a novel... Maybe we... Maybe we can use this at our advantage..."

And then she went quiet again. She's exhausted, and her bleeding arm is just making matters worse. Think... Novels... Delusions... Wait...

'He took your protagonist essence. Everything that might came from this won't happen to you...

No gimmicks... No advantages... No catchphrases... No second chances... No sudden power-ups...

You're on your own.'

...

**Poetry classes**, you saved me yet again!

"Yoko, I'm gonna do some stuff. Stay with me all this time, okay? Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Jokes on her. That's a hell of a bet; and I have no idea what I'm doing or how the outcome will be, but that's all I have for now! She just dived into my back and muttered 'always'. Okay, and one, and two, and...

"How?! How can his power grow so spontaneously?! Is that the power of the Golden Dragon King?!" I said in surprised, as I let him corner me with his own barrage of slashes. We clashed again, and stopped. In a moment of stasis, he shared glances, and soon I pushed him away. "No! This can't be it! I am the Red Dragon Emperor! The Sekiryuutei! The heavenly dragon of domination!"

"Tch! You don't deserve this power, Tsukino Ichijou! Weak ones like you should stay in the shadow so true warriors won't bother with your existence!" He said with a mocking tone. I can almost see his cliche grin of confidence against a weaker fool. It's working! Maybe if I... I pushed him again, and clashed my Rhongomiant against his chest armor, sending him back to a wall! Here goes nothing!

"Shut up! With this power, I'm invincible! A puny imitation like you, defeating me?! Hah, know your place!" It's even funny to say such cartoonish sentences. Staying focused, I aimed my sword at him, and with my **[FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS]** form, unleashed a barrage of red energy slashes against him! Where so many, yet I'm not that tired! I did that until I could no longer see him on the dust my destruction caused. Okay, now. The final sentence in this situation. And one, and two... "How's that, huh?! Who's the weak one now?!"

...

...

"Is that... All you g-...?" Now!

**[SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS!]**

***ZOOM!***

"Woooooh...!"

***BAM!***

"What the... Uuuuuugh...!" The moment I took a glimpse at his image by the other side of the dust, I used my fastest and strongest form to close the gap in between us, picking a random sword in the way, and clashing it against his chest armor with an extra force from my Boosted Gear! He went flying into another wall, his armor lightly broken in one side.

That's **number 1 cliche** in a fight: the villain thinks he owns the battle, only for the protagonist to appear from the shadows, a cocky grin on his face, mocking his opponent.

"Hahahahahah~! You're so weak, Golden Dragon!" Damn, poetry classes, what a boost in my life you've become! Gotta continue the act. He's doing it accordingly, so other ideas must work too. Okay, now cliche number 2. "You can't keep up with me, I'm the red Dragon emperor!"

"It looks like I'll have to go full force against you." A calm, collected voice echoed from inside the armor, as in a flash we clashed blades again. [BOOST!], my sacred gear announced, and so we were doing that again, trying to find an opening in between the countless conflicting slashes between us. In the end again, we clashed one more time and continue our staring contest as he struggle against each other's strength and grip on our weapons!

"Hyahahah! That's all you got, Golden Dragon! Your power level is nothing compared to mine! Where's all of that confidence from a second ago?!" Focus! Continue to tap his nerves! That shall trigger him! Just like Nero-San did. "Oh-hoh! Who knew beating you would be so easy in my full power?!"

"Hehe..."

"Haaaah?! Why are you laughing at?! I should be the one laughing!"

"No, you stupid Sekiryuutei. I'm the one laughing. Is that your true power? Pathetic." And now he's summoing his magic circles again. Look surprised now, Ichijou. Get ready, you might get messy.

"Ichijou, watch out!"

"Well then, might as well show you my true power as we-...!"

**[CHANGE: FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS!]**

"What the...?!"

***BOOM!***

And before he could even aim at me and launch, I used my newly change setting to escape in time, but not before leaving a magical explosive afterimage on my place, exploding right into his face and vanishing his other runes! He was again launched again from me, as I back-stepped to a safe distance.

That's the **second cliche**: cocky enemy always mocks the protagonist's own power, only to be surprised by a new surprise ability on the nick of time.

"I'm not done yet!** [DRAGON SHOTS]**!" And gathering as much as demonic energy I could, I created a full barrage of black demonic balls to launch at him! And again I created a dust of destruction in his direction, and everything I could hear was the sound of his screams and the explosions my** [DRAGON SHOTS]** were causing. I stopped before running out of breath, surprisingly I'm still a-okay, and when the dusk cleaned off, I saw his body on the floor, struggling to stay up, his armor gone and heavily breathing. It might be over or not, I'm not sure. I turned to Yoko, and she was still panting, struggling to keep her grasp on me. "Sorry."

"No... No... Problem..." She said, her eyes, now completely uncovered, shining at me. Sorry Yoko, but we need to end this ride with a certain death bet.

"Hey, Yoko. Remember when I said to trust me all the time?"

"E-Eh...?"

"Well, now's the time... Tch! What a waste of time. I can't believe I lost my precious time with weaklings like you." I frowned at the golden Dragon in front of me, as he put himself on his knees and tossed his stare of disdain at me. I put up my best 'Cliche arrogant villain' persona, and held my sword at him. "The strongest, you said? Don't make me laugh, when I'm done with you, it'll be your sisters next."

"...!"

"I-Ichijou...?" I got the reaction I was looking for. He's shaken. He heard me. That's the thing I wanted. With all of that, I don't need to say anything else.

"What did you say...? My... Sisters..." Oooh~, boy. There we go, I'm again in one of those moments where I regret this more than the condom incident. I might not be the end for me, but it's gonna hurt like hell. Another heavy, dark aura surrounded him, and I could feel the gravitational pull he was causing around. He slowly lifted from the ground, and in a moment, he screamed louder than anything I've ever encounter, and his Scale Mail armor covered every part of him again. Gotta maintain the act.

"W-What's that?! His power increased so suddenly?!" I said, mixing my acting with... Utter genuine fear, because I just messed with a bull! A bull with a dragon armor! Holy shit! But gotta stay calm! I mustn't panic! I am, but I mustn't panic!

"No! I won't let you defeat me! Nor let you touch my sisters! Mark my words, Sekiryuutei: you're gonna pay for this! I'lol kill you! **I'LL KILL YOU**!" And in a flash, he appeared right in front of me, weapons ablaze like the Sun, and ready to tackle me! I lifted Rhongomiant and defended myself with it, but like I was expecting, his rage was far too powerful for me to handle, and so, he pushed me away!

"No! How is this happening?! **HOW**?!" I said as I flew away from the explosion our encounter caused. Even Yoko went away in a different direction, and I end up hitting the wall, falling on my back, facing the ceiling. "Ugh..."

***STOMP!***

"Gwah...!" And that's another broken bone to my collection! A hard, bright as gold dragon claw stomped my ribs, stopping any kind of escape from my part, and before I knew it, that same dragon armor was holding a giant light sword against my face! By the ominous feeling, I'm sure that's a dragonslayer! I'm scared! Shit! "A-Ah...! H-Hold on, gold dragon! Please! Spare me! I didn't mean to threat your family! It was... A joke... A joke! Please forgive me! Please forgive me~!"

"..." He's quiet. His eyes were hidden under his bangs, and he diet even look fazed by my display of misery, crying and hiccuping like a little bitch. I was really trembling. I need to focus... But I'm so too damn scared...

"Forgive you?" He said, in a low, hoarse, direct tone. I did my best half-assed smile, and nodded still trembling. He sighed, and pushed one of his bangs away, shining a single pale green eye at me. "Very well, I shall forgive you."

"O-Oh...! Thank you! Thank you!"

"I'lol forgive you... For being so pathetic in front of me!" And then his rage showed up, as he gripped his sword even more, and lifted his sword to deal one last fatal blow, and then...!

"... You just took the words out of my mouth."

***ZING!***

"Kaichou!"

***BREAK!***

"What the...?!"

***BAAAAAAM!***

**"Sitri... KICK!"** And the game turned in just this one second. By the nick of the time, I pushed the 'help' seal Serena-Kaichou gave me, and right before my eyes, that same blue-haired kamen-otaku broke her own barrier to deliver the most fantastic kick in history figh in the face of the Blacl dragon, who went flying away only to crack on a wall, and consequently, at the barrier. Kaichou landed right in front of me and was now skipping in one foot, turning to me and giving the thumb up! "Woosh! That was sick! He was so heavy with energy I thought he was gonna rip my own leg off! Butchamokey!"

I did the same for her. Yes, thank whatever she gave me that emergency rune to call her. It came in handy in the end, but I would never thought it was going to be used to fulfill the grid cliche:

The third cliche: when the protagonist corners the coward villain, he must always give a last-hope speech and kill his/her antagonist in the most dramatic and awesome way. Which leads to the fouth and final rule:

The perfect protagonist is... Predictable and boring.

Rule 4, pay your respect!

Also, today, she's wearing black lacy ones... Ugh...

"Well, I guess that's over." I said, sitting up on the floor and then standing up. Serena-Kaichou smiled at me, and turning around, I saw Yoko supporting herself on a wall, nodding at me. Yes, we did it.

"And once again, the day is saved thanks to the Sekiryuutei! I demand the highest of fives!" And she lifted her palm as high as she could right in front of me. Surprising as always, eh president? Whatever, out of that, I high-fived her and she smiled brighter, as she turned to the golden dragon to put a spell on him, making him unable to move. That match... Wasn't even that hard, just... Complicated.

Well... At least it's over.

"That's not fair..." I heard from a different direction. That voice was from inside the prison circle where the golden dragon was lying! He stood up, and then, gasp, he broke the magic circle with sheer force alone! Then, out of nowhere, devil, angel and even black wings emerged from his back, six in total on three different kinds! He summoned one more golden circle! "I'm not done yet! I'm the protagonist! Deserve my happy ending! I don't want to be I the darkness anymore! I DONT WANNA!"

And then, that golden circle began to shine even more. I summoned my boosted gear one more time, while Serena-kaichou prepared a bubble of water from her hand! He pointed his hand at us, and from his magic circle, it came...!

White panties.

Just... White panties.

...

***SLAP!***, was all that happened after Serena-kaichou slapped him with a water whip right into his face. Kinda sad, really...

"It's... It's not fair..." He moaned on his knees. It wasn't the water from Kaichou's attack, he was now really crying. "I don't understand... I don't... Why? What's the point of living, then? My life was miserable since the beginning...

"...?"

"My sweet mom's death... My dad's madness... The experiments... My dead friends... The pain... The grief... The horror... I thought... I thought that... I was the protagonist of a novel... I grabbed onto this... Because there's always a way, right? If I endured things, if I continued with my heads up during my journey, gathering my sisters... Defeating strong people and fighting all the way to the top... I would be able to be happy... But if I'm not any of this... Then... What's the point of living? Why should I continue to live if I don't know if I'll be truly happy in the end, with everything that happened to me until now? Why... Why... Why..."

"..." I gulped, hard. Serena-Kaichou is almost crying, just like me. I can see now: he's delusional, but that's his way to escape everything and grab onto something. He has nothing, utterly nothing, to hope for, now. He's trying to hold himself onto something, or else, he'll fall into despair, into madness...

He's... Just like I was...

"Hey..." I began to walk towards him, one hand reaching for him, while I could mirror myself on him. Serena-kaichou tried, but stopped when she saw what I was about to do. "Hey... Golden Dragon..."

He lifted his head, his eyes still watery, and with a dull stare only a hopeless person can make. I remember... Confused, lost, hopeless... He's... He's...

...

***PUNCH!***

... Really pissing me off!

"Ugh...!" And he met again with the wall, courtesy from my punch. That's right, he's really pissing me off! Was I really that pathetic?! Shit, no wonder I pissed Aria-San off too! Once recovered from his emotional clash, he turned his surprise eyes to me in a alarmed and angry stare. "Why you...!"

"SHUT UP!" I said, no, roared, that one silencing everyone here. I turned to him, and clenched my fists in... I dunno! Rage?! Sadness?! Stress! My eyes are watering now. "I know how it feels... It hurts... It hurts, doesn't it?! Trying to feel the gap in your heart... Trying and failing to find a reason for so much suffering... don't go assuming that I don't know how it feels to try to be important... The feeling that everything will be alright in the end, only to be one more delusion..."

"...?!"

"I suffered... I did things I didn't want to do... I was dragged around by destiny and made it's bitch... I can never understand you... But..." I shook the tears away, and looked at him deep in the eyes. "It doesn't mean I need to suffer more than that to be someone! I don't need any of those gimmicks to have an excuse to do nothing!"

"...?!"

"You get it, don't you? There's no such thing as protagonists, antagonists, main characters, side characters, extras or anything here! This is not a manga, an anime, a movie, a light novel or even a fanfiction! This is real life, and in real life, there's only winners and losers, and the losers are always the bad guys, and the winners are the good guys!" I screamed those melancholic words one by one, as he grew even more exasperate and insecure. However, I'e learn more than that. "But so what?! Even if everything seems lost, even if the future is uncertain, even when things are pitch black, if we keep moving forward, despite the role we carry or if we even have those, we're gonna reach somewhere far away from when we started!"

"S-Sekiryuutei..."

"That's why... Even when I don't have a tragic past, special lineage, mixed blood or anything else but my Boosted Gear and friends... I beat you. I beat you because I don't think I deserve a happy ending... I WANT a happy ending!" And now, I opened my arms so that he could feel the aura of the world around us. A world full of anything. "I am not a protagonist! No one is! But we don't need to! And do you know why?! Because no matter how lame, exciting, tragic or happy it is... LI**FE IS EPIC!"**

...

...

And so it ended. It has been a while since I last said something like that. It was good to take those poetry classes, and help others that were just like me. I know, I can never understand his pain, and be might not understand what I'm trying to say, but at leas we should try to talk and share ideas. After all... Even if I'm not a human anymore, I can understand how lonely and lost someone can be.

"..." After a while, he was still there; eyeing me with dull, surprised eyes. However, a shine returned to his eyes, and soon, he was crying again. But this time, he was smiling. "Tch... This is so lame... Not even Shounen Jump has those kind of monologues anymore those days..."

"..." I frowned a little with his little wacky comment, but stay at ease, as he simply faintly smiled back, and vanished with the wind.

"Y'know... If our roles were reversed... I guess I would punch you too." He said, as he faded away in golden dust. "See you later... Ichijou."

And now... He's gone. In a instant, Serena-Kaichou's barrier shattered, and we're back in the bloody and messy classroom. Hs must've escaped. Well, he's weaken a lot, this means we won't be seeing him for a while. But this chilly aura... He's still around... I can feel it...

And if he attacks again... I'll be waiting...

.

~~x~~

.

"Kaichou said that with proper rest, you'll be okay. Just a stab in the shoulder, but the only thing they need to take care of is your level of chakra... Or something like that."

"Thank... You." And now I'm sitting Ina chair at the infirmary, deserted since Headmistress Shizuka 'needed to organized a sudden reunion in Kuoh'(aka, evacuate the place so that it wouldn't have any more casualties.), besides Yoko, who's now on the medical bay, resting. According to Kaichou, Yoko was running short on life energy, and she Even used some of her senjutsu to try help in my spar, pushing her further to the edge. That explains a lot. "Hey, Ichijou... I'm sorry."

"...?"

"Huh... For making you worry about me, fighting for me when I could no longer, for taking care of me and almost die." She said, covering her blushing face with the white blanket. That again? Was I really like that when I think of myself?

"Think nothing of it. It felt nice to be the one doing the saving. I just wanted to have a peaceful day today, but since you're safe, I can't complain." And that didn't help much. She dived even further into the blanket, and her little fox ears twitched.

I'm not the type of person that wants to be saved all the time either. This time, the enemy was the one I had more careful about. Annie, that crazy nun, Nero-San and Nemesis-san were all monsters that I had to have help against... Still, doesn't excuse the fact that I want to become stronger and beat the crap out of them myself. Self-worth... That's a thing I need to work out along with my body.

"Look, you can always look up to me. We're friends... After all." I said. She covered herself even more in the sheets, and peeked for a moment at me. I sighed, well, here goes my last resort. "So... Huuuuh~... How about I kiss you?"

"...!" And now she's alarmed. That's literally a Fate/Stay Night in a form of a sentence. Dozens upon dozens of routes to make a dirty joke, yet the only thing she did was to put herself sit on the bay to look at me straight in the eyes. Oh, now what? What did you trigger, Tsukino Ichijou?!

"Y'know... To make you feel good... I mean! You're so... Gloomy those days, maybe another kiss will cheer you up." And now I'm sweating buckets, losing my words and twitching my hands. And she keeps staring at me! Oh, crap. Now what?! "Ah, damn it. J-Just forget what I said, okay? That's so embarrassing. But..."

"Ichijou..." She said, putting her hands on my cheeks and making me look at her straight in the eyes. She was wearing now a medical eyepatch, but I could feel her looking at my soul. I blushed, and the world around me just stopped. I stop my own breathing and sweating to just stare at her... Then to her rosy lips, which were coming closer to mine. She closed her eyes, and pulled me more into her face. A-Ah...

Ah, what the hell. You only live once, anyway. I closed my eyes, picked her by the wrists to pull myself closer too and in the end, smelling her fresh scent and feeling her motherly warm...

***OPEN!***

"Hold it right there! Cockblock police!"

"Gah!"

"Kyah!"

We both jumped out of her reverie of romance, and instead headbutted each other! Serena-kaichou just opened the door to the infirmary, and walked towards us just to check us out. Now that I'm sane again... Was I really about to do it?! AAAAAH~! I'm losing my mind again!

"Hey, Akabane-chan. How are you? Sorry, we didn't find that little bastard whom escape, but his scent is still around Kuoh, so our top werewolf won't take much longer to track him down." She said with a smile, but Yoko was reaaaaly far from being 'okay'. She had a frown I could only describe as 'murderous', and the bad out around her was causing nearby spirits to vanish. I gulped down as Kaichou turned to me. "And, Tsukino-kun, since we evacuated the school, you need to go home as well. We don't want any students to think... You're having an affair with the principal and she just wanted to close the school because she can't control her libido any longer."

"That's a very, very disturbing description. What kinds of comics you read?" I said, as she smiled and walked away. I turned to Yoko, and she shyly turned away from me. She's now stoic as ever, but blushing. Huh~... What should I do? She can go home alone, right? I can't, that's why I need to get out of here. I just hope everything here is okay. I picked one of her hands and we interlocked fingers. "Yoko..."

"...?"

"When you get home feeling better, I'm going to make the most delicious kitsune udon for you, okay?" I said, turning my eyes away in shame. Sheesh, how cheesy can I get in just one day? She wilded her eyes, and then smiled. She nodded, and soon, after I while, I hit her one last goodbye and walked away to the infirmary. At the door, I saw two giant monk statues, which I remember, weren't there before(trust me, my visits to the infirmary became a thing once the whole devil thing started.), and the powerful aura they were emitting. Maybe they're her bodyguards or royal soldiers, that's the leader of the whole aka to region for you. I walked a few steps and saw Serena-Kaichou waiting for me at the middle of the corridor.

"Hey-ho. Tsukino-kun. Sorry for that. But the staff with start closing the doors, and if someone sees us, rumors will start." She said with an apologetic bow and a forced and awkward smile. I sighed.

"Don't sweat it, Kaichou. Actually, I'm glad that someone stopped us." I said as we began to walk with each other. Yeah, that Cockblock was needed, otherwise lust would have win me over. I dunno, but if I make the wrong choice, I might end up like my father, and Yoko will get hurt. She just became my friend, if I jump too early like that, who knows what comes next?

"Huuuh...? Why's that? Kissing is something so common around here. You don't need to sweat it. Actually, I take that last one back." She gave me an smile, and I blushed while scratching my cheek. Yeah, no, thank you, that's the route I took that made my friends depart from me and my life turn into hell, with all due respect.

"I'll rather take things easy a little bit. The cater I try, the fastest she'll grow bored and think I'm a chump." Just like dad... Just like dad...

_Just like dad..._

"Ichijou..."

"Eh...?"

***CHU~!***

"...!" That's just unfair! She just kissed me! On the lips! Oh, shit! What the hell! My day was rollercoaster of 'WTFs' today! Really can't I have a normal day with freakish things happening not to me?! I can't... I can't move! She froze me! She broke me! I can't even... Fuck!

"You think too much, Tsukino-kun. Enjoy every moment once in a while, will ya?" She said separating herself from me. I was static, I couldn't move. She caressed my cheeks. And smiled with a finger on her lips. "It's the president of the student council saying that. Take that to the word."

"..." I wanted to scream, to headbutt her, to stab her in the ass so hard with my sword that not even King Arthur would be able to take it out...

.

**~~ Somewhere else...~~**

"Brrr..."

"Eh? What's the matter, Arthuria?"

"I dunno, i feel... A disturbance..."

"...?"

**~~And back here...~~**

**.**

"Yes, I get it..." But I said nothing. How I hate this, being not able to answer to something with a proper response. I sighed, and frowned a little, biting my lips and still feeling the flavor of strawberry shortcake lipstick. How do I know that? Let's just say Minatsu-nee used to take my cosplay of Princess Sapphire a bit too seriously. At least it was better than wearing a GioGio costume... Still with lipstick.

"Great. Now, to compensate you for not bringing your lunchbox back in the underworld hospital, I'll give you this: let's eat a barbecue together."

"..."

"...?"

"Miss Sitri, you're trying to seduce me."

"Nah... What gives you that idea? Can't I have a lunch with my kouhai whose senpai was my Gramps's best friend?" Oh, those fuck-up relations. Well, I'm running low this week, better save something, and eating barbecue sounds like a great idea.

"I'm coming as well!"

"Gah!" And the Queen of the inconvenience was dethrone by a certain albino coming from a secret passage on the wall(geez, Kuoh academy sure is a strange place.). Ren jumped away from the said passage, and walked towards me. "What the hell, Ren!"

"I'm coming to this barbecue as well! That's the second time you blew our tour around Kuoh, Ichijou! And don't need excuses anymore! You'll repay me by taking me to this barbecue!"

"Ren, you discovered a freaking secret passage! How the hell I'm gonna show you around after that!" I said, pointing at the said passage.

"No excuses! I'll kill you!"

"I'll bite you!"

"I'll French you!"

"I'll...!"

"Hey, Tsukino-kun, who's she?" Kaichou stopped our little argument, as we turned around to her. Ren stopped, frowned at her, and turned back to me, sighing in relief.

"Well, Kaichou, he's... A friend of mine." I turned to him and blinked once. "Anyway, I own him one. Can he come with us?"

"Sure, why not?" And she smiled again, a smile so bright and innocent I just forgot that Nemesis-San said she doesn't like Kaichou because Lady Sona was a hypocritical bitch. "Just make sure that he has his own money to buy his part."

"..."

"...?"

"Sigh... Can't I have break?"

"You can't, Ichijou. You can't escape fate. You're it's bitch now."

"Nah, jus kidding. Let's eat. Miss Ren, Tsukino-kun."

"By the way, Ren's a guy."

"Eeeeh~?"

I just hope my day ends as calm it can get... Which of course isn't going to happen.

At least I'll eat some barbecue.

* * *

**So... Longest chapter so far, and maybe the most important about development and type of characters. Truth to be told, I wasn't planning for ichijou to have that speech, because let's face it, he's the last one on the line to that kind of things. but then I thought 'Hey! Wouldn't be awesome if the protagonist go all mad on himself like thatw'. And then he said it. Kinda cheesy like always. But that's what you get. I hope you all liked it. The next chapter will be about mama Kyou's day. So, until then... Stay golden!**


	33. Just kidding

**Now, now, I never thought this chapter would be so long in such. I thought it would reach 3k words, and in the end, it hit the double. Maybe I'mm really exaggerating on the narration, but, oh well, no action in this chapter, but some development. I hope you all enjoy. Stay golden~.**

**as always, Highschool dxd does not belongs to me.**

* * *

Well, with my headache kinda out of the way, since that pill from Yoko-chan worked wonders on my body, I can finally do something productive with my day!

But no one is home, the dish is clean, I did all the paperwork right before my vacation, which is still running, and if I ever try to call for an new assignment, with all my freetime now, I would probably end it in a hour or so, and it's still morning. In other words, my whole day is a free day even if I try...

Sigh, okay... Let's exercise the brain, then. It has been a while since I last picked a book, since college if I remember correctly, so let's try something simple... Oh, how about the 48 Kyoto poems? Or feudal Japan history? Nah, let's pick this one, Kurosawa's biography, or maybe Divine Comedy?

...

Sheesh, no wonder people used to call me a caterpillar when I was little, look how many books I've read! How come I forgot that I used to be such a bookworm? Oh, look, metamorphosis! I used to read that to my children... And step-children all the time, no wonder Ichijou hate centipedes.

***DING-DONG!***

Oh, a visit right now, so soon? How curious. Whatever, I put the book back in the shelf, and put the usual black shirt with blue shorts to cover myself before I could answer the door. With that out of the way, I walked to the door, and opened it with no worries...

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Lady Anzu. How are you in this lovely day!" It's her! Rina-chan's mother, Alice!

"Err... Yeah, discarding the mind-breaking headache, I'm pretty fine, thank you, Alice-san. How about you? Doing fine?" I said. I didn't see her leaving the house, and I was kinda worried about it since she probably is still new here. Her Japanese is perfect, but she doesn't know anything else. I'm glad that she apparently went back home safely.

"I'm good as new, even more now that I've seen you today.". Aw~, Isn't she creepy in an adorable way? Seriously, we just met yesterday, and the way she talks to me is making me nervous. More embarrassed, actually. "Oh, my. Look at you, blushing like that. You're Ichijou's mother, after all."

"Huuuh~... Yeah." I mumbled under my breath. Sometimes is so uncool to be caught in such embarrassing state. I gotta stop this before I explode, so I took a step aside and pointed into my house. "So~... Welcome? Would you like a cup of tea or anything? Just no alcohol today, I will begin to work next week."

"Well, thank you. Nothing like some snacks and tea. I'm sure today's gonna be a good day." She bowed, took her way inside, dismissing her shoes at the entrance, Louboutin ones at that. There's still some tea on the fridge, and maybe some snacks too. "If you don't mind, Lady Anzu, I'll take my way to the living room, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Make yourself at home!" I said as I headed to the kitchen to pick things up. I picked the tea jar, poured some in two clean cups and picked some snacks too.

Come to think of it, I wonder what Alice-San does for a living. I know she's not as young as she looks, having a teenage daughter at that, but since she can afford all of those pretty dresses plus those expensive jewelries and shoes, I guess she can be pretty rich. Is she a noble? A princess, even? But why would she be on Japan? Maybe she's an minister or at least married to one. That would make sense.

But after that week, I noticed that not only Rina-chan speaks fluent Japanese, but she's enrolled in Kuoh academy as well. How come? Unless... Oh, God. Don't tell me both are the daughters of the yakuza! Oh, what in the world!

***BAM!***

Ow~, I'm overthinking, and the headache hit me again. Nah, this can't be it. Both of them are too polite and fluffy to be considered mafia girls. But this makes me wonder a lot of things... I finally finished my little plate of snacks, so I walked towards the living room with it to offer some to Alice-San...

"Hey, Alice-san, there it goes. I hope you like lemon tea because that's all we got for now." I said, bringing the plastic plate full with candy to her. She was sat on my little table, typing on a notebook she pulled out of nowhere(no, seriously, where did that came from?!). Alice-san turned to me and smiled, picking one of the glasses to take a quick sip. I sat next to her and picked my own cup. "Whatcha doing?"

"Just taking a few seconds to download it and... Done! Here!" She passed me the computer, and after seeing the image on it, I almost spat on my tea: on the screen, there was a semi-naked young girl wearing a scanty devil outfit surrounded by other anime cute girls! And above them all, there was a title screen: 'Highschool Devil X Doki!'. Is that a game? "I was thinking that maybe we can play this game from a friend of mine! She's still developing it, but we can try the Beta-version! How about it?"

"Uuuuh~, it's not one of those erotic games creeps buy in Akiba, right?" That's a semi-serious-semi-rhetorical question. It looks like a creep's game, but the title screen seems innocent enough. I adjusted myself on my seat cushion and reached for the touchpad. Alice-san sat right next to me to look also at the screen. "Well... I got nothing better to do. So... Let's be adventurous for today. I'll try your game."

She smiled and clapped her hands in childish glee, while the only thing I could do was to smile at her behavior. Going like that, this game can't be all that bad. Okay, click the title screen, new Game, choose a file to save your data, and now the name of the protagonist... Would it be creepy if I go with Either Hajime or Ichijou? Yeah, yeah it would. So I picked the first name it came to my head...

"Huh~? Amano Ryuusei?" Alice-san said while creeping at the screen.

"Amano is my maiden surname. And Ryuusei... Well, that was the name Hajime wanted for Ichijou. I picked that one to remind me of him." I answered. I clicked at beginning and the opening narration started. Apparently, I'm a highschooler with not a single problem on my back and full of dreams of a fulfilling school year. So far, so good. Taking a bath, knowing the new school, going to the office to talk with the teachers and schedules, everything seems like a vanilla high school drama. But then...

_'? - Hey, you! You're the heir of the Crimson King's legacy!'_

_Ryuusei - Eh...?'_

"Eh...?" The protagonist is a faceless one, but I have the impression that we're sharing the same expression right now.

The girl with long red hair presented herself as Lisa Grimoire... Brrr! What a bad nostalgia! And she's the heiress of a powerful clan of demons in the underworld. Unfortunately though, after a 100-years war, the numbers of demons has decreased in a despairing level, so she's turning humans into Devils so that they won't go extinct. And apparently, I'm the host of the Dragon Flame, an ability that grants me the ability of one of the thirteen God Arms, weapons created by the elder gods to help humans in times of need, which homes the spirit of the Crimson Dragon of Domination, one of the two dragonic Paladins serving under the Dragon God Suophy...

...

...

Oh, my God! This went to 'average' to 'mind-blowing awesome' in just a couple of texts and sprites! This lore is just sweet! This means there are other God Arms around the story, right? I wonder if they're just as awesome as Dragon Flame! I wonder if I'll encounter this Dragon God Suophy as well! He seems like a powerful God! Maybe he's a giant dragon! And according to the description, I also have an eternal rival called the silver dragon of Supremacy! Oh, my!

I have a feeling Today might not be a boring day after all.

.

~~X~~

.

"Oh, my Gods, this can't be beef! It looks like it, but this size is out of this world!"

"I can't believe it either. This place must be pricey as all heck."

Me and Ren said to each other as we see that ginourmous piece of beef roosting right in front of us in that Korean pan. This is not just any barbecue, this is a feast of meat! This place also looks so expensive...

"Err... Serena-kaichou, doesn't that seem a little too bold?" I asked the smiling lady by the other side of the table. "I mean, I'm glad we're eating this, but isn't this place a little too expensive for a highschool student, even if she's the heiress of a devil clan in the underworld."

"Ah, chill out, Ichijou-kun. Let me tell you a story: not to long ago, this place was actually a ramen shop ran by a lower demon and her daughter." She said, putting herself comfortable on her seat and putting another fat piece of beef on the pan. "Lucia-chan was her name, and she wanted to give birth to the anti-Christ. Of course, my old lady didn't want any disturbance, and just it happened that Lucia-chan fell in love with the guy that would give her the anti-stuff. We sealed it's powers away and now they live a normal life with his harem. In return, the Sitri have good discounts here."

"What a story." I said, picking a piece of meat, putting it on some sauce and munching it down. A freezing chill ran down my spice, as they delicious flavor danced in my mouth. That beef was delicious! It's good to be... A resurrected devil, I dunno. "Wooow! This is delicious! I can die happy now!"

"And I can kill you happy now!" Ren said with that same expression and a piece of meat hanging from his mouth.

"Screw you, Ren!"

"Okay, but after we finish this!"

"Hell yeah!"

"You two have a great chemistry. Looks like someone is expanding the horizons of his harem." I rolled my eyes with that comment, while Ren only sighed, annoyed. This again. "Hey, I don't judge, but keep in mind that the devil society is kinda lacking those days. That's why we need harems in the first place. It's not a matter of games, but survival."

"Understood." I said with a gulp. Huh, this kinda makes sense. Lacking devil society equals more effort to produce babies for the future generations. The Phenex apparently don't have this kinda problem. I put another piece of stuffed cucumber on the frying pan, and waited for it to cook, taking another sip out of my soda. "Hey, kaichou, if you don't mind, how was your grandfather, Lord Genshirou? Rina once said that he was a better friend than Vali. Is that true?"

"Oh, right. Saji Genshirou, the true Prison Black Dragon King, and the only user whom was able to fully awaken Vritra. I heard big stories about. The devil who could have the world, yet chose a single woman." Ren said, taking his time to look like a sage old man while taking a sip out of his soda. Let me guess, that single woman is lady Sona. "He had a harem, but... Still faithful to a single one."

"And what a lucky woman gramma Sona was." Finished Kaichou, also sipping on her tea. More stories from the past. Gremory said stuffs about Sona Sitri, the revolutionary Heiress of the Sitri clan, creator of the Rating Game school for all classes of Devils in the underworld... And the so called 'hypocrite bitch' according to Nemesis-San. "Beautiful, smart, intelligent, she could fight gods in the same level during the Golden Era. Yeah, she was awesome..."

"Yeah, indeed."

"But also a hypocrite bitch..."

"What...?"

"Yeah..." And suddenly the aura around her became somber and gloomy, her eyes being shadowed by her blue bangs as she miserably was hanging a piece of meat about the pan. Wow, what the hell? " 'Equality for all', she used to say, yet, she refused to marry someone who wasn't smart as her... Lady Gremory and Miss Nemesis mock me all the time because of that. Gramps Genshirou had to learn at least five million combinations to win against her. Keep in mind, I'm her direct granddaughter, and our Lord Grandmaster Millicas, whom miss Nemesis is granddaughter of, was a little boy in that time..."

"..."

"Hypocrite bitch... Hypocrite bitch... Hypocrite bitch..." Let's turn back on topic, shall we? Seeing the super-heroine known as Serena Sitri depressed is kinda making me nervous. What the hell? Why am I feeling so down seeing others down?

"Hey, let's turn back on topic, shall we? I mean, I want to know about Lord Genshirou. His... Multiple Sacred Gears, the Vritra set." I said remembering that girl from today, Matsuoka Kiruko or something. She said that she had Vritra, and by his own presentation, I'm really dealing with the black prison dragon. I want to know everything about him and his sacred Gears. If that Rei guy could make a number on me and Yoko, who knows what her sisters may be capable of.

"Hey, Tsukino-kun~, what's troubling you?" Shock! She knows! She... Might know. Ahit, I lied about being a devil from my family for a whole month and a half, but I can't lie to Kaichou? That's really lame.

"Huh... You recall that guy from earlier and his sacred gear, right? Miyama Rei-kun, right?"

"The boy with the Panties golden Gigantuss Dragon King Fafnir's sacred gear, yes. Truth to be told, Fafnir disappeared during... You know what. I'm kinda glad that someone was able to create a sacred gear out of his soul." She said, sipping on her drink. A few seconds later, however, she shot her eyes open in realization. First the Vritra talk, now about Fafnir's sacred gear."Wait... Don't tell me that..."

"Yes, there's more of him, in Kuoh academy no less. A girl with the Vritra set..." I gulped. "Matsuoka Kiruko is her name. But she didn't seem interested in all of that. Still, I want to know everything about your grandfather, Lord Genshirou. I want to know about his sacred gear, how much he was able to control it, and how I can stop that girl..."

"I see. Well, Aria-san and Hwan Jin-young-dono did train you in order to at least defeat someone of their initial caliber. Unless she's able to enter Vritra Coronation, I can assume you, you'll be on the okays." She said so nonchalantly, I bit my lips on nervousness. Well, does she care about our school at all? Granted, she must be powerful, creating barriers with that amount of power and kicking a dragon scale mail with minimal effort. But I don't want to endanger no one in the vicinity. If she can do what Rei did to class 1-D... I clenched my fist in anger. No way I'm gonna let her do as her please. "Besides, we have Nemesis-San, the second youngest King in the Rating Game Rankings and Aria-San, one of the DxD children. No worries."

"He's worried about his boyfriend on his class." Ren said. I spit-take to that one, turning to him and tried to stab his hand with the nearby meat scissor. "What? I'm a ninja after all, your minimal body movement can say a lot about what you're thinking."

"Smartass..." I mumbled. Geez, he's worse than Nero-san, and he has a sacred gear specifically for that. I bet he can read minds as well. But... Yeah, that's an specific person I'm worried about. And that person is sitting right next to Matsuoka-san now. I turned back to Serena-kaichou. "But anyway, since I'm the closest to the threat, maybe some more information regarding the enemy is needed when the time comes."

"..."

"Oh great, five days with a homicidal manga-lover dragon and a royal dragon lady and I'm already talking like a gentleman out of a English movie."

"Seriously, Ichijou! One day I'll find the Sephiroth Graal and use it to finally figure what the hell you keep talking about once and for all!" Shut up, Ren.

"Compassion and strategy. Not bad. I kinda like that side of you." Kaichou said with a softer smile and picking one more piece of meat out of the pan. "You want to know, we can talk about it, no prob. I trust you. If the time comes, I know you'll try to do the right thing. However, let's eat, first."

"Yeah..."

"However, you want some more barbecue? Because maybe those around won't satisfy you two."

"What are you talking about? Those pieces ar-Gaaaaah...!" Oh, shit! I talked too much! Those meaty, fatty and delicious pieces of beef were now dry, skinny and burned pieces of ash. It doesn't even look like bacon, they're just... Black things that were once meat. In Serena-Kaichou's side, on the other hand, were saved and fat pieces of barbecue. "A-Ah~...!"

"Well, Congratulations, Ichijou! There's one more person in the world that hate your guts!" Ren said, pinching my cheek with his chopsticks. Oh, buddy, you have no idea...

"Now, you want barbecue, or maybe some ribs would be more of your liking?"

.

~~x~~

.

_'Ryuusei - And as the flow of Crimson elixir left my body, I could only turn around and face my dearest lover... And also the most dreadful enemy. We shared so many moons together, yet, destiny torn us apart, like a thin, old bamboo against a typhoon. But, if we ever encounter ourselves in the afterlife, then maybe we can smile at each other again, laugh again, with all of our friends, without any chains holding us to face each other as enemies..._

_My eyes are heavy... I'm losing consciousness... My mind is goin blank... At least... I wanted to hear your voice one more time... My dear Valerie Lucifer..._

**BAD END**.'

"Bullshit! That's bullshit! I collected all of her Dragon Blizzard parts so that the past possessors won't seduce her away and make her activate Distortion Drive! Why?!" And that was my response to another bad ending in Highschool Doki X Devil! What the hell! That's the tenth bad ending I got! First was being killed by SouSou because I didn't picked the Elixir of the Burning Bird! The other was when that Black witch killed me because I didn't activated Chaos Driver in time! And now I died because Ryuusei can't make the past possessors of Dragon Blizzard calm down and stop tryin to seduce Valerie into a berserk state, killing us both in a fight. I pouted. "Alice-San, this game cheats!"

"Well, indeed, there's so many death traps... But hey, at least you got one happy ending, remember?" Alice-San, sipping on her tea, said with an uneasy smile.

"Yeah, being transformed into a octopus monster and molest the heroines for all eternity." I gave her a sardonic grin. Really, that ending was sick. I almost stopped before I knew it was actually just one of several other endings. "Seriously? Who the hell come up with these ideas?!"

"..."

.

**~~ Not long ago...~~**

.

_'No, Alice. I won't turn Tsukino Ichijou into a tentacle porn monster...'_

_'Aaaw~? Why not? Think of all the possibilities, the fun!'_

_'The fact that Cohen will decapitate you with his bare hands if he ever find out that you even THINK of doing that...'_

_'...'_

_'Not such a hot idea now, huh?'_

_'Worth it!'_

_'Leave me the Fuck alone!'_

.

**~~Now...~~**

.

"Yeah... What a sick world..." Alice-San finished with a smile that I can only call it bullshit. Well, not worth crying now. The story is so interesting and intense, t just keeps me going. Now, now... From the last saving, We were having a Ranking Duel with Maximilian Bourne, Lisa's cousin, and his punches can cause earthquakes and disasters, but since I'm using the Ultimate Flare Armor, I should be fine...

_'Ryuusei - Suddenly, the earth began to tremble, as from the shadows, a great, Black Bull Emerged from nowhere! What is this?!_

_Max - Behold, host of the Dragon Flame! This is the Minotaur! I've collected his lost soul after his defeat by Perseus, and now, he has become my Pawn! Now, face my new power!_

[_**CHAOS BRINGER: BULL HORN BURST ACCEL!]'**_

...

"Bullshit! Valerie said only The Dragons of Domination and Supremacy could have an ultimate Flare armor and Nordic Armor!" I said, as I saw Maximilian's body being covered by an black armor and then launched himself onto me! Oh, crap! And then... Sudden blackness! Another bad end?!

...

**[I, WHO SHALL AWAKEN...]**

Wait, it's not game over yet... Oh, no! I remember that! That's the chant for the Distortion Drive! Oh, no, last time, I almost killed Arina and Lisa!

**_[AM THE FLARE DRAGON THAT BURNS THIS WORLD TO RETURN IT ANEW!]_**

Oh, no! Oh, no! No, no, no! Nononono! C'mon, I chose the 'fight spirits' option, while the others were 'let them win the match!'. I remembered what happened last time, and I won't let it happen again! Let's do it!

_'Ryuusei - [I, who shall awaken, am the Flare Dragon that rejected resurrection and put the burdens of this world on his shoulder...]_

**_[I LAUGH AT THE FLAMING INFERNO, I ENVY THE COLD UNIVERSE...]_**

**_'_**_Ryuusei - [By having infinite light and warm, my flames burn away the darkness and look out on those precious to me!]_

_[_**_I SHALL BECOME THE DOMINATING INFERNO FLAME DRAGO...]_**

_Ryuusei - [I shall become the true Aster-King Dragon, and I promise you all! I shall illuminate the path that leads to the warm heaven!]_

-** You've unlocked [OMNI SOLARIS DRACO!] -**

"Yeah! I did it!" I said, now in a tone rivaling Alice-san in childish euphoria, as Ryuusei reached a new level in his Dragon armor! After a fierce battle, Lisa was declared the winner, and I became a middle-class demon, the screen saying that I've unlocked new routes! Yes! I did it! I let myself fall one back as I rested it on the floor. "Woooh! Not a happy ending yet, but I think I'm doing some progress!"

"Indeed, the beta would be ending soon, but you've been doing a great job with it, Lady Anzu." Alice-San said, looking at me from the sofa, as a new CGS shot appeared. Oh, right, I have an album of those, usually when something big happens between me and the heroines, sometimes more than one. Not that I care that much. "Oh-hoh~... You unlocked a hot flag with Lisa~! She said that durin the bath, she's all yours~!"

"Ahah~? Let's see." I got up, facing now a sprite of a naked Lisa-chan asking in a really tsundere way to stop staring a decide what should I do next. The options were_ 'back-washing_';_ 'Make-out sessions' a_nd _'I can't contain my instincts any longer, so I launched myself onto Rina and poured my hard, bursting love into her cave as she exploded in ecstasy'..._

...

...

Meh, I'll go with the last. Last time, I got a bad end because I chose just a kiss and one idiot out of nowhere killed me saying I was unworthy of Akina's affection(seriously, how rude...)

***CLICK!***

_'Rina - Nyah~! Ryuusei~! Don't be so harsh! I know that I said anything but be gentle...! But.. If it's with Ryuusei, I guess it's okay.'_

"And I unlocked a new CGS and I earned affection points with Lisa. So much for a servant, eh?" I said, skipping the indecent parts(really, they're kinda creepy), and saved once more. Phew, what an evening. I poured some more Tea and drinking it as the title screen again appeared on the computer. With a 'New!' Warning on the gallery option.

"Well, the game is rolling good and smooth, not to mention you said you were enjoying it. I'm glad that Absinthe-chan's work is moving forward." Alice-San sighed, staring at the screen until it faded to black, sleep mode at that.

"Yep... The story is good too. To think just because I got a God Arm a beautiful girl would like me like that. But I wonder if she really likes Ryuusei."

"..."

"Ahahahaha~ just kidding. It's just a game, right? Sorry. Gosh, I'm so embarrassed." I said nonchalantly, trying to wash away that creepy remark. I really just sounded like one of those creeps around Akiba who usually by this game. But out of the sudden, Alice-san's smile and eyes became gloomy, sad, as she sighed again. Oh-hoh, did I touched a sensitive subject? "Errr... Alice-San?"

"Hey, Lady Anzu... You remember what I said before, right? What do you think about our children hanging around around each other." She said in a very calm, almost robotic tone. I was taken by surprise, and gulped down the uneasy feeling, my only response being a quick nod. "What I meant by that is... My daughter genuinely likes Ichijou. So, so very much... And that's so rare in our family."

"H-Hah...?" I was at lost at words. So... Is she a child of an arranged marriage? That's kinda harsh.

"You see... From where I come from, my family is known for being one of the most lovable and altruist in the whole place... But that's far away from the truth." She said in a really heavy tone. "My grandaunt, specially, was the most wicked, evil and manipulative person that ever existed."

"I'm so sorry for hearing that..."

"Kinda ironic, right? Some say that she was a kind soul that would accept anyone as her servants and friends, but in reality, she would only pick people with some influence that were in the worst by the time, and treat them a little better. From trash to objects of decoration." She said. "The daughter of a governor; one of the two last heiress of a good family; the knightness with an exceptional blade and skills, a knight with a special ability, one of the guards of a huge empire, the heir of great influence and eyes, an expert Medical maiden... And her husband, a strong warrior that would do anything if bribed a little. My great-grandfather wasn't any better: he married an enemy in order to gain more power under her eyes."

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that." I repeated, And I really am. Is she telling me that her family were a bunch of sociopaths disguised as nice people? That's pretty sad. I know my family isn't perfect, but to have those kinds of problems... Brr. "But... Why are telling me that?"

"Well, my daughter, Berolina Gremory, really loves her. She idolizes our name, and still thinks her great-grandaunt was a kind, lovable lady, so..." She reached for my face with her hands, and again, sandwiched my face in between them, spoke with genuine care and love. "No matter what she says, no matter what she calls Ichijou or the rest of her friends, no matter what she does to all of them... She really, really loves Ichijou and the rest, no malice at all. And, to be honest, you're a great friend of mine."

"We just met yesterday."

"I know people who know and hate me for decades because of my name. That's why my family and I rather be in this world. You don't know what I am, but who I am." She said in a rather sad tone, letting go of my face and now supporting her elbow on my shoulder, in a rather relaxed way. "I'm not my great-grandaunt's Great-grandniece, nor my great-grandfather's descendant, just Alice Gremory, your friendly fellow mother and shipper aficionado."

"So... You are here... So that you can start over and make some friends?"

"Huuuh~... Yeah. You can say that."

"Well, rich and melodramatic... You sure is a Tricky bastard, Alice Gremory." I said warmly, cupping and caressing her face. Yeah, she's definitely melodramatic and kinda pathetic. What a drama queen, but thank goodness she's rich, I can ask her some 'gifts', like a new car, or maybe a private island. Just kidding. "Just kidding, I'll remember that. My Ichijou wouldn't be friends to people he doesn't like. If anything, he'd shove her away. Staying this close to him already says how much he likes her, so no worries."

"..." She looked at me with those melancholic eyes again, and smiled, childishly again. "Yeah! When your son marries all of his girls, I'll be sure to have an VIP place for you!"

"..." Well, it's not like my son is the protagonist of an visual novel, but whatever, maybe she'll be a nice couple with Rina-chan. "Yeah, okay, let's put gloomy auras aside and complete this game."

"Yes, indeed." And she simply let go off me and turned back to her seat on the sofa, looking at the screen as I loaded the new file. I wonder with whom(or how) I'll end up with this time. "By the way: Valerie killed you because she was still suffering from the dragon-killer venom."

***BAM!***

I hit myself on the table... Of course! Of course the reason was the dragon-killing poison! I'm such an idiot!

.

~~x~~

.

"Ah~... Nothin but a quick barbecue and ribs to cheer me up."

"Thanks, Kaichou. Sorry about the bill. I promise I'll repay you... Someday."

"Nah, I invited you two. No worries." And she smiled at us as we left the barbecue and headed home. I bought a cake from the nearby cake store to cheer the girls and my mom up, since they're probably worried about the classes ending earlier today.

"I shall leave you now, Tsukino Ichijou. Remember, if nothing happens tomorrow, you'll take me to a tour around Kuoh." Ren said it before vanishing in another gush of leaves and wind, probably an escape ninja technique. I gave him a tongue out in mockery.

"Are you two dating or something? Oh my, what a relationship of you two." Serena-Kaichou said with a playful giggle, with I turned an aside glance for her, and sighed.

"The only think I want to wrap around him is my hands on his neck. Still, he IS my escort, so until the job is done, I can't complain."

"Yeah. I wonder why miss Nemesis didn't pick me to do the job..." Oh, Kaichou, trust me when I say is better not to know. "She must really trust you, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..." I waved her a goodbye before some awkward stuff could be spilled out of my mouth, and walked home. However, when I turned around, I saw Kaichou following me. "Hey, Kaichou... You know me, I won't go to any bars or anything, c'mon..."

"I know. I'm just feel like stalking you, and when a bad guy shows up, I'll be there to save you." Y'know, after a while, that kind of mentality kinda makes sense. Let's see, we got Gremory, Annie, Tasha, Aria-San, Nero-San, Yagura, Ginko-san, Ren and now Rei. She's right, I need a bodyguard for now. Well, I mean, everybody needs that. "Besides, I want to know if where Rina used to live was all good and fluffs."

"I have the impression that she'd live there regardless if it was a dumpster." I said. Comparing to the Gremory household, my humble home kinda is a dumpster. "As long as I'm there, that is."

"What a thing to say about your king. Although she does cross the line sometimes." Serena-Kaichou wondered. Then she stopped, and crossed all the way around me to turn around and stop right into my face. "Hey, Ichijou-kun, can I ask you something? What Ren-kun said, is it true?"

"Eh...?"

"You learned all of Gramps's moves and techniques... So that you could protect a girl... Or boy, you're in love with, in your class?" She asked again, smiling like it was nothing wrong. Hearing that, however, made me cringe and shiver. How to respond to that? I'm probably gonna screw up if I ever lie, so my only choice is... To lie. Nah, I can't escape.

"Y-Yeah... You can say that..." I said. My sense of self-worth suddenly went all the way down. As much as I'm in love with Kamiyama, admit that I want to prevent myself just so that I could protect her kinda feels dirty to me. I'm ashamed.

"Hey..."

"What...?"

"So, can you have an affair with me?" She said, as she came closer and hugged me, pulling me closer to her chest! Oh, what?! An affair... With her?! But I'm not even in a relationship yet! No, that's not the problem here!

"K-Kaichou, what the hell is this?!" I asked, my instincts trying to push her away, but my heart liking this soothing, calm gesture. She just giggled.

"Well, you said that you wanted to protect that girl you like, right? So~, if I also become your lover, maybe you'll rescue me anytime, right?" She said in a playful tone, pulling me closer. What kind of logic is that? Is she toying with my heart? That's not cool, not at all.

"Huh~... I know you can protect yourself, Kaichou. After all, you're a Sitri..." I said, not fighting anymore, blushing in between her breasts. I hate when they do this, but also kinda like. It remembers me of mum.

"It's true. So maybe I just want you to be around me in any time of need. Just kidding..."

"That's not funny Kaichou... Not at all..."

"Well, protecting the ones you care about is funny, don't you agree?"

...

But protect those who are dear to me... That's not a bad idea... Again, not at all...

We bid our goodbyes, and again, I was all alone all the way home, the sun still up high in the sky, and no one around due to the commercial hour around here. I hope Ryuubi is doing fine on her errands, not to mention Tasha. I wonder where she went. I sent a message for her, and apparently, she's buying some stuff with Ryuubi. I just hope she don't pull her to the perv side of the force...

I'm still smelling like Kaichou. If my sisters ever know it, I'm screw it. But that hug was kinda nice, she's was nice and warm... It has been a while since I was this close to a woman... Excluding the soap-landing with Tasha and Ryuubi, of course. I'm smiling like an idiot now. What the hell is wrong with me~...

"Mom, I'm home..." I said at the entrance door, dismissing my shoes and picking my indoor ones. The place was kinda dark, but at least I could see her appearing from the footless frame of the living room, walking towards me.

"Oh, Ichijou. Welcome back." Mum said, walking towards me, her eyes a little brighter than usual and without her typical frown after or during the hangover. "I got the call from school, I'm so glad that you're oka-..."

"Mom...?"

"I'm so... So gla-..."

***TUM!***

"MOM!" And it happened: right in front of my eyes, my mother missed a step and, like a ragdoll, landed on the floor, immobile! What the hell happened! I ran to her and reached for her on the floor, turning her around to face her. She was all right from my standpoint, so why?! "What happened?! Mom! Mom!"

"Ichijou..." She said, reaching for my face. I picked her hand with all of my strength, and my eyes were already blurry. Oh, God, what happened?!

"What?! What is it?!"

"My... My... My legs are dormant..." She said, sniffing a little and coughing. "So sorry for that... I was playing games too much today..."

"..."

"Sorry..."

***SLAP!***

"I deserve that..."

"You bet you do! Goddamnit, mom!" I said, as tears ran down my cheeks as I hugged her on my chest. Shit! Don't scare me like that, mom! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!

"Sorry, but my legs really are messed up now. Should've known better." She sighed, patting my head and back. "Oh, you brought cake. That's good. There's someone that would be really happy to see that..."

"What...?"

"Did someone say 'cake'?" And appearing from that same place there was the redhead demon candy lover! She invaded this sacred place again! And she's coming this way! "Oh! Ichijou! And cake! What a lovely combination! Here! Let me pet you, my dear serv-...!"

***TRIP!***

"Oh...!"

"Oh, no...!"

***BAM!***

***SMASH!***

***BOING BOING!***

This is really, really getting annoying...

"Sowwy~, lazy legs, I was sitting there this whole time..." She said next to my ear. I would retort that, by unfortunately my face was buried into mom's bosom. Now I noticed how flat she is compared to other girls.

"Then Don't go around running like that, stupid Alice-San..." Thank you, mom. You're the best...

"Aaaw~..."

That's really awkward... Really, really awkward... Yet, somehow, warm, and good. I like this... Somehow...

To protect those I care about, huh?

"Hey... Lady Anzu, did you paused the game...?"

"..."

_'No~! Ryuusei-kyun~, that's my a**hole~! I want your big and meaty stick on my little cave of wonders~!'_

"Errr... Mom?"

"Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" And out of the sudden, my mom shoved me away and try to get up and run to the living room, however, her legs left her as she tripped again. Lady Gremory did the same, and the same happened to her. I stood up myself to see what was going on...

"Errr... Mom?"

"Don't go to the living room! For the love of God, don't go there!" My mom said in a crying tone, as she crawled like a legless cockroach to the living room, where I could still hear some indecent noises. However, Lady Alice leaned herself onto her and grabbed her by the waist. "What the... Alice-San, let me go!"

"You promised me!" And now crying too, lady Gremory said facing my mother. "You promised that I could trust Rina with Ichijou! In any way possible! Let him see! Let him see and learn!"

"uuh~... See and learn what?" I know I don't really want to hear the answer, but this isn't normal at all, and it's really bugging me now. Lady Alice turned to me, but my mom, in a moment of hysteria, kicked her right in the cheek!

"Nothing, nothing! Stay away from the living room! I'm sorry. Alice-San, but my son is too pure for that!"

"Let him become dirty! Let him get corrupted! Only then he'll be ready to face the true men's World! THE TRUE MEN'S WORLD!"

"NEVAAAAH...!"

And they continued with this little conversation, while I was kinda having the feeling of watching a beetle fight in Shinjuku. I'm dumbfounded, I have no words for now, I could only watch. Sigh... Does this really worth protecting?

...

...

No, it isn't.

Just kidding.

* * *

**Yeah, pretty long chapter with no fights but a good development in between chapters. And for those who like either sona or Rias, well, I have you know that I love them both, really, but sometimes I think rias lacks to be issei's grilfriend, same goes for sona and saji. I rather other ones, I think they're not worth the efforts their pawns do for them, just that. Still pretty classy ladies for me, though. I hope you all liked the chapter.**


	34. Surrounded by weirdness

**what to say about this chapter? It's weirds, and maybe not the good type of weird. That's something you'll pick in any other fandom, maybe not here. I'mm being with random characters again, and impossible fights. Do what? All I can say is... This chapter is weird.**

**Highschool dxd does not belong to me, as always...**

* * *

It has been already a week since the 1-D class terrorist attack, portrayed as a simple problem since all the students were magically cured and they wiped out all the memories of that day... Nemesis-san had to make an emergency call for all the parents so that they could have their memories about the day also erased. Luckily, no more problems after it, although Yoko had to rest a little to regain her chakra levels. Everyday I would sit next to her and talk to her. I guess we are getting along...

Another thing: Ryuubi and Tasha are still sleeping on my bed, and for some reason, I always wake up with sore lips. I wonder why...

Anyway, normality has returned to my life(which is kinda debatable, because the word 'normal' has a very loose meaning in my dictionary nowadays.), and since I already have a job to fulfill, I've been wondering around and showing the whole place to my best buddy Ren. Still no info about Annie, though. Now that the day was over, and no incidents for now, we took the rush hour between the clubs to pinpoint the areas with more concentration of people and maybe find any new spot from others.

"And we don't have a hall for dinner. Things usually happen on the classroom. We also have ventilation lines, so you better take care of those." I said as I motioned to one of the air passings on the ceiling, next to me was Ren, still with his gakuran, hands in pockets.

"Understood." He said, picking a thin razor line from his pockets and creating a grade of it by the air opening. "A trap and a warning. Not even a fly would be able to snuck in or out with having it's body sliced to pieces!"

"Great." It has been like that for a while. I would pinpoint a location, and he would do something about it in order to avoid trouble. Razor traps on doors and air openings, alarms and traps on secret passages(seriously, Nemesis-San knows about this thing?!), surveillance cameras on large places and water sensors to anything else. Huh, for a dim-witted ninja, he's a skilled one too. "Should we go to the old building too? That place is huge, not to mention, there'll be the place of the reunion, right?"

"I don't actually mind. Nemesis-San said that place has been cursed by a misdirection spell since the Issei era. Precious memories should be guarded with seven locks, right?" He repeated. And they use 'Issei era', eh? That's neat but also jarring.

We walked through every class, room, place and even bathroom around Kuoh, with his casting either a spell or traps around to make sure that place was safe and Kuoh was ready to receive the vampires and Devils and ninjas and whoever other abominations might come with this reunion. After the 1-D incident, precaution is priority. The golden dragon said that he has sisters, and Matsuoka-San possesses the prison dragon Vritra. Who knows what the other sisters possess. According to Ren, there were no sacred gear created after the Souls of the other dragon kings. For now...

The place we left for last, of course, was the most dangerous of all of them...

"The locker room of the Kendo team..." I said miserably, facing the entrance door to that violent, merciless club. Japan's number one team, those girls know how to handle a shinai, and every pervert around Kuoh had face it least once their wrath. Even me. Yeah, turns out some perverts mistaken me for a girl and tried to flirt with me during the first days of school. The whole team came to my rescue and scared them away, but when they discovered I was also a guy, they beat me up, calling me a crossdressing pervert. "I don't wanna go there..."

"Oh, grow up. It's not like this place is haunted or anything. Besides, there's no training today, I double-checked they schedule." He gave me a friendly tap on the shoulder, while I gave him my most miserable grimace. I know how things work here, so probably there'll still be girls changing and they'll beat me up while my flower friend would escape using some ninja art. "C'mon, I need to finish this so we can start searching for those seven mysterious wonders of Kuoh!"

"The seven mysterious wonders?" I repeated. Everybody knows those, the seven seemingly supernatural occurrences on school ground, like the mysterious locker room lights, the black blob monster and the mysterious student from class 2-B. But I've been on this school for a while so there's no way for those to be truth, right? "Do you think those have really some supernatural relation?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But we have to look in there first! Then we can start searching!"

After a few minutes of whining and really awkward noises, Ren convinced me to step inside that wonderful place of beat-ups. After a quick scan for his own, he said the place was clean, which was enough for me to freely walk inside. The place practically screams 'former all-girls school', the locker room is much bigger than the guys's, and much more clean. It's smells good, also. But... Enough of that, that's no place to wonder about female showers.

"Sorry, Ren. This place is new to me, so we have to find those spots by ourselves." I said to him, as he was already balancing himself on the lockers.

"Eh? But how? Since you're issei's legacy, a deep knowledge about this place you should have!"

"What's with the Yoda speech?! And did you just call me a pervert?" I said, but then I remember that the quicker, the best, and began my little search for any holes in the security.

We searched and searched, but there were no secret passages around nor holes. Only a few ones, like the ventilation entrances and the windows, but nothing worth mentioning... Except maybe the good smell and that creepy, uneasy feminine aura that has been haunting my life since the beginning. Scary shit...

"We, I guess that's enough." Ren said, landing right next to me, and tapping his hands together in order to clean up the dust in his hands. "I guess we can call it a day. What a small school. Can't believe I needed an escort for such a simple job."

***WHACK!***

"Ouch!"

"Don't you DARE say that after everything we've been through!" I said after a punch right in his head. I don't care if he ends up killing me, that remark was rude! He turned his teary eyes to me, and sighed in pain. "Whatever, let's talk later and in another place! I had enough of here, so let's get out of here before..."

***GIGGLE...***

"What...?" Oh shit! Is that what I think it is?! Was that... Cute giggles of girls?! I turned around to take a quick scan around the place, and ready, by the entrance to the locker rooms, I saw two silhouettes entering the said place. Out of rage, I picked Ren by the collar, and whisper-screamed in his face. "You asshole! You said there won't be any training today!"

"And it wouldn't! I mean, it shouldn't!" He said, also completely surprised. I don't know what's going on, but someone will be in pain tomorrow! Probably me, but that's beyond the point: there's someone coming!

"Quick, hide!" I said, as he, like I was expecting, jumped into the shadows and practically disappeared there. I took the easy route: tried ever one of the lockers until i found an empty one, and locked myself there to hide.

A few seconds passed, and then the two silhouettes showed their true selves: two cute girls that I've never seem before. By their attire, the typical PE uniform, I could say that they were not from the kendo team. What's going on? Not that this locker room can't be used for other people besides the kendo team, but still pretty weir-... Holy shit! They're undressing!

Yes! They're undressing! They stop by a pair of lockers right away, and began to strip! Oh, crap! First came the bloomers down, revealing their round asses, and then it came the white shirt, revealing...! No! I must not give in! I must control my lust! Wow, that's a pretty E-Cup right theremnit!

"Hey, could you help me? I think it's stuck!" One of the girls said, trying and failing to unlock her bra from behind... Oh shit! Why?! Why must you test me like that, Lady Luck?! Her friend them simply smiled and reached her own hands for her friend's back. And she picked the clip of the bra! I shouldn't be watching... By I am! And she finally picked and pull the... Zipper?

***Ziiip~...***

"What the...?" Yeah. The following scene shocked me so much a dull response was everything I could muster: the first girl had a zipper on her back. Not on her bra, on her back. Her friend pulled that clip and unzipped an invisible trail to that point all the way up, then by her skull to her forehead, from there all the way to her navel. Suddenly, the 'human' part went 'POOF!' Like a ballon, and from inside the zippered form, a gray, tall alien-like creature with female anatomy emerged...

The other girl picked her own clip to unzipped it from her back all the way to her navel as well, revealing also her et self and discarding both their skins to inside the locker. They looked at each other and giggled again.

"This week has been fun, but we have to go now." One of them said, giggling again and clicking on something on a watch-like gadget on her... It's(?) wrist. Nothing makes sense anymore! I think I'm losing my mind! "Humans are fun."

"Indeed! Next week, let's see if we can still have fun before they find us out." The other alien said, while my whole vision began to blur a little. Suddenly, a light came from the ceiling and engulfed in brightness the two extra terrestrials, as they ascended from from the ground by a few centimeters, and in another flash of light, disappeared in thin air...

...

...

...

***OPEN!***

"Holy effing shit! Did you see that, Ichijou?! They were aliens! True aliens! Oh my god! What the hell is wrong with this school?! Is that one of those seven Kuoh mysteries?!"

"..."

"Ichijou...? Bro, you okay...?"

"..."

...

**[Ichijou's mind never returned to him; trapped in a form between WTF and nonsense, it was forever condemned to drift on absurdness; eventually, wanting to die but unable to, Ichijou's mind stop thinking.]**

**Ichijojo's bizarre adventure part 2: breast tendency. -END-.**

**\- First wonder: the lights on the locker room(status: confirmed)**

.

~~x~~

.

"Kaichou! Kaichou! Kaichou! We have a problem! There has been reports saying that a Mysterious student not from Kuoh has been found in the faculty rooms! Worse of all, she smells like a dragon, according to Sanada-San!"

"Sigh... I thinking that today... I was going to finally finish my Weekly Shounen Jump issue without a problem... And maybe read some of Ultra Jump and Jump Square, to finally have my belly full of heroes."

Seriously, there was trouble after trouble this week. First the attack on class 1-D, the upcoming midterms, the scans around campus for the meeting with the vampires and now we apparently have a dragon-scented stranger wondering around the faculty building. I don't know what to think anymore. Did grandma Sona has those kinds of problems in the past? I wonder...

"**Boku No Hero** was going so smooth this week, not to mention **One Piece** reaching for it's climax. Well, I guess there's no helping it. Let's take a walk and visit this d-smelling mystery." I turned around to face my dear pawn, worthy seven of it, really, the tiny girl with Brown hair pulled in a single ponytail and equally chocolate eyes. "After all, it's by giving a try that new series gets a chance to stay on the magazine, don't you agree, Kakinozoka Mikan-chan?"

Yep, by giving it a chance, new series might attract fans and maybe stays on the magazine until it gets an anime.

Without a single thought, I followed her until the depths of Kuoh academy, to the faculty building, where some of the students were already packing their things and leaving school. If I remember correctly, today the kendo club has no activities today. However, the place of encounter wasn't there. I followed Mikan-chan to the second floor, where a certain someone was waiting for us, his back resting on a nearby wall: dirty gray hair, scars all over, grey eyes and unkept uniform, there it was, my dear knight, Sanada Hideyoshi-kun, the president of the disciplinary committee.

"Yahoo~, Hideyoshi-kun, how are thou?" I said with a smile, but like always, he just grunted at me. Typical werewolf, rude as always, gentle as never. Hideyoshi-kun pointed his thumb to the art club, where I could hear someone humming a lullaby. "So, the dragon is right there... I wonder if it's either a pretty girl or a handsome boy~. Just kidding, I'll break his or her face regardless."

In response to that, Hideyoshi-kun smiled devilishly, while Mikan-chan yelped and hid behind my back in fear. No time wasting it here, I don't want to lose my time here when I could be reading my Jum-... Taking care of my duties as the president of the student council, so for once, I opened the door to face whoever was by the other side.

And like any other arts room, the place was filled with mannequins, sculptures, clay, stools and easels. One particular easel was being used for drawing on a board by a single girl in the middle of the class, a girl with a pretty nape and spiky and long azure-colored hair, wearing a uniform not from Kuoh, but another school next to it, Babel Highschool, which consists of black shirts with white linings, long purple skirts and blue cardigans, which she was using it like a belt around her waist.

"Tururu~. Hello, president of the student council of Kuoh academy, Serena Sitri." A silky, feminine, but hoarse voice spoke by the other side of the place. The pretty girl turned around, and faced me with her sick-green orbs, which looked like they were being stabbed by her spiky azure bangs that were split in the middle. "The name's Sarah Leonheart. 17-years old, second year and student of babel institute. Manga artist by the name of Takashi Kata. Japanese. End of message."

"Eh~, really? How cool." I said, as I could see her own art by the picture in front of her. Her drawing is pretty, maybe she's really a manga artist. But... Nah, that's no time for that. "But let's get down to business, shall we? What are you, a beautiful girl with such talent for manga and already enrolled in another school, is doing here of all places?"

"Tururu~. Nothing much, really. I heard from my sister that bro Rei has been defeated by the Red Dragon emperor..." Her eyes wondered around, not looking at least sad or angry about her brother. How curious. "... So I came to this school in order to defeat the ultimate Evil on his place. End of message."

"Ultimate evil..." That's curious. I wonder what is it. I mean... THAT ultimate evil is sealed right under the current Gremory Household, so there's no way it could be here at Kuoh. Unless she's talking about another ultimate evil. "What kind of... Ultimate evil thou speak of?"

"Tururu~. Sorry, this message... Is confidential. End of message." She said, as she finished drawing her picture of a boy and a girl in love. However, she pulled that away, and showed to us a magic rune by behind that picture. She picked some more pencils and pens, and held them in between her fingers. "Message one. Please don't make me hurt you. Today is a beautiful day. Message two. In case you ask, yes, I'm the sister of Miyama Rei, and posses a Sacred Gear. Message three. I mean no harm, But in case you want to mess with me, keep in mind that I've put an invisible lion around here. End of message."

I blinked a few times. I turned to hideyoshi-kun and his only response was a quick sniff into the air, and then A grin. What? Is that a bluff? Because despite what she said, I can't feel a thing, and if hideyoshi-kun's nose can't either, this means she's probably lying. Yet, she said that she possesses a Dragon Sacred Gear. I wonder which one...

"I don't care about your illusions or tricks! You're going doing down, dragon!" The silverette said, as he leaped against Sarah-san and transformed into a wolf! Again Mikan-chan yelped behind me, but despite her situation, the artist only sighed.

"Leo-kun, destroy him." She simply said. Suddenly, ***SLASH!***, without warning, out of thin air, a big and horrendous mark of a lion's nails appeared in Hideyoshi-kun's chest! He returned to his human form, his face expression horror and despair, as them, BANG!, another sound was heard, and he flew all the way to next to me...

"Kyah! Sanada-kun!" My pawn said, reaching for her collar for some healing oils. I turned to the sacred gear user in the middle of the class, as she just sighed again, as half of a blue helmet shaped like a dragon appeared on the left side of her face. She touched a button where her ear should be, and the helmet disappeared in thin air.

"Tururu~. Please don't mess with me. I'm very sensitive to pain, and sometimes I lose control and use** [Karma Cogito Draco]** out of nowhere. I don't want trouble. End of message." She said, while I narrowed my eyes. She was still sitting on her chair, and put her pens and pencils away. An invisible lion, she said? But Hideyoshi-kun is the fastest of my two Knights! Not to mention, his senses and reflexes are top notch, typical of a werewolf. So how? And she said [Karma Cogito Draco]? Is that the name of her sacred gear. Every detail is important now. "Tururu~, you wanna talk, yes/no. Choose."

"..." I gulped, but she seemed calm enough now. She doesn't seem hostile now. I turned to Hideyoshi-kun, who was unconscious and still bleeding from his chest, while Mikan-chan was trying to heal him. "Kakinozoka, go away and take Sanada with you. I'll take care of it!"

"Kaichou...?!" Yeah, she was surprised since I don't usually call people so politely, but this situation calls for a more direct approach. I made a face for her, and she nodded. Picking Sanada and taking him away. "Understood!"

And soon she was gone. Now I have time to focus on the girl in front of her. I took a quick glance at her magic rune. I've never seen one of those. Is that even possible? I mean, her arithmancy codes are all messed up and the order for the right khaballa isn't even set in the right one. That magic circle wasn't suppose to work, but it did anyway! When I returned my eyes to her, she was sipping on a cup of tea she picked out of nowhere.

"Tururu~, don't be rude, take a seat, take a sip, take a heart and a smile. End of message." She said in a boredom tone. I... Smiled. Yes, that's what I wanted actually. Yes, hideyoshi-kun is hurt, Boohoo for him, but finally I have my time to relax. I picked a seat and sat next to her.

"Don't mind if I do." And I did just that, picking a cup for myself and starting a conversation with her.

And so it begins, apparently, her name really is Sarah Leonheart, she was born in Japan but lost her family after a rain accident. Like a good family, someone named Miyama Enma ended up adopting her, but little did she know that man was actually a mad scientist who implanted her with a Sacred Gear. The reasons remain a mystery, but she escaped from that place with the rest of her adoptive siblings, including that other sacred gear user I met yesterday. She was adopted again, and was labeled as a genius, enrolling into Babel academy.

I just shared some stories of my life, plus a few tales about my family and some of my later adventures, not to mention the drag that is being the student council president. She's really easy to talk to, very friendly as well. I wonder why her brother was such an idiot with me and Ichijou-kun. We spent some minutes talking like good old friends, they only thing that didn't change through out the course was her expression, stoic as ever...

Her blood type is AB...

Her favorite color is wind(I don't get it either...)

Her favorite Manga is Terra forMars...

Her favorite anime is Space Dandy..

Her favorite artist is Miyazaki...

Her favorite movie is "Stay By me"...

Her favorite song is "Iris" by Goo Goo dolls...

Her favorite book are culinary ones...

Her favorite food is curry...

She hates soft drinks...

She likes rainy days and dislike foggy and hot ones...

Her dream is to meet Oda Eichiiro and Kishimoto Masashi...

She actually wanted to become an freelancer artist, but as a manga artist, she said that she can be both rich and happy with her art...

She has sweat problems: when nervous, she sweats a lot...

She really love her sisters and brother. And dogs, a lot...

And finally, she likes watching bad movies to truly see how bad they really are.

Also, her current objective is to destroy the Ultimate Evil hidden around Kuoh, substituting her brother for the task, and since I know too much, she must eliminate me... Oops.

"See? I'm not your typical villain of the week that you can ditch and simply move on with your life. I have feelings, dreams, history and maybe a little more than meets the eye. Instead of having a arc just about me... I rather talk and not waste my time. End of message." She said with another sip on her tea. To be fair I have no idea what the hell she's talking about, but she's absolutely cool on my book! We can be best friends if one she apologizes to Hideyoshi-kun! Maybe even be part of my peerage! After all, I still have some pawns, a bishop and a rook left!

"Yeah, yeah! You really are a nice girl, Sarah-San! I liked you a lot!" I said, taking also a sip out of my own piece of tea. She smiled at me, I smiled at her. What a nice girl.

"Tururu~, You think I'm nice, right? That's good, that's neat. Actually. I liked you too, Serena-San. End of message." Her stoic expression suddenly morphed, and now, she was giving me a hint of a smile. That's great. I'm breaking her shell! Now if only I could make her stop doing those noises. "Tururu~, that's too bad, Serena-san, because..."

***KICK!***

"... I have to defeat you! End of message!" She said, kicking me away and also jumping away. We took our distances, and so, just for precaution, I summoned a globe of water. I really don't want to hurt her, but if she's willing to fight, well so am I!

"Tch! That's a pity, really! You seem like a good gal! I know a guy you would love to tease with me! Denied, right?" I joked. She sighed, and pulled the sleeve of her uniform, revealing another mysterious magic rune on her wrist. Her half dragon helmet appeared again, and soon she picked something from the rune on her sleeve and tossed it at me!

**[TIMER!]**

"Take that! An invisible magic knife!" She declared. I blinked once, twice, but couldn't see a thing in front of me! Instead of searching from it, I just lifted a barrier to defend myself. Sarah-San lifted a finger. "Forget it, Serena-San! My knife can also breaks barriers!"

"What...?"

**[OVER!]**

***SLASH!***

"Ugh...!" I gasped in surprise, as a wound appeared right next to my eye, cutting my cheek! What the hell was that?! That thing really broke my barrier and cut me! What kind of sacred gear is that?! I gritted my teeth, and summoned countless drops of water, now making them launch to her! "I'm sorry, Sarah-San, but I need to defend myself!"

"You have a good heart, Serena-San. Did you know? During Christmas, in the middle of World War I, both British and German troops made a ceasefire in order to bury the dead and share the festivities. They liked each other so much they needed to change troops because they became so good friends. You don't doubt your ideas, yet you regret hurting me. What a good heart." She said, as she jumped away and touched again on the rune on the board on the easel. "Leo-kun, protect me! Cut those attacks to pieces!"

**[TIMER!]**

I gritted my teeth again, as I changed the spell and made several other drops of water attack her! Soon, she was surrounded by water drops, falling on her like bullets! I thought there was no way for her or her invisible lion to escape that one, but I was wrong! When they were about to hit her, slash! Slash! Slash!, faster as lightning, I could only see claws cutting every single one of my bullet drops! Shit! Maybe I was being too soft!

"My turn! Leo-kun, attack her!" I said. Curses, is coming this way! Wait! I can do it! Yeah, Lady Serafall's ability, plus my own version of it! There's no escape from that one! Invisible or not, that this is still a living being! So I can do it! I can freeze it!

I took a deep breath in a nanosecond, and in another one, I blew a hard, dense white smoke out of my mouth, covering everything in front of me in mist. Not just any mist, a magical smoke that freezes anything! Yeah! That's my signature move I learned from Lady Serafall! Invisible or not, that should be enough to freeze it!

"Take that! Invisible or not, my mist shall freeze your precious invisible Lion!"

"Nice try! But I have you know, Leo-kun has the ability to cut through this mist and reach you because he's also an albino Leon, which can withstand the cold!" She said back!

"What?!"

***OVER!***

***SLASH!* *TACKLE!***

"Ugh...!" And in an unbelievable move, a slash cut the mist in half, and after another second, something really tackled me away! I tried to reach for it, but I felt nothing! How the hell is this even a thing?! Is that the power of her sacred gear?!

"Tururu~. Looks like out chat had more meaning that I though. I was unable to harm you the same way I did with the werewolf. What a shame. End of message." She said with a sad face, as I recovered a little from the attack from before. Yes, she was right, that one actually didn't hurt, it was more of a surprise tackle than anything else. Weird...

Wait, did she say 'she was unable to harm me'? That's actually a giveaway, Isn't it? Let's think for a bit... Everything she throws at me is invisible, yet very real; None of her own runes are the ones you learn in the Rating Game school or even beast-taming lessons; she has to scream her own actions, and she has her own sacred gear doing the job all the time... What does that mean! Also... She says that she's unable to hurt me because she likes me...

...

...

.. Wait... That's stupid... That's incredibly stupid... But let's be honest, lord Issei was far more stupid, so maybe... Just maybe...

"Tururu~, are you done talking to yourself. Sorry, very sorry about that, Serena-San, but since I said too much, you have to pay the price. So sorry, really. End of message!" She said, blinking a few times and making a sad face, so sad I wanted to pet her a little to make her feel better. Okay, here goes nothing! This better work! "Go, Leo-kun! Rip her to pieces! But don't kill her, because I like her..."

**[TIMER!]**

"Not so fast!" I said, trembling a little and maybe blushing because that's a little embarrassing. I reached for my pocket and from there I motioned drawing a sword. "This is... This is my great Herculean sword! I-It can kill any kind of lion with just one slash!"

"GASP! Leo-kun, back it up!" She ordered, her eyes wilded in surprise. Yes, I think I got it now how her sacred gear works. She picked a paper and draw another nonsensical magic circle there, tossing it to in front of her. "Right! Now with this magic protection, not even the Herculean sword can cut you! Quick, defeat her!"

"A-Ah... Oh! Not so fast!" I said, tossing myself to a side and picking my lipstick to draw also a nonsensical circle on the floor. I'm sorry, grandma Sona, but you fight nonsense with nonsense! "I summon the water hydra! Her with her seven heads shall make your precious lion a little busy! I bet not even his claws can cut clean all of her heads, right?"

"Tch! Also a summoner! That's new, but bro Rei always says to aim for the top!" She said in a hurry. She's losing her composure, I can win if keep going. She discarded her own shirt and revealed her body covered in skin paintings of circles! "Very well! Enough of that! How can you defeat my 777 heavenly weapons?!"

"Easy! With my 778 demonic swords!" I also opened my arms in a challenging pose, and she gasped as I draw on the air several magic circles, but nothing coming out of them. Okay, time to be embarrassed again! "Slash! Ptu! Ptu! Bang bang! We clashed blades after blades, but in the end, only one remained, the one I was aiming for you, Sarah-san!"

"...!" She gasped in surprise, and in turn, she gave a step back, however, determination filled her eyes once again, as she gesticulated for a random direction. "Fortunately, Leo-kun was faster, and he used his own body to protect! A noble sacrifice! And so...!"

"Ahaha! But that's what I was aiming for!" She gasped in surprise and anticipation, as I prepared the grand finale. Okay, time to be bold! We played all the cards, but this is it! "In reality, that was not a demon sword, but ice in form of a sword! It pierced your precious lion, but I used my signature ability to turn in back to ice, and so, it used your summoning's blood to fuel it's power even more! Then, it reached the other side, and turned into blood-ice swords again, completely bypassing your shield and finishing you off with several cuts in the speed of light!"

"Ah! But I... But I...!" She had no words for such event. All the bases are covered, no way to run. Unless she picks a random object to toss me with, I guess that's the end of that. For a second, she was bewailed, but then, she smiled. "I... Lost. End of message."

**[OVER!]**

***SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!***

And it was over. Like the story went, after a while, several cuts and wounds appeared on her body, and she just grunted in pain, putting herself on her knees. I won, yeah, I won. But that sacred gear was tricky. You could've thought she uses a different kind of offensive. Juridical ones at that...

**Probatio Diabolica**... That's very ironic, really. But I just had to get along with it and plan this up so that she would have a way to counter. Hehehe... I'm so smart sometimes!

But... She's a friend, plus a source of information, I can't let her die here. So I went to her side and picked her up, supporting her body on my shoulder as we walked three-legged to the exit, to the infirmary...

"Pity for the loser? How rare for a devil." She commented. I just smiled at her.

"Aww~. Don't be like that, Sarah-San. I liked you very much, and you also has a great piece of information about the enemy. I won't let you die here." I said. Her blood is staining my shirt, but that's the least of my worries now. "By the way, I want to read your stories in the future, Takashi-sensei!"

"Yeah..." She simply said. "Fortunately, you didn't hurt my hands. My schedule will have to wait, though. But again, you didn't answer my question: why save me, anyway? You can always pick Shounen Jump or Ultra Jump..."

"... I dunno." I said. "Maybe I love you."

"Really...?"

"Yes. To be fair, I'm the student council president..." I said with the brightest smile I could, and so, she also smiled at me, blushing all the way. Yeah, I love everybody. Even Nemesis-san. It's a thing, actually. Maybe that's the harem genes making it's way towards my head, but I do love everybody. Hehe... Neat. "... So I love everybody in this school. As long as you're here, this means I love you too, Sarah-san..."

"Is that... So?" She repeated. "Heh... Better transfer to here, then..."

"Don't do that. Babel academy is also great."

We shared a laugh, and resume our way to the infirmary. I wonder what Ichijou-kun is doing right now...

* * *

**He's probably still on catatonic state, being mouth-raped by the girls and ren and still static because being aliens are so nonsensical even for this fic...**

**Yeah, a chapter focused on serena and how well she manage her own team and make friends with enemies. also, new enemy, the user of the chaos karma dragon sacred gear. I like to write stupid characters and how much edgy they can become in their own category. Her word is passion: as long as you believe in something, this might happen, no matter the odds. but who am I kidding, people will be already catatonic because of the first mystery to care about anything after. well, for now, let's focus on two separated stories. i hope you can all understand. stay golden as always...**


	35. Stress and relief(Lemon)

**hey,hey readers. Less than a week and we already have a new chapter. To be fair, this chapter is more or less like a fanservice ova, so not much will be revealed here, but we'll see some more development, as well as just the relief our protag needs...**

**and when I say "relief", i mean XXX!**

**Yes, as a friendly note, the highlight of this chapter is a really freaky almost-lemon part, so if you feel uncomfortable reading those, I suggest that you skip all the way until bracket quotes are no longer visible, but beware that some development will also be lost. And for those who do like lemon scenes, I should warn that maybe it isn't the kind you see too much around the fandom, at least not one i've read so far, so... that's it, ejoy the lemon, even though it has been a qhile since i last wrote one... hahaha, i'm so embarassed.**

**Like always, dxd does not belong to me...**

* * *

He doesn't seem okay. Today is Sunday, yet, bro is still here in the underworld, training with Hwan Jin-Young-hyung hour after hour. He doesn't care about winning or getting stronger, as he's just screaming the top of his lungs like a mad dog, "mad" as in the most uncontrollable sense of the word. Should've asked harder why he wanted to do that...

"Are you sure your brother is okay, Argento? He seems troubled, nyan." Nemesis's nekoshou knight and fellow peerage member Ginko said, emerging beside me and looking at the two dragons fighting at the main platform in the middle of the hot springs. "Poor thing, so young, yet, insane in the membrane. I wonder if that's not dangerous for all of us in the long run, nyan."

"You tell me..." I said, having a bad nostalgia feeling with those same springs and broken arms and a leg. Still, for some reason, his own aura is stabilized, and despite his current rage, I can't sense any bad mojo. Still, he IS livid. I wonder what caused that. "But he's more controlled now. And even being this close to him, I can feel that any kind of animosity from him won't last long."

"Eh~? But even so, seeing him like that kinda breaks my heart. I'm glad Akio is not here, she would dirt the water seeing him so disturbed." I grimaced at her. Yeah, Akio would be a bad choice to invite now, but Ginko is also being a pain in the arse. After all, I know that her worries about the sekiryuutei in front of us isn't for pity, but lust. "I wonder if I can help him someway, nyan~."

"Ginko, even if you really wanted to, I think is reaction would be violent. Let him be... For now." I said patting her on the head, she purred to my little demonstration of affection. Maybe she's getting used to be spoiled. Which is either good or bad, gremories after gremories, about that.

"Still, his level of power has been increasing lately. Maybe it's because of the constant shots of emotion from him, but this is good, since it depletes his level of stress and also further his conduction with his emotions and thus his sacred gear."

"Ah! Lady Beelzebub!" We turned around to see Lady Mary Beelzebub observing everything from a higher rock, wearing nothing but a lame one-piece green swimsuit, her countless ribbons still attached to her hair. On a lower level, bathing himself up 'till his nose, there was Lord Calico Belphegor. "Since when you've been there?"

"Long enough, guess." She said, summoning some runes to see the battle between Bro and Hyung. "His signals are okay, but I have the strange impression that he must be suffering from too much stress. I wonder why?"

"He's a student, Mary. Unlike you, he can't have a break, and seeing how much he bitches about it, I have a guess that being a devil still hasn't reach his current agenda either." Blowing bubbles on the water, Lord Calico emerged his head to turn to Lady Mary and make such remark. She put her tongue out for him. "He needs some rest once in a while."

"You should follow his example, husband of mine." She said. Lord Calico grunted and returned in blowing bubbles. Stress, huh? Doesn't he have enough girls to deal with it? But again, poor boy doesn't like women that much. "But, in any case, his brain is responding too much to outside stimulus. In other words, his line of thinking is not better than an animal's."

"So Ichijou-nyan is suffering from so much stress he can't think in what is making him angry? How sad, nyan." Ginko sighed. I sighed as well. We took a quick look inside the rune of lady Beelzebub, and we could see a close up of bro and Hyung. For some reason, both of their eyes were shining colorful sparkles of light and fire. Huh, they're in the zone, typical of dragons.

"Yes! Yes! Keep going, Ddraig! Make that brat in the otherworld proud! Show him that you can still fight and protect what he died for!" The great emerald dragon shouted in an hoarse way, like a true delinquent from those old movies, as he defended himself against one of Ichijou's forms. Both of them are in hysteria mode, a state of mind both dragons fight bunking nothing but victory, like any dragon should...

"Wooooooh...!" Was Ichijou's only response. I sweatdropped at that. He's kinda into the battle, but his mind is somewhere else. I wonder what? Maybe I should call Raven to help me out with him. She already soap-landed him anyway. Rhongomiant danced in the air, either being redirected by Jin-Young's tail or blocked with his hard scales. He's going all-out now, and thus, keeping up with him won't be too easy now.

"Poor thing. Maybe we should call Mudrock-san to help him feel good..."

"Or maybe Raven. She's one step away from helping him, anyway..."

"I'm gonna tell Lord Phenex you just said that, Argento." Joy Killer Lady Beelzebub, everybody. Yeah, the only thing that can burn me now are either a dragon or a Phenex, and trust me, being Lord Riser's target nowadays in a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

"Please don't, sensei."

***BAM!***

"Gwaaaaah...!" We returned our program when we heard that scream, and like I was expecting, bro lost that one. His greatsword flew away to the west section of the springs(right in the middle of the ground zero he caused) and he drifted all the way to one of the borders of the said arena. Before he could even stand up, the voice inside his sacred gear screamed [BURST!], and after a convulsion, he stopped. "D-Damn it...!"

"You're getting good, Ddraig. Don't sweat it too much. Patience and diligence are the most important traits of a warrior. However, care is also important." Hyung said. I rolled my eyes, what a cheesy dragon. But again, he lived the same period as gramps, who was also the lord of the ham with cheese(great, now I'm hungry.). Ichijou answered with a grunt, and then a whack on the floor. I winged myself and flew all the way to him, so did Ginko. We landed right next to him. "Oh-hoh, Lady Ginko, lady Argento! Came here to treat him? Maybe love does transcend generations."

"Mr. Hwan Jin-Young, what you did with Ichijou-San went a little overboard." Ginko sai, poking the fallen boy on the ground. The dragon backed up a little, and snorted some flames out of his nostrils. "Next time, please be more gentle with him. And even when he's serious, don't treat equally as seriously. He's weaker than you. You should be ashamed to be picking on someone who can't even kill a fly."

"Okay, okay. Hey, Ginko, he's right here. And I can say that your defense is kinda making him worse." I said to the poor airhead as she turned back to us. Bro is kinda unconscious now, but nothing like a good bath won't help. I turned to him, flipped him around and make his belly face the sky. I slapped him. "Rise and shine, bro."

"**GAAAAAAAAH**...! aliens! Kuoh! **E-CUUUUUUUUUUP!**"

***STOMP!***

"Coherently! Speak coherently!" I said with a popped vein out of my skull, as I mercilessly stomped his stomach. He whined a little with his arms around his affected area, while Ginko was elbowing me saying 'you meanie'. After a while, he gasped for air, choked on it and drooled like a loser. I picked him by the arm and helped him to get up. "In all seriousness, bro. What happened? You're not like that, c'mon, you're better than this."

"Not so good after that one, Aria-san." He whined a little more, gulping down his saliva and turning his eyes to me, balancing himself on two feet until he was able to stand up. "Leave me alone, will ya? This week was one of the worst for me. I did things I'm not proud of, and I saw things that I shouldn't. This should be the end of me. Yet, for some reason, I'm alive and well. Is that what they call the realm of the hungry ghosts?"

"Bro, please, you're making me blush. This is what they call neighbor's shame. I feel unclean with you saying that." I said covering my eyes from others. They're staring, I'm blushing. I feel like punching something. I punched him in the stomach. "Sorry..."

"Oe, Ginko"

"Aria-suiseng, you'll need to be more violent to reach Ddraig like that..."

"Nah, I deserved that." Bro said, cleaning the dry blood from a wound next to his eye and standing up again. Maybe he's back to normal? "Aria-san, do you know anything about the seven mysterious wonders of Kuoh?"

"Huuuh~? No, never heard about them. Why?"

"Well, turns out one of them is apparently aliens invading Earth to have a good time. Now, not even school is a place to escape." He said, scratching his cheek. Again with the feeling of neighbor shame. I did the same, and suddenly Hyung clashed his fists.

"Oh-hoh! It's one of those again!" He said, as we turned around to see that dragon cross his arms in a professional way and speak like ones truly. "In many manga and anime that happens in a school setting(which is any one nowadays) it must have an arc in which they Hunt for school mysteries and rumors. However, who knows what kind of Mysteries Kuoh itself has, since it has a history of supernatural and strange coincidences."

"Maybe I should give a look there. After all; sage arts are the best in those kind of situations." Ginko volunteered. Ichijou only sighed.

"The truth is, maybe things are a little more complicated than that. One of them are aliens, so the rest can be anything..." He sighed, stretching himself. Ginko pouted, and Hyung patted her with one of his massive dragon fingers. "Still, I can't stop thinking that Kuoh won't be the same tomorrow. Ugh... Just thinking about it is giving me a headache, not to mention Ren is insisting in search for the rest to avoid any more problem during the meeting. What a drag..."

"Don't sweat it, bro. I'll let Nemesis know about that, and she'll think of something. Still keep doing your job and everything will be okay." As a gesture of peace and comfort, I patted his brunette hair, and he blushed. Still not used to be called a bro and have a pat on the head, eh? I can fix that. "For now, how about you take a bath and enter the springs? You seem exhausted, and tomorrow is another day. Go clean your head with a nice and cold shower."

"Huh... Only now I noticed how tired I am." He blinked an eye and cracked his neck a few times. "Okay, I'll take a bath. I won't go to school tomorrow, though..."

"You know very well that Nemesis will drag you out of bed if she ever discovers that you just said that..." His face turned purple, and he covered his mouth to maybe hide the fact he's on the brink of throwing up. I sighed, made him turn around and pushed him away in the direction of the bathing center. "You'll be okay. I've already told you, I will get you covered with Nemesis. So don't worry. Go wash and take your time."

"Y-Yes..." He said, now going to the showering center and do what I told him to do. I turned back to Ginko and Jin-Young Hyung and smiled. The silver-haired nekomata pouted.

"Lady Argento, are you sure that he'll be okay?" She asked. Hyung patted her again on the head.

"Don't worry, Ginko-dongsaeng, Ddraig is in good hands if Aria-dongsaeng says so. Besides..." And just like me, he turned to a apparently empty section of the springs. When I say 'apparently', it's because their existence is so powerful and deranged when they're together that people will simply ignore out of FEAR. I forced my eyes to that direction and... They they are, with towels and swimsuits covering them. A nekoshou with white and black hair and tails, a certain busty, long-haired bluenette with glasses, a loli with silver hair and furious pair of antennas and a boy and a girl, twins with blue hair and green lights on their bangs. All of them showing daring, fearless smiles. "... Since these bastards were listening to everything, I have the idea they'd love to see those mysteries by themselves."

"Not to mention the others Sacred Gear users that, according to Serena-chan, are coming in buckets to Kuoh academy." I laughed, and so I also turned to them. They also looked so fired up. Of course, being descendants of gramps, they have all the reasons to be. My dear idiot cousins. "So, will you lend us a hand back in Kuoh... DxD children?"

"Sure. Issei-chan would hate us if not, nyah~." Nashiro said.

"Huhuhuh... Not enough hands can help you now, is it, Aria?" Akio said.

"Whatever. As long as doesn't make Nemesis ask for money, I'm all good." Sighed Yuno.

"I was just waiting to chew down some losers anyway." Basara smiled. He received a slap once head by his sister.

"Stupid bro. I'm the one who'll chew down losers." Xion said with another daring grin. I smiled to all of them, and we did a group fist-bump.

"Okay. Whatever happens, let's help Ddraig and bro in this problem, and save Kuoh." I said. "Children of the one and only Oppai Dragon!"

"**ZOOOM ZOOOM IYAAAAAAAN**~!" We all cheered, with Hyung also joining and Ginko having no idea what to do. Ah~, how I miss this...

I wonder... If Evelyn and Yagura are feeling too.

.

**~~NOTE: INCOMING LEMON!~~**

.

Brr... For some reason, I felt a disturbance in the air. Not a bad one, but for some reason, I feel uneasy. Ptu, it's probably from my head after the whole I've been through the whole week. Just thinking about it is making my head spin a little. Whatever, maybe if I drown myself on the springs, the dizziness will kill my worries together with some brain cells. I don't even use 95% of them, anyway...

"Oh, Sekiryuutei. Good night." I lifted my head to face pair just going out the springs. The tall man with purple hair wrapped in countless colorful ribbons and the slim lady with green hair also decorated with orange ribbons, both of them wearing labcoats.

"Lady Beelzebub, Lord Belphegor! Good night!" I greeted back with a light bow. Lady Beelzebub, or Beelzebub-sensei sighed and took another drink out of her milk. Are they going out the springs now? Oh, crap. I hope they didn't see my spar with Hyung. That would be embarrassing.

"Blowing off some steam with Nemesis Gremory's rook, I see." And I face-planted my face on the floor. They saw, they saw me going out of control and pretty much act like an caveman. I stood up again and let out an uneasy laugh. "Don't worry, Ichijou Tsukino, it all happens to the best of us. However, I recommend to be at least quieter next time. You interrupted my moment of relaxation."

"Yes, ma'am." I said back, sighing. She crossed my way and took her way to out of the springs, leaving me and Lord Belphegor to ourselves. Uh~, now I'm even more uneasy. Tomorrow school again and I need to show the six other mysteries for Ren, and deal with Matsuoka-san and maybe other sacred gear users. Nah, I just need the springs. Yeah, something to make me relax. When I came back to my senses, lord Belphegor was already leaving, but before doing it, he simply pat me in the head and sighed.

"You're still young, Sekiryuutei. Go enjoy your life and don't think too much into it. You're still very green to care about bigger pictures." He said, now friendly punching me in the chest, despite his stoic face and deep black eyes. "Or else, in a blink of an eye, you'll already be dead... Or a satan. Which one is worse."

"Thank... You?" I said. He patted me again in the head and touched my forehead with his fingers, finishing with a 'stay golden' or something. He left without even looking behind, while I was just in the middle of the hall like a doofus.

Man, he's already the third one trying to teach me a 'take it easy' lesson. Not that I don't think those are important, but sometimes I simply can't stop thinking about my problems! I can't just put my hands up high and say 'go away, problems'! Maybe it's because I'm still thinking with the mentality of someone who already lived as long as a human.

I'm again thinking too much. Time to drown my sorrow and worries with myself. I walked towards the bathing section, and like always, I knocked first since I'm not going to fall for a door gag. Hearing nothing by the other side, I opened the door to a corridor full of showers, buckets, stools and soap, like a real bathing center should have, and also a nearby locker room.

...

Brrrr...

Discarding my shoes at the entrance and walking barefoot, I entered the locker area, which was also with the same floor as the rest of the place. The smell of hot water and soap was filling my nose, and making me a little dizzy again. It smells like tea, because of course it does. I began to undress as I picked a locker for myself and also the towel inside of it. I discarded my shirt and now I was ready to take out my shorts and boxers...

「Oh, what a surprise to see you here. Long time no see also, Ichijou Tsukino.」

"Gaaah...!" That soft, bracketed voice reached my ears, and I jumped out of surprise. Turning around, I could see long purple and wavy hair, aqua eyes and a stare that would playfully see into my soul, wearing a uniform I've never see before. There she is, one of my... Fiancée Irene Dantalion, her lips curved upwards in a happy, immutable expression. "Ah... Irene-san... Long time no see. Huh... How do you do? I mean, isn't that the men's changing room?"

「Not quite. You see, some times of the day, this place becomes a sharing center. Both males and females share this place like an everybody's zone. Now is one of those times, which is also a giving, since the female bathroom seems too busy.」She said with a big smile, while the only thing I could think of was a aside grimace and the thought that senpai has a finger on this. This is his hot springs, after all.「Besides, I smelled you all the way here. I Wanted to say 'hi' and take a bath.」

"Is that so?" And for the enned time now, I gave someone the half-ass grin of someone who has no idea what to do now. Should I tell her to leave? But wait, that would be kinda disrespectful since this now is a coed bathroom. Wait, but she should've knocked first! But, wait, is it normal here to walk around without a knock? "Hey, Irene-san, did your parents bring you here? Because they already left."

「I came here by myself. We have different schedules of meetings. The only moment we ever come in contact with are during the meals.」She said with a smile, as she began to undress as well. Before she could discard the first piece of clothing, I turned away from her. Don't be the pervert next to the heiress and future wife... Wait, am I really thinking about this? Sheesh...

"Is that... So? It seems kinda sad." I said in a tone of pity. She continued to talk.

「No,it isn't. That's the thing me and lord Belphegor and Lady Beelzebub share: we can live even without coexisting.」She said, which was pretty sad and heartwrenching to hear. However, the tension went to another place as she said.「How about you? How are you doing with all that work and stress?」

"Eeh? What are you saying, Irene-san? I'm okay. Maybe a little stressed because of school, but aside from that, I'm fine." I lied, scratching my cheek. I lied not because she might get worried about me, but because, if she gets worried, she might do something with me. We don't even know each other that much, so is best to avoid any brute move with her. But like always...

「Liar...」

"What...?"

***FOOOOM~!***

「You're not 'fine'. Away from that, you've been accumulating stress and just now you're releasing it.」I can feel them. She's naked, and now I can feel her cold skin and breasts touching my back. It's so suddenly, my first reaction was of course to blush and feel the cold down my spine. Then she reached her arms around my chest to pull me closer and rested her head on my shoulder.「Do you want to know a thing? The composition of sweat and tears actually change according to the situation. Either to clean, to show emotions or during exercises.」

"Is that so?!" I said that same phrase for the n'th time, trying and failing to get off of her. Things got worse when suddenly her arms and body began to produce a liquid directly from her skin. It was sticky and viscous, it looked like drool!

「Yeah... Do you know what that means?」She said next to my ear in a dangerous distance. I trembled because of her cold breeze on my body and the mucus on my skin, but manage to nod in response. I turned around and saw her smile and do something even more alarming: she made me look upwards and then licked my neck!「Your sweat tastes different when you're either exercising or feeling nervous.」

"A-Ah... Irene-San...!" I moaned, as she continued to force me look up so that she could assault my shoulder and neck, going all the way to my nape and spreading that liquid with her hands and chest onto my body! I had to bite my tongue so that I wouldn't sound on defensive.

「Huuuuh~, the taste of sweat mix with despair and confusion. I don't dislike it~.」She moaned, now reaching higher up to my ear! And now she's licking the inside of my ear!「Huhuhuh~, your ear also tastes so good~. What a cute flavor that is~...」

"No! W-Wait...! Irene-San...! That's dirty! I didn't shower yet!" I screamed back, trying to reach her arms to make her stop, but their were so slippery it was almost an impossible task! Now one on her legs reached by between my and to touch them! She's also so wet there!

「I don't care, I'm even glad that you didn't... I like the taste of a man filled with this strong scent~.」She moaned. This means she's enjoying this more than I am! Of course she is! She's assaulting me! When I thought that things couldn't get any worse, one of her hands was trailing lower, and Lower, and lower until it reached the elastic of my shorts. 「Do you know where sweat is more accumulated? The nether areas, since is so tight and full of folds. I wonder if you also taste better ther-...」

"Irene-San!" And before she could even reach further, I tried to escape her by giving a first step and get out of her grasp! However, her grip around me only tighter, and because of the sudden movement, I missed another step.

***TRIP!***

"Whoa...!"

***BAM!***

***SPLASH!***

Now I'm facing the ceiling, and her still cold skin onto me, landed on my chest. Her hair started to twitch, in a very uncanny, abnormal way, like it was alive, creeping all the way to my sides, as she turned her head to face me, sticking out her (really) long tongue to lick chest with it.

「You know something, Ichijou Tsukino? Since we're engaged, I have to confess something to you~.」She mused, now crawling onto me, touching her bare moist skin on my chest until she reached for my face to grab it with both hands and make me stare at her.「The truth is... I love any kind of secretion.」

"What...?!" I said. Before I could even think of escaping, she reached for my hands and pinned me to the ground. Now she's suspended on me, her nipples lightly touching my chest, making little circles on it and still 'drooling' that stuff.

「I love to lick and taste saliva, sweat, blood, anything that comes from the body~. You're so tired, and the smell from you is so strong~. Apologies, but I can't control myself now~」And now she again laid on me, rubbing her skin on me while her tongue would reach for my face and then creeped to inside my mouth! She even wrapped it around my own! Holy shit!「Huuuuh~! The Sekiryuutei's saliva~! Humm~, waaaah~, itch sho yuumy and moish~!」

"Huuuuh...!" I was desperate at this point. Who wouldn't be?! Her tongue wrapping around mine and exploring every corner from inside my mouth! Her body and hard nipples rubbing on me while her 'drool' would spread on me! Things got worse when she had an idea: she lifted one of her legs and put it in inside my shorts! I moaned when she touched, skin-on-skin, with a sensitive part of mine. I bit my tongue, but moaned anyway. "Haah~..."

「Shoo derishiouss~! Drool more~! Spit more~! Drown me with your mouth~! I want to devour your and taste your sweat~!」Irene-san cooed, as her eyes became unfocused and her rubbing became more ferocious. With all that stimuli, I got hard pretty fast, feeling her slippery and moist leg rub against me!「Aaaaah~! The taste of fear and confusion, the unvirgin lips mix with the taste of strawberry shortcake lipstick~! I'll... I'll... Uuuuuuuh~...」

And in another second, she bit her lips as I could feel something wet my legs even more. She moaned and tightened the grip on my hands even more, and then let out a final sigh, landing her head on my shoulder. Irene-san is now panting for air, blushing, her skin still moist from the viscous substance, and one of her legs still creeped inside my shorts and next to my hard-on. From here, I can see that a black liquid is tainting the floor. It doesn't take a genius to figure what that is. At least is over...

***RUB!***

"Waaah~...?!" I moaned as I was caught off-guard. Something rubbed against my nether areas again, and Irene-san lifted her blushed, but lewd face to me.

「We're not done here, dear fiancée of mine~. It's so unfair that only me got to see heavens... Huhuhuh~, I just made a joke.」she cooed, reaching her hands to my face again and her tongue to my chest. She crawled on me again and reached her lips to my ear, only to declare:「Don't worry. I'll make you feel good~. Mother would never forgive me if I lose my virginity to a low-class devil, but you can use my body to relief all of your stress~.」

And with that said, she lifted her other leg and crawled also inside my shorts! Now my thing is in between her moist, soft and slippery thighs. I grit my teeth, and let out something that mixed a moan and a grunt. Even worse, her long and wet tongue stuck out and licked and nibbled on my ear, before assaulting it from inside~!

I'm losing it~. What does that feels so good~?! Her breasts as touching my chest and stomach, the contact between her hard nipples onto my making my body turn hotter and hotter~! After a few seconds, I couldn't fight anymore, as my body became light and weak like her own skin! Worse of all, she wouldn't stop rubbing her thighs on my manhood~! I wasn't doing it with her, but she was so wet and soft~... I tried to bit my tongue, but only managed to moan as she rubbed on me even more~! Shit, my mind... Is going blank...

"I-Irene-San~... Please stop! I can't take it~...!" I moaned, feeling her rub her tights around me even more, as a strange feeling started to build up inside of my nether areas. But she didn't stop, biting my lips and covering me with that drool! No matter how I tried, her skin felt like a wet water balloon, I couldn't reach or grip on her, and that building sensation on me was getting out of control! Biting my tongue wasn't working! I can't even... Think... Straight... Anymore...! "Irene-San...!"

「W-What...?! You're going, right?! You're feeling it, right?! This hot sensation inside your rod! This hungry urge that devours your being and make you believe you're gonna die! Well, you can! Please, let me feel that hot, delicious nectar from within!」She said now almost ripping my tongue off as she shook her hips and rubbed her thighs around me, driving me insane. Irene-san was touching the inside of my mouth with her viper-like tongue, and her perfume, natural scent, was making my head spin. In the end, I couldn't take it anymore! I bit my tongue, closed my eyes firmly and waited for it!「Waaaah~... It's so much~! It's here! It's here it's here~...!」

And it was over. The feeling of something sucking me dry, followed by a sensation of relief. My body wasn't hot anymore, so the slight breeze was enough to make me shiver a little. However, the biggest problem was the young woman on top of me. She had unfocused eyes, drooling mouth and her whole body was twitching. After I had my... Climax, apparently she also reached hers, and again I could feel that black liquid under my shorts.

"I-Irene-San...? Are you okay...?" I asked, turned my head to a side to avoid eye contact. She moved a little on my chest, rubbed against me yet again, and stood on her two hands on top of me. After that, she slid herself out of my boxers and short, and then sat right in front of me. Her body still covered in goo and her legs in... Something else. At least she's wearing panties.

「Huhuhuh~... So much to give~. Maybe it's because you're a devil now, but this amount is still impressive. And delicious as well~」Irene-san reached a finger up to her legs covered of... My nectar, took a large spoonful out of it and put it in her mouth. She gargled on it for a few seconds, only to smile in childish euphoria and swallowed it.「Huuuum~... So salty and filled with love. It's well concentrated too. I can assume that you're pure, or something prevents you from having your time alone.」

"Let's not talk about it." I said, turning my burning face to a side and trying to get rid of that mucus. It's not disgusting, it doesn't stink or glues on me, but this feeling of being covered in something that looks like drool is not appealing to me. "What the hell, really?"

「My apologies. We from the Purson clan can feel the taste of things by touching it with this mucus. Excitement also makes me spill this from my skin. It's a natural condition. Don't hate me for it, I just lost myself into you.」She said so calmly even though she practically raped me. Irene-san stood up to the lockers, and picked a towel for me, as she began to help me clean stuff up.「I think that maybe you're upset with me, but... Are you feeling better?」

"..." I frowned as she rubbed her towel on me to clean me up from her own drool and mucus. I'm not exactly happy, but I'd be lying if I say I didn't enjoy it, even if I was terrified the whole time. Thank goodness no one was here to see that...

In the end, my answer is...

You know what? Yeah... I feel better... But for some reason, I'm also not okay with something...

「Please don't be upset with me. I'll do anything to avoid you from hating me.」She said with another smile, rubbing the pink towel on my face. She'll do anything, right? Come to think of it, now seeing her this close, Irene-san really is an eye-candy: her hair is pretty, in a messy way, her Aqua eyes gives me a good sensation of peace, she has a serene expression that I missed from my calmer days, and she has also a smooth skin. Is she the girl I'm engaged with? Not bad... At all.

"Anything...?"

「Correct. Ask me anything.」

She's so perfect...

***GRAB!***

「What...?」

... Maybe that's the reason I want to mess her so much.

In an instant, I picked one of her hands, and pulled her to me. After that, I pushed her away and made her land on her back. Now, I was on top of her, pinning her by the arms, and supporting myself on top of her, facing that so childish and innocent expression. She looked surprised for a second, but smiled.

「Oh, my. Is that what they call a brutal sadist? I can't believe you're like that, Ichijou Tsukino.」She said, sticking her tongue out and reaching for my lips for a kiss.「We can always kiss again, we can always stay like that, and when the time comes, I'll give my virginity to you. However, what does you want now, Ichijou Tsukino?」

*DRIP! DRIP!*

"You say 'everything'... Right?" I repeated, feeling the pain in my mouth and the taste of metal. She wilded her eyes when a drop of blood dripped next to her mouth. After that, she turned her gaze to me. "Well then... I want you to be on the same situation you put me in."

「Ichijou Tsukino, you're bleeding.」She turned her gaze now to the drip of blood that ran all the way of her cheek, and then back to me. Instead of saying anything, I filled my mouth with anything in there and touched her cheeks in a way she could only let her mouth open.「What... What are planning to do? Please, be gentle.」

I said nothing. I stuck my tongue out and let a slim, viscous line of saliva trail all the way from my tongue to her mouth. That line of drool, red because of the mixed blood in it, finally reached her mouth, and the moment it touched it, she moaned...

「A-Ah~... What's that...? It's... It's so... Good~...!」She moaned, and again the floor became wet when she tainted it with black liquid. She twitched, and struggled, but now I was the one in charge, and just hold her tighter, as more and more drool would trail to her mouth.「Aaaah~... Noooo~... Please, release me, Ichijou Tsukinoooo~... I'll go mad~... I'll go mad with your blood~...」

And I came closer to her, feeling a strange sensation of satisfaction by seeing her twitch her face in pleasure and lick my saliva. For some reason, a sadistic urge descended upon me, and I touched my bloody, wounded tongue with her own. She screamed with the contact, as I spread that Crimson liquid on her moist cavity. All of her screams were being muffled by our kiss, as she struggle even more as moaning and trying to stay sane.

What is happening to me? For some reason, I like the fact that I'm dominating a woman. She's so fragile now, and for that reason, I really want her to scream, to moan, to shiver in pleasure. I want to hurt her, please her, rip her apart, make her feel good! Kissing her is already driving me out, but seeing her so helpless... I don't dislike it. At all!

"Uuuuh~... Please, no more~! I can't take it anymoaaah~! Reelazed at onceeeee~...!" She moaned, but now she was gripping on my hair and pulling me closer. In the end, like butter, she melted on me. "Uuuuuh... I can't... Think straight... Anymore..."

And like that, it ended. I looked at her again, and she was now just a normal semi-conscious girl. Not even her speech was the same. We were surrounded by black ink all over the place, and Irene-san wouldn't respond to anything I would do. Yes, that's paying fire with fire. I just hope I didn't break her too much. Her panties were now colored completely black, and the whole room was now tinted in black. Huh, she's really a sweat maniac...

***SPLASH!***

"Cold!" Out of the sudden, cold water fell down on me, returning me to my cold and sane self, as I sat back on Irene-san's lap in between my legs. I turned around to see who did it, and holding a clean glass of water, there he was... Lord Calico Belphegor.

...

...

Gulp...

"H-Hey... I can... I can explain..." I can't, I really can't. The demon took over my body and abused Irene-san's body like she was a soap-lady. I rolled to a side and bowed so much my face planted on the floor! "I'm so sorry! I lost control! She forced herself to me, and when I knew best, everything happened! I'm sorry, Lord Belphegor!"

"You know, I don't really care what you do to my daughter. After all, she has this sweat fetish since I know best. I should be the one apologizing, since she was the one who attacked you. Thank goodness I missed and searched for her." Lord Calico rolled his eyes, and pat me on the head. After that, he picked Irene-san and covered her with a pink towel, caressing her asleep face like a true father would. "I won't declare anything against you, nor punish her. For what I can see, both of you already faced enough punishment and maybe reward. You horny teenagers, you."

"..." I made a face that pretty much shows the mixed feelings I'm having right now. On one side, she did attack me and I'm glad he saw my own as an offense. On the other hand... Well, nothing more to declare. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure. Irene has her problems, everybody does. I'm glad that you didn't take personally. Another thing: she usually loses control when she tastes either hopelessness and nervousness. I figured it would make you feel good about it. She just have a strange taste in helping people..."

"Did you just make a pun?"

"..."

"...?"

"Now that you mentioned, yes I did. Maybe the excess of work is really making me lose touch with my sense of humor." He sighed, and turned around with Irene-san to the exit. However, before he could even take the first step out, he turned around, and his gaze became dark and cold.「But do not confuse this. If you assault my daughter for anything besides self defense, I won't ever forgive you.」

"Yes, sir!" I bowed again, now a few inches into the floor. The aura around the room turned back to normal, and his eyes returned to the bored ones of usual. Lord Calico turned back to the exit.

"Well, then, I'll take my leave. Irene won't go to the baths, unfortunately. Also, don't worry about that drool, it dries easily, and soap might help a lot."

"Yes, sir."

「Father, I saw heaven...」

"I'm sure you did, honey. Your mother said the same thing when it happened to her..."

...

...

Okay, what the hell just happened? Did I just get soap-landed, with service and all? This was the freakiest day of my life, and I hope it stays that way.

After a few seconds of self meditation and mental struggle, together with a few bangs on the wall and bitch-slaps on the face. I took a long, long, long freezing shower to wash away the hotness of my body and the drool on my skin. It's sticky and it's kinda drying right now, covering me with it in a layer of dry spit. Gross.

While I was cleaning myself from Irene-san's drool and love ink, I put myself to think a little. There are still three other dragon-sacred gear users if what Miyama Rei said is truth. The Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat, the Jade Dragon Yu-Long and the sleeping dragon Midgardsormr. Who knows what other abilities those have, not to mention, we still gotta deal with the six other mysteries of Kuoh, and if they're as freaky as the first one, maybe I won't be able to take it all...

...

...

But then, it hit me...

I'm not alone.

Yeah. I mean, maybe Nemesis-San would be too busy to help me, but I still have people like Ryuubi and Tasha. Tasha specially, since she enrolled in Kuoh, and even without her, I still have Aria-san, Kaichou and maybe the whole student council. Yeah, that's right. Of they're as Miyama Rei, maybe I won't have to worry to much in the future...

Maybe having someone to rely on is really a good thing... For some reason, i'm relieved and lighter now...

Once I finished my bath, I wrapped myself on a towel and headed to the springs. My head is extremely light now, I all that problems vanished without a trace. Today is Sunday, anyway, so I don't need to worry for now...

"Oh-hoh! Look how's back!" The first one to greet me once I was on the springs was the giant emerald dragon Hwan Jin-Young Hyung, as he lifted a hand and gave a friendly laugh, fire coming out of his nostrils. "Took you long enough. I was already thinking that Lord Albion appeared and tried to kill you!"

"Bro, what happened? I know I said for you to clean your head, but jeez..." Aria-san said, standing up from the waters to come closer to face me. I just sighed, and let the breeze blow my thoughts away.

"Sorry, Aria-San, I had some problems with the shower, but everything is okay now. You won't have to pay for another showerhead." I joked, lifting both hands in a surrender pose and expressing nothing more. I looked back at her, and instead of a frown or anything else besides a grin, she tilted her head to a side, apparently confused. "What? What's the matter?"

"Wow, that was a pretty good shower, eh?" She said, returning her expression to her typical grin and giving me a friendly punch in the chest. I sighed again, and sat on the rocks of the springs, letting the water wash away the rest of my consciousness. "So, like I was saying, you don't need to worry about anything more, Bro! I already gathered a group more than elite-level, so you can rest thinking about was is yet to come this week!"

"Really? What a relief..." I said, further sinking into the waters. I was right. I'm not alone, there are people to share my problems with. Maybe being alone isn't so hot after all. Also, now is a good time to relax. Sit back and relax...

For some reason, my sight is becoming blurry~...

"Believe when I say that all of your problems will be over as soon as you meet them! They are the best of what they do! You won't even notice when they end it all!"

"..."

"Although they might end up destroying the school, which would be a pain with Nemesis later, I'm sure that those sacred gear users and the rest of the seven mysteries of Kuoh will be a breeze to them! Of course, we could just let Serena-chan take care of things, but the meeting of the factions is coming close, so we need to..."

"..."

"Bro...?"

"..."

"...?"

"**Blub, Blub, blub**..."

"Oh, my god! Hyung, help me out! Bro is drowning! What the hell! Seriously, bro, what happened to you in the bath house?!"

Okay, maybe not that much...

* * *

**yeah, that was... actually quite enjoyable to write. I had fun writing the lemon even though it was basially soap landing and reverse-r´´e. I dunno, I had this feeling to write something more or less freak, so... There you have it. It wopn't be a running thing, of course, but from time to time, I'll be writing those. Sweat fetish, yeah? Maybe I'll write that phenex have ryona fetish, i dunno.**

**like always, stay golden~.**


	36. The first way, new girl Bael

**Hey there, fandm. wow, two chapters in a spam of a few days. this might be a new record, now that the new saga is coming unfold.I hope you are all liking this long and kinda bizarre story, and if you're reading this here, well... Thank you for your support and liking of this little story and i hope you keep enjoying reading! Like always, stay golden~~**

**Disclaimer: Highschool dxd does not belong to me.**

* * *

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I'm gonna ask, what happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. If you know best, you won't want to hear it either." I said with a sigh, hovering my chopsticks on my bento as Ren enjoyed his sandwich with boxed juice. If only he know...

The past weeks... Well, they were something. Something something I fought this idiot and my friend Knight, the golden dragon, discovered the existence of aliens in Kuoh academy and almost lost my virginity to a crazy chick that says is my fiancée(and almost raped her too). Also, my sisters are back, and I almost lost an arm in a wrestling match against them after they discovered the new number of girls around. Fortunately, with all that training and a little help of Yoko, I put them back in place. Barely, I still need to wear those bandages because even now they're somehow stronger than me.

"Look, you were with me the whole week, and you know how messed up my everyday life can be. The past ones are not exceptions!" I said to him, frowning and finally picking a octopus sausage out of the lunchbox. I'm exhausted, and I've been spacing out a lot. But somehow, today the day looks brighter. Maybe my day at the springs helped me relax. After all, was all that happened there...

...

...

Who am I kidding? I blew a fillbuster and kissed my fiancé like an animal and released everything on her! That's why I'm so light! I used her thighs as an onahole, and assaulted her with saliva and blood! I've become my father! Soon I'll be attacking other girls with my uncontrollable libido!

"**AAAAAAAAHHH! I CANT MARRY ANYMOOOOREEE...!**" I stood up again and screamed to the heavens. The whole place trembled with my voice, and I only stopped because Ren went ahead and slapped me shut.

"Will you shut up?! Can't I just have a day without you having a bitchy-fit in the middle of nowhere?!" He said, as I could only twitch in pain, my face burning hot. I stood up to frown at him.

"Shut up. You don't know what it feels like being surrounded by weirdness." I said, biting my tongue, which I soon regret it because the wounds on it are still open, and looking back at my lunchbox. "Hey, Ren, can I tell you a secret? Something that happened to me this weekend? I wasn't going to, but I have the feeling that it'll start devouring me from the inside if I'm don't say it to someone, anyone."

"Go ahead. It's not like it'll much to a ninja, anyway." Of course it wouldn't. He's a ninja, he probably have seen worse in one day than everything I had in my entire lifetime. Still, that thing was pretty freaky. Whatever, I need to tell this to someone or else it'll stuck in my throat and shot out in the worse moment.

"I lost my V-card."

***PFFFFFFFF...!***

"Damn it! So much for a high-class ninja!" I dodged the flow of juice that came out of his mouth after such revelation. I still don't get people, that's why his reaction was expected, yet unwelcome. He choked on his own breath after that, tearing up like a condemned. "Chill out, will ya?! Where's the cool and collected of you ninjas?!"

"There's a thin line between 'news' and 'mind-blowing revelations', Tsukino-dono. Sometimes certain things must be kept hidden in order to maintain universal order." He said to no one, staring at the nothingness in front of him still with drool and tears running down his face. "Now that you unlocked the final lock, who knows what kind of horrors awaits us in the abyss. Our sanity will slip out of our reach as he drown even further in the godless territory..."

"And stay there, there are too many chapters where I am the joker. Let me be the straight man for once." I deadpanned, feeling the powers of the Tsukkomi returning to me. It's good to be the only sane man again, but I don't want to ruin my friendship with this blockhead, so I snapped him with a friendly punch in the arm. "What? I'm a teenager, we gotta share those things with friends, don't we?"

"..." He looked at me for a few seconds, snapping back to reality, and then turned his face away, blushing a little and covering his mouth. "We're not friends..."

"Yes, we are. Acquaintances, maybe. Partners in crime? Maybe a little too much, but we are something." I sighed, standing up from where I was sitting on the ground floor and taking now my time to open a juice box. "I think I'm getting the hang of being friends with somebody. It feels kinda nice."

"Please, no more. After that frenchy thing, anything that comes out of your mouth regarding friendship makes me feel dirty." He wheezed in a rather pathetic way, lifting his hand for silence in a silent way. I frowned at him, and pretty much opened a hole on the ground with a stomp so that same foot wouldn't land on his ass. After a minute or two of sharing pitiful stares, he finally asked. "So... How was it? Your first time? Popping your cherry? Reaching the finals? Doing a touchdown?"

"Weird... Weird as hell." I sincerely answered, my face immediately grimacing just by remembering my animal instincts assaulting Irene-san and her session of soap-landing on me. My tongue is still sore, and because of her mouth-rape, I'm still spitting her own saliva. I had to wash my mouth with alcohol in order to get rid of the taste. "It was really, really weird. Soap-landing, French kiss, thigh-job and make-out sessions. Everything was so fast and convoluted I almost ended up throwing up**(although I have the feeling she would had appreciate that.)**."

"Seriously? You're a teenager, and your first time was 'weird'?" He looked at me so confused, and at the same time with a glare that says 'are you serious' without words. Just remembering already gives me a vertigo sensation.

"You have to understand. Lady Akeno was a Sadomasochist and lord Vali had butt fetish. You have to keep in mind that not all the paraphilia around are 'inoffensive'." And hers was kinda really, really messed up. But gotta stay calm, or else she comes back to me. She even licked my armpit in all of that. Gross. I need to shave those to avoid that...

...

Wait, am I considering doing that again?! No, no! No, no, no!

"Shiiiiiiit~...!" I facepalmed to no one, taking a deep breath and trying to thing in good things, which was kinda impossible with all the weird things happening to me. Ren's still staring, I have to change the subject before the conversation goes anywhere else. And then I noticed a pretty girl passing by, not using Kuoh's uniform at all. Instead, she was wearing Babel institute's uniform. Isn't that the fancy school right besides Kuoh? "Huh...? Now that I think about it, there is a awful lot of students from others schools around?"

"You only noticed this now? Well, since you were too busy remembering your f-buddy, let me say something to you." Ren said, standing up and looking around with me to the other students around, from Kuoh's and other schools. The Babel institute, Gessen High, Horin's all-girl school, and many, many more. Seeing those Gessen highschoolers made me have a small bad nostalgia regarding another student from there. "Today is the selective day for the transferred candidates. All the students of other schools that want to enroll in Kuoh are gathered here."

"Is that s-Pfffff...!" I choked on my own words. My tongue slipped. Maybe I've said that same sentence so many times it ended up expiring in my mouth. Maybe it's because for some reason my lips are sore, maybe it's the wounds in my tongue after my make-out sessions with Irene-san, I dunno. "Sorry, my tongue slipped. So, anyway, any idea about the seven other mysteries of Kuoh? Since everybody will be too busy working out this transferee stuff, we will have time to search and avoid any problems."

Too soon, the moment I spoke that, he signal for the end of lunchtime rang, and my face faltered with that. Are you serious? However, it didn't stop there. Soon enough, an announcement signal rang, and the voice of Nemesis-san spoke through the voice-boxes.

'_Attention. Student Tsukino Ichijou from class 1-B, please present yourself at the headmistress's office. And come alone. That's all for now. Have a nice evening.'_

"Wheeeeh, wheeeh, 'I don't have a break, booohooo, I'm so miserable', or something like that, right?" Ren mocked, crossing his arms and pretty much mimicking my actual thoughts, although much more childishly. I flicked a good one on his forehead, and he simply grinned. Huh, not a bad one, actually. "Like you said, chill out. I'll be waiting for you anyway, anyday. We still got some weeks before the meeting. Don't worry, I'll take care while you're at it."

"Thanks." I said, lifting a fist for him. He stared at it for a few seconds, turned back to me, to the fist, to me, and finally he sighed and we fist-bumped. We shared a second of thought, then a grin. I was about to take my way to Nemesis-San office, but before I could do that, I turned back to him and tossed him something from my pocket. He picked in one go, looked at it and gave me a question mark. It was a small pack the size of a pebble. "If you ever encounter Annie, before you TRY to kill her, give that to her. Think of that as a... Request from a client."

"..." He looked at the pack again, and after a few seconds, he hid it inside the pockets of his gakuran and blushed. "Okay, fine. But just this time."

"Thanks again." And with that out of the way, I took my way to Nemesis-san's office.

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

It took me a few minutes to finally reach Nemesis-san's office. Like a polite lad, I knocked a few times, and after a while, Nemesis-San gave me the permission to enter, so I did just that.

I opened the door, and like always, Nemesis-San was using her Morimoto Shizuka disguise, Aria-San right next to her. However, from where I can see, three figures were also present here: Serena-kaichou, a pretty lady with azure spiky hair and green eyes wearing Babel institute's uniform and a girl I've never met before wearing Kuoh academy's one. She had long and wild spiky black hair and deep purple eyes, as well as an aura that warned me somehow to not mess with her. That other bluennete also possessed a very freaky aura.

"Good evening, headmistress Shizuka. In what can I be useful today?" I turned my attention to the headmistress in front of me. She instead stood up and picked a cup of tea from Aria-San.

"Well, first of all, good evening for you too, Tsukino. Now, you might have noticed the awful bunch of students around school grounds, am I correct?" I noticed that just recently, so in order to avoid getting scold for not paying attention, I simply nodded. "In total, there are 666 contestants who want a place in Kuoh academy. All of them want to transfer here from their old schools."

"Wow, all of that? How come?" I questioned. Nemesis-san took a backseat on her own chair, while Aria-san took a step up and explained the rest.

"The truth is, bro, our school has several reasons of why someone want to transfer here. From the fact this is a prestigious school to the simple desire to build a harem due the girl/boy ratio around." She grinned, and in response, I frowned a little, but chuckled internally, remembering senpai. She soon resumed to lift a hand and signed to the pretty bluenette next to Kaichou. "However, it came to us that a total of three other individuals want to become Kuoh's students for a specific reason. Sarah-chan...?"

"Sarah-chan...?"

"Tururu~, that would be me, Sekiryuutei." The girl in Babel's uniform said with a hand up. Once he got my attention, she smiled a little and took a deep breath to talk. "It turns out, three of my siblings want to transfer here because this place homes the ultimate evil that we fear so much. In order to defeat it, we need to know the place, and once our terrorist attempts failed, we saw that becoming part of Kuoh's staff would be less alarming. End of message."

" 'Terrorist attacks'... So it was one of you who attacked Class 1-D, wasn't it?!" Rage dominated my body, and I stomped hard on the floor and summoned my Sacred Gear! She's one with Miyama's, one of the Dragon Kings' sacred gear-users! She must know where he is! However, before I could leap at her, Serena-kaichou stepped to in front of her and shielded her, while the other mysterious girl hit me in a blind spot at the speed of light. I fell down on my knees, but my rage was still up. "It was one of you, wasn't it?!"

"Calm down, Tsukino Ichijou! This is the worst time for a rage attack!" Nemesis-San screamed from her chair. After that, reluctantly, I grunted away and dismissed my Boosted Gear. The place turned back to normal, and soon, Nemesis-San began her explanations. "It's true that Lady Sarah Leonheart..."

"Manga artist, AB-blood type, 17-years old with birthday on June 12th, Japanese. End of message."

"Whatever... Planned and executed a unsuccessful Terrorist attack against Kuoh. However, after some time and enough persuading, we entered an agreement with her." I turned to the bluenette duo.

"I took her to Tokyo Disney. We had fun and finally ended with a date dinner at the Tokyo Tower." Serena-Kaichou smiled, as the girl next to her blushed a little. This is really getting out of hand. I turned to Aria-San, and like she was saying 'see what I mean?', she grinned. Okay, maybe this whole 'all-on-all' is a thing in the underworld, yet no way in hell I'll French Ren. Kissing Irene-San wasn't all that bad, thoug-Aaaaaaahh!

"Anyway!" We shifted our attention back to Nemesis-San. "The rest of the Miyama runaways are in between the others 666 students that want to transfer here. In order to avoid chaos and find them out, I'm appointing you and... Serena Sitri, plus lady Sarah as a mole, in order to find them. Also, you'll serve as mediators in order to avoid casualties. After all, the method to capture dragons can be... Bloody."

"Huh..." I don't know nothing, but if Hyung is strong like his truly, who knows what those humans with Sacred Gears based on the rest of the five kings can do. However, for me, a question was left unanswered. I turned to Sarah-San. "Hey, Sarah-san, you said something about an 'Ultimate evil' by the organs of Kuoh. Care to elaborate?"

"..." However, her answer was none. Not even a state or a sight, only silence. Sarah-san hid herself behind Kaichou. I vein popped on my head, as I step once into her direction.

"Hey!"

"Forget it, bro. Sarah-chan won't say a thing. She said everything, except that particular 'Ultimate Evil'. I guess this is a thing between them." Aria-San said. I turned back to Sarah-San, and she gave me an apologizing bow. It was sincere enough, so I just sighed away and returned to my natural form.

**"Tch, no wonder you're considered the worst Sekiryuutei. You lack guts to have anything by your side. Things are not like in a Shounen manga, y'know.**" Suddenly, the girl who was quiet this whole time spoke. I turned to her as she flicked her long and black hair and threw daggers at me with those cold violet eyes.** "You can't simply say that everything's gonna be alright. How gullible can you be?"**

"What?!" I said to her. Everyone on the room suddenly quiet down as I stared back at the new girl! For some reason, she's pissing me off. However, to avoid any unnecessary confrontation, I turned to Nemesis-San. "Hey... Headmistress Shizuka, who's that?"

"..." Instead of an straight answer, she gulped down a little, turned to Aria-san and waited. That alone was enough to creep me out. "She's..."

**"I am the descendant of the one and only True Great King of the Underworld. My name now is Ludger Bael, and I shall be the next grandmaster."** She declared, as the weight of her words somehow hit me hard. So suffocating, I wanted to mentally snark at that, but even that was proved to be difficult. There was something pretty nasty, yet familiar about her aura. It looked like someone just punched my gut with the strength of a boxer.** "And I shall be also a mediator against the Sacred Gear-users during this elective trial. However, I won't weigh words or efforts to subdue them in case they lose control."**

"...!" I think I know pretty much what she means by that, and so did Sarah-San. She turned to that chick Ludger and shouted. "Message! Don't harm my siblings! They don't know what they do! We lost contact for a while, but I know that...!"

**"On your knees."** However, she was soon cut-short after Ludger said those words. In a second, she was on her knees, and because of the creepy aura leaking, so did I. What kind of power is that? Is that the paper... Of a descendant of the Great King Bael? But not even Nemesis-san or Gremory had that power? What the hell is that Ludger chick. The silence reigned for a while, and so the Raven-haired girl continued. **"And with that, I shall take my leave. And please, don't interfere with my job during those trials. I will control myself, but if they resist, I can't guarantee their safety. Farewell."**

And she left the place with a magic Rune I don't actually remember, but reminded me of something. The aura around the place vanished, and with the help of Kaichou, Sadah-San stood up from the floor and received some encouraging words, soon leaving the place. I stayed for two reasons. I turned back to Nemesis-san, who was sighing and lost this whole time, and opened my mouth to speak.

"Nemesis-san, in all honesty, who was that bitch?" I said. I thought Aria-San would slap her King or simply make a face, but instead, she deeply sighed. Nemesis-san turned her bloodshot eyes to me.

"She's... She's... **Ludger Bael**." The next heiress of the Gremory clan said with a weighted voice and passive eyes. I frowned a little to that half-assed answer. What the hell, was that even remotely satisfying in her eyes?! However, I couldn't bring myself to ask again. Instead, I picked a chain of keys out of my pocket and tossed to Nemesis-san's table. "Keys...?"

"Those are... The **keys** to my house. When Rina wakes up, I want you to give that to her and say that she can visit me anytime." I poured a little, and turned my head to another direction in embarrassment. Geez, this is the only way I can do it. After that passing week, after Yoko's accident, I couldn't stop thinking about Annie and Gremory and their situation. I mean, Yoko almost died, and since she wants to reset our friendship, I realized that maybe I wasn't being too fair with Rina specially. So, wherever they are, even for a small visit, I want to see them again. I sighed, and hid my face with a hand. "I mean... Tell her I want to talk with her. I might be my fault that she's where she is. So... Aaah, what the hell, say that she can visit me back when I'm home. I'd pay a visit to her, but I'm too busy nowadays..."

"..." Nemesis-san wilded her shiny purple eyes at me for a time, and after a while, they watered up a little, and she sniffed once. This freaked me out! Oh, crap. Did I just pull an inconvenient flag?! Before I could apologize, however, she dried her tears and shined one shinning smile at me. My blushed creeped through my whole face. Her smile... Is precious. "Thank you. Rina really met... Some good friends."

"I'll... Be taking my leave." was all I could muster as I took my way out of her office. Once outside, I took breath and sighed. 'Good friends', eh? No, not at all. I'm just a selfish asshole sometimes, and maybe I took some of her shenanigans too seriously. She was just a girl wanting to play make-believe, and even with all that treatment... She even said she loved me. This makes me feel bad... A little.

"Tururu~. Taking your time to flirt with miss Nemesis? So the rumors they say about your late-evening leaves at school ground are true." I turned next to the door, and there she was, Sarah Leonheart(Japanese), together with Serena-kaichou, resting their backs on the wall. They're probably waiting for me. "If you don't mind, we still need to arrange the gym in order to receive the candidates and thus, my long lost siblings. End of message."

"So... You don't remember them, that's really convenient. Well, I met one, apparently your leader, and I know another who's probably also your sister, so this means there only two to go." I declared, as her eyes shined hearing those words. Crap, she's too honest. This means she really don't remember any of them. Well, they have different surnames, so probably they split during some time. I turned to Kaichou. "But... Hey, Kaichou, why they need us as mediators? Can't your own peerage take care of that? I mean, it's not like all those 666 students are all supernatural creatures, right?"

"..." And her only response was an forced half-assed grin. Trembling lips, avoiding eye contact, sweating buckets, this can only mean one thing. Shit's going down.

"Right...?"

"Tururu~, unfortunately, Sekiryuutei, the majorly of the students who wants to transfer here are indeed supernatural identities. Just a few humans." Sarah Leonheart(Japanese) said without blinking. I turned to Kaichou, and after a deep, heavy sigh, she nodded. Are you serious. I turned to Sarah-San, and she eyed me oh so curiously. "It's true. Kuoh academy is famous for it's history of great tales. Of course that it would bring several other creatures from other folklores. After all, nothing ever exciting happens in other schools except Kuoh. End of message."

"Oh, jolly-joy crap."

"Tururu~, which is quite curious, really. No sane creature would ever want to transfer here. Kuoh is the worst school ever. End of message."

"Huh...?" That one was freaky. Why would she said something like that? Before she could say anything more, Kaichou made us follow her to the gym, where the meeting and gathering would take place in.

Somehow, I'm nervous...

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

And after the school period, the massive amount of students gathered in the gym, the total of six rows for different schools: Gessen high, Babel institute, Hourin all-girls private school, Tokioka educational colony and finally Hijirigazaka academy. From here, I could see Sarah-san's blue hair sticking out like a sore thumb in between the new students, but for some reason, I couldn't find Miyama Rei in between the students of Gessen.

Currently, I'm at the entrance door, my back turned against it with Lady Ludger Bael right next to me with her arms crossed and stoic expression turned to the podium. I dunno, but I'm feeling a strange aura leaking out of her, and it's suffocating me. She noticed my stare, and turned to me.

**"Stop staring at me, Sekiryuutei. You might get blind."** She simply spoke. This sentence just popped a vein out of my head. Gremory also said that, with the exception of Lord Sairaorg, all the other members of the Bael clan are extremely tightass and traditional. She probably doesn't see me as worthy since I'm a reincarnated devil. Figures**. "Don't even touch me. Don't get near me, don't breath my air, and only talk when I allow you to. Otherwise, be quiet. You're a servant of the house of Gremory, therefore my servant by default, so know your place."**

***SNAP!***

"Why, you...!" I started to crack my fingers, so pissed off that my vision became jet-red. I probably snapped a vein by sheer rage alone. Who that pipsqueak thing she is to talk about me like that? However, her sudden move changed the scenario out of nowhere; and all of my determination vanished as her overwhelming power again showed by just her stare. I grunted, seeing the difference between our powers, and returned to my place. "Don't go around thinking that you're the king of the world, young lady. One that, someone will definitely kick your ass!"

"I used to think that, too. To try to find a way to beat everyone alone. But now I see the world in a different light." That sentence was actually pretty sad. It almost made me feel sorry for her, the key-word being 'almost', specially due to her next one.** "So I choose to follow my true lineage. The Bael clan. So I guess now I am truly the king of the world, Sekiryuutei. Like I said, know your place."**

I couldn't bite my tongue since it was wounded enough, so instead I bit my thumb. So much for another tightass. No use trying to discuss with her. I put my problems up to the air and decided to ignore her. Less trouble, much silence. I took a look around, and Ren was there too, looking by the signal lights pointing at the podium. We have another problem to deal here, anyway...

Suddenly, all the lights flicked a few times, and after a while, they all pointed their shines to the president of the student council who was standing tall at the podium, adjusting the microphone and taking a deep breath to begin her speech.

"Good evening and welcome to the gates of Kuoh academy, dear transferred candidates." She said, cleaning her throat a little in order to stand against such a crowd. Some whispers were heard. She continued. "As you all might know now, the entrance exam for the supernatural is a little... Different than the simple transference for the normal students. While most of you are already second or third years, you might think that such task will be simple. However, I'm have the unfortunate task to inform you all that regardless of your own ranking, the entrance exam will require much more than that. And for that, I present you the judges for such. The d**xd Children**!"

And Kaichou stepped aside while the black curtain behind her opened space. From there, the dark silk let the lights enter the new place, and from there... Nothing. There was no one there. I squint my eyes as I could, but to no avail. There was really nothing there.

"What the... I don't see a thing." I said out loud. Ludger-San then sighed.

**"Look closer, Sekiryuutei."** She spoke, then returning to the podium. I did it so, and then BAM! a chill ran down my spine, and out of the sudden, my body began to sweat buckets as a pretty diverse bunch appeared out of nowhere to the said podium. The whole gym gasped, seeing that little group of five young adults behind the curtains. From here, I could also see Aria-San by their sides. What the hell?! I turned back to Ludger-san, and she was also trembling a little. She gulped down hard, and spoke.** "Who would've thought, right? The power of the dxd children combined is so above us that their simple presence makes us turn our heads and ignore them out of fear. Like a simple group of fish that ignores a predator at the bottom of the ocean."**

I couldn't also stop trembling, and when I knew it best, at least half of the students here fell on their knees. Some of them were already crying, others looking at other direction. After a while, however, the sensation of extra weight vanished, and I was back to normal. Not so lucky for others, but one of the said 'DxD children' didn't lose any second, and reached for the podium and microphone. Isn't that... Nemesis-san's bishop, Himejima Akio-san?

"And good evening, dear transferee wannabes. How do you do, today? My name is Himejima Akio, and I'll be the one taking your first test, today!" With those words, a sensation of panic spread through all the entire gym. I was also curious and confused. What? The test would be take today? Worse, right now?! That's just unfair! However, before anyone could faint, Akio-san lifted a finger and smiled. "Yare, yare. What a troublesome bunch. Please, stay calm, y'all. Today's test in just a personal, simple question. If you can answer it in your heart, and stay true to yourself, you pass! That's the only task. Even if you don't have the answer, if you stay here and say 'I want to stay at Kuoh', then you're free to pass to the second test. Pretty simple, right?"

After all of that chaos, suddenly, the air became calmer, yet everyone stayed confused, me included. Akio-san said that the only trial for today is to simply want to stay at Kuoh? That seems easy enough. I mean, she even said that the ones that wants to stay at Kuoh, even without a resolution of their own, can pass to the second test. This seems easy enough. And everyone seems okay with that. Calm reigned once more at the gym. However, Akio-san cleaned her lungs, and spoke...

"Very well. The only question you need to answer in order to pass for the next trial is..."

**... What the hell is wrong with you for you to want to transfer to Kuoh academy?!**

"...!"

"What...?" I dunno what happened, but her words hit me right in the heart. That was actually a pretty, if not a little rude, question. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. For some reason, the majory of the students here present couldn't do it either, with a few other exceptions. Akio-san coughed a little, and continued...

"You heard that right: why would someone in their right mind ever want to transfer here? This is the worst school ever." She said with a sign of actually thrill and enjoyment by the suffering of others. "I don't actually care for that, but you all must be pretty much social masochists. After all, your school years here will be completely empty and without any substance of meaning. And do you know why? Because no one will ever remember you."

Now, half of the students present fell on their knees, while the other half was struggling to keep themselves up, with a few exceptions, one of them being Sarah-san. Akio-san didn't save words with her next statement.

"Maybe you want to have a prestigious school life full of achievements and success. Unfortunately, you won't find it here, because no matter what you do, someone will steal that from you without blinking twice." She said, as now part of the other half fainted and went to the ground. "Perhaps a good and happy school year with new friends and club members? Too bad, that same person that stole your place at the spotlight will also steal any change of you getting friends. And I'm talking about the pretty girls. If you're not busty, or pretty, or unique in a way, I can guarantee that no one will remember you."

"Cruel..." I gulped down a set of uneasiness, as even those who stand tall until here were beginning to tremble. Akio-san licked her lips, and cracked her fingers.

"You won't get either a boyfriend or a girlfriend, because everybody will be following those so-called idols. If you're a guy and want a harem, or even a girlfriend, too bad. There'll be a much more handsome idol guy around that probably is the exact one that will be either full of achievements or friends, attracting females around it. And you girls think that this guy will be Available? Think again, he probably will be the lover or under the orders or the said pretty girl idol. In short, no one will ever remember you, student-wise."

I gulped again. Now the whole gym was either despairing or crying, and only a small percent of the students remained tall against Akio-san's harsh words.

"Your club won't ever win a tournament unless that same girl or guy is part of the team as a substitute for the absent teammate; you won't ever win at the school festival as long as that idol is in the same activity as you; the teachers won't ever remember you or listen to your problems. The best you can get is for them to call your name during the class calling, and only if that same idol girl or guy is in the same class!" She grinned, blushing and pretty much enjoying every single moment of that mind-torture. Tears ran down my face, as I could see some students desperately trying to get out of there. "In short, your pathetic, meaningless, short and empty school life will be all about those specific students, with you as they simple lackey, servant. You won't ever be an idol, they will; you won't ever win at anything, they will; you won't have friends or meaningful relationships as long as you don't either follow or worship them, and finally, by the end of the day, it'll be just one more by the rest of the year. That's why I ask you all another question: who still wants to be part of this lovely school that doesn't benefit or help anyone but a limited number of important students?"

"Now, Sekiryuutei, we shall open the door." Ludger-san said, as she pushed the bar on the door so that it could open her part of the gates. I gave her an question mark, but did the same despite he fact that my hands were still trembling because of Akio-san's words. Come to think of it... Was she talking about Kaichou? Serena Sitri, heiress of the Sitri clan, is the number one student of the second year grade-wise, the president of the student council, full of friends and servants, with good looks and grades. There are other idols in Kuoh? Well, nobody ever talks about them, is all about Kaichou and her looks and antics. Wow, that was really cold. After a while, Akio-San smiled once more, and pointed at my direction.

"For those who want that life, please stay. Otherwise, the door is open for you to simply walk away and escape this place. This was the Manusya trial. Goodbye~..."

And she stepped out of the podium, jumping to her place of the group dxd by the other side of the curtains, and then disappearing again. Serena-Kaichou reached for the microphone and tried to speak something, but that fell onto deaf ears as a great chunk of the students there just turned around and ran for the exit. Some of them fainted during the meeting and had to be carried away by others.

It was complete chaos, so I reached for one of the basketball rings and stuck there to avoid getting stomped on. This is insane. They were all so confident, but that speech... No wonder Akio-san's the descendant of the maiden of Thunder and Lightning, a true sadist, this time, one with words...

The reports came soon after, and for the said 'Manusya trial' the numbers went from 666 contestants to 465, Sarah-San being one of them. Unfortunately, she couldn't find her siblings due the strong magic energy the rest of the students there. However, I could spot Miyama Rei, but he disappeared as soon as he received his approval note. Damn it...

After that, we all went to the student council room, a place not so different than the other classrooms at Kuoh, with just me, Ludger-san, Sarah-san and Kaichou.

"That was... Terrible. I could feel my heart being stomped every time Akio-San would open her mouth." I said still with that uncomfortable feeling of weakness and pressure against my being. I took another quick gulp of water, as Sarah-San did the same. Maybe it's because we are... Kinda human-like, those words have a bigger effect on us.

"That's Akio-dono's gimmick right there. She has that ability to control the unprepared heart of others and make them her own pet. You can say that she can use words mightier than swords." Kaichou spoke, taking a nervous laugh while Ludger-san flicked her hair once again. "Still, I'm impressed. You three, still being so young, being able to withstand a direct blow from her. What an achievement!"

**"Those with weak hearts and resolutions can't enter Kuoh that easily."** Finally Ludger-san spoke. She made a glacé pose, and gave us a contemptuous stare. **"Nor those who can't even withstand words. You must've noticed, Akio-dono's speech wasn't to discourage them, but to save them of a miserable school life. After all, everything during the Hyoudou-era was around the 'three onee-samas' of Kuoh academy and their servants. Nothing else could've been said. Even lord Hyoudou, the so called 'Hero of the Underworld', was just a loser if it wasn't for one of them."**

"Hey! Don't you dare talk shit about my senpai!" I said, turning to her. She did that just to piss me off, I'm deadly sure about that! She turned to me, her eyes filled with ill-intent, And gave me a sigh. "You just did that to piss me off, didn't you?!"

**"Does the power of the Red Dragon Emperor gives you also the ability to read minds? Don't go around guessing what I'm thinking."** She said, again flicking her hair.** "Your education regarding high-class Devils shows some lack of common sense. Maybe that Berolina-brat wasn't as strict as she should be. Or maybe it was your up-bring that caused that. What? Did your mother was too busy serving others to take care of you!"**

"THAT'S IT!" That's it indeed! Talking about Gremory while she's in a coma was already crossing the line, but shit-talking my mother is enough to have a face-meeting with my fists! I leaped towards her and picked her by the collar, lifting her above the ground! My fist was wen trembling to sink itself on her pretty face! "You don't dare talk about my mother like that! Don't you even dare mentioning Rina, because she's in a coma, for God's sake! For going so low, so low, I should... I SHOULD...!"

***DRIP! DRIP!***

"What...?" However, before I could even hit her, something happened, something that melted all my will to harm her: she's crying. For some reason, she's crying. That alone left me dumbfounded enough to halt all of my movements and stare at her in confusion. Why? Why is she crying? That doesn't make any sense. "What... What...?"

**"Hush, Sekiryuutei. And let me go. I did not give you the permission to touch me."** She spoke in a morose tone, frowning and then slapping my hand away. I was so confused I let go of her after that single contact, as she landed on the floor and adjusted her collar a little. She dried her tears with her sleeves. She turned her eyes to me again, those amethyst orbs of the void, and lifted one hand, in which a sphere of darkness appeared. Is this... The power of destruction?! **"Don't make me vanish you from existence."**

"Hey, you! Don't do anything harsh!" Serena-Kaichou said, giving her best warning stare that even I stopped any harsh moves. Ludger-san looked at her, and soon the power of destruction in her hands vanished.

**"I was just kidding. However, like I've said before, know your place, Sekiryuutei. Insubordination is the worst sin a devil can commit, and I won't be so merciful next time."**

And she turned away from me. Before anything, however, she tapped her left foot on the floor a few times, and suddenly, the sensation of gravitational pull made me fall in my knees, the air being pulled out of my lungs and the pressure against my body to tenfold in just a second. It took me a few seconds to recover from that. And giving one more stare at me, she summoned a magic rune and with it, vanished from the student council room. Serena-Kaichou sighed, and sat on her seat, while I had a full glass of water to deal with that stress. Who the hell is Ludger Bael?! What does she want?! Why is she here?! I turned to Kaichou.

"Kaichou, who the hell was that chick?! Is she a friend of yours?!" I said to her, so enraged I shouted at her. Still on her seat, Kaichou looked at me.

"Yes, you can say that." Kaichou answered. Another Half-assed answer for an important question. What the hell? Why is everyone so vague about this chick?! I know she is a Bael, Great King and all that jazz, but cut off some slack, she's not even here! Before I could say anything else, Kaichou sighed and lifted her hand. "Ichijou-kun, please don't ask about her. She's a special and private case. For now, why don't you take Sarah-chan home? Her house is not very far from here."

"But I...!" I tried to say, but suddenly my female detector said that she was too upset to answer straightly. Yes, I have a female mood-detector, you can develop one when you live since birth with women that will skin you alive during one of those days and moods. I bit my fingers again, and signed to Sarah-san. She followed soon after as we walked towards the exit of Kuoh academy...

"Triple-sixes minus four hundred and sixty-five. That's almost two hundred students giving up after one single speech right there." I said to no one in particular, Sarah-San by my side, wondering how deadly was Akio-san's time on the spotlight. Not even I could handle it very well.

"Recalculating... You meant two hundred and one students, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou." She said. I gave her an 'are you serious?' Face, but after a quick recount, I realized she is right. Pff, that one was lame, but it was for one number, though. "Tururu~, don't be upset, you were almost there. Or perhaps the real source of your uneasiness was caused by that girl, Ludger Bael. Am I right? Yes/no."

"Seriously, did Kaichou really pass an entire date with you taking like that?" I deadpanned at her. However, she didn't mind as she was still holding two hands up waiting for an answer. Sigh. I am really easy to read. This will kill me one day... "Yes. The answer is yes. I'm upset because of that Bael chick. I have already enough women to deal with, and plus an guy idiot. To think I'll have to deal with her too... Ugh, this spins my head like crazy!"

"You said 'enough women to deal with'. Does that includes me? Yes/no." I turned to her, and she gave me a pretty upset face. Oh, crap. I did it again. I said something that upset some done without intention. Sheesh takin it to much into context, eh?

"Don't flatter yourself, I don't even know you. But if had to answer it, I guess you wouldn't be in the list of 'girls pissing me off'. As much as I know you, at least." I said, turning the other way and blushing. Smooth as a cactus, eh Tsukino Ichijou? Why do I have the habit of saying those nonsenses?! Gosh, maybe it's the Tsukino genes rubbing on me. Shit, womanizer asshole.

"I'm glad to hear that, end of message." She said to me. I turned to her, and she gave me a playful smile, which was enough to make me blush even more. I take it all back, she'll another teaser on my life. "Tururu~. Look, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, there's a message waiting in your recording message."

"What?" She pointed to a random direction, and aiming my gaze towards it, I saw Tasha half-asleep supporting her back on the entrance wall. Is she waiting for me. I walked to her direction and with a quick hand wave, I got her attention. "Hey, Tasha. What's up?"

"Waiting for you." She simply said, patting my head. Sheesh, another one. What a drag. "School's out. You didn't come. Worried. A little."

"Yeah, sorry. I had to take care of things with the student council. You didn't need to wait for me. It's already getting dark. Mother is probably worried." I said. Mum is probably worried, but my sisters... They'll probably ask if I went in a love hotel with Tasha, and beat me regardless. I sighed with the upcoming beatdown, and waved for her, to point at Sarah-San. "Err... Tasha. Sarah. Sarah. Tasha. She's my escort for today. I hope you can both get along."

"..." Tasha looked at Sarah-san for a second, two seconds, scanned her whole body, blinked a few times, and then sighed. And then, for some reason, she smiled. Tasha smiled. Shit, that's the second one out of nowhere. "Greetings. Name: tasha Campbell.** N-T-M-Y.**"

"Database: Sarah Leonheart. 17-years old, second year student from Babel institute transferring to Kuoh. Manga artist, blood type AB. Japanese. **N-T-M-Y-T**." And then, Sarah-san also smiled. My nose is bleeding now, I think o had enough of precious smiles today. Tasha turned to me, and pointed at finger at Tasha.

"Good girl. Good boobs. Harem candidat-...?"

"And where are gone! Sarah-san's parents are probably worried about her and you don't want to miss dinner, do you, Tasha?! Okay, okay, fine, fine, let us go~!"

And before She could finish one of her jokes, I came to behind her to push her away to a random direction, soon joining Sarah-san as she pointed to the direction of her home.

For now, let's just think of today's problems and solutions. I have the impression that today's trial was just the beginning, but I don't want to ruin the moment for now. Let's not be gloomy, and make Sarah-san glad that Kaichou chose me as her escort.

Yeah, I'm really taking the hang of all of that friendship thing.

But there's a problem that still needs solution... A problem with a name...

Ludger Bael.

* * *

**And no fights this chapter. instead, let's try to have mind games for now. Of course, knowing myself, it won't last long and ichijou will probably punch someone out of nowhere. So, yeah, new girl, an arrogant ojou at that with a strange habit. Who wants her in ichijou's harem? hehehe...**

**Like always, stay golden.**

**btw, that N-T-M-Y thingy? it means 'nice to meet you', it's not anything big, really. Poor ichijou just doesnt understands.**


	37. Mysterious girls and strange proposals

**Hey there. Now a 10k chapter. Wow, I'mm really liking to write this story. But, also, there's a character in this chapter who likes to say words in a repetitive things get annoying, just write a review and I'll try to make something out of it. I'm doing my best!**

**Also, for thew dear mr. guest that has been reviewing this story asking for Berolina, don't worry. In fact, her presence will be a key point in this arc. So, she'll be appearing anytime soon. Don't worry okay? I thank you for liking this particular oc and I hope you keep reading. so... As always, stay golden~, y'all.**

**as a disclaimer, dxd does not belong to me**.

* * *

It's cold today...

I hate this...

But I need to keep training, or else everything will be lost...

I can't go back home anymore, I can't go back to the tsukino's anymore, I can't go back to the village anymore...

All I got now... Is the assassination of the Vampire King...

"C'mon, Albert! Harder! Faster! Stronger! Gimme your best shot!" I screamed in the middle of the night, as I patiently waited in the deep woods for his assault! There are at least ten clones of him now, all well equipped and ready to kill me. I need to calm down and wait...

And wait... And wait... And wait...

***SHACK!***

"Wow!" I dodged a swift move from the ground, jumping out of the harm's way, as I tossed a kunai in the direction of the target. The image itself was just a blur, but from here, I saw it was one of Albert's clones. The poof of smoke it turned into showed that I hit it on the right spot! But I can't let my guard down.

***VOOSH!***

***VOOSH!***

"Double teaming won't work!" Two green flashes appeared to me, aiming to hit me in midair. However, I was faster, and summoned a shadow clone in the right moment to used it as a platform and jump away. The clone disappeared in a spoof of smoke, and the two dumb turtles clashed against each other. I was about to deal a final double blow, but I felt a alarmingly high temperature by my back. I spin to look behind me, and there was a fireball coming to my direction! "Shit!"

I made some hand signs and created a bubble of water in order to fight against that. I launched it against it, and in another spoof of vapor, it extinguished away. However, from it, I saw a turtle shell coming right into my direction! It was just a decoy! Before I could react to it, that natural shield hit me right in the stomach, and I fell to the ground. The three turtles them launched several blasts of different elements against me.

"Crap! Summoning, demon wind ninja star!" I said, picking a giant windmill shuriken and dodging the blasts from the turtles. I enchanted the shuriken with wind spirits and threw it. The weapon then extended it's blades even more, and due to the wind technique, it became a true eye of a tornado! The typhoon blew the turtle trio away, and I finished with a ninja star for each one of them! They blew in spoof of smoke. "Alright!"

***ZING!***

"Too slow!" I then pulled a line of string from a hidden place amount the grass, and like I was expecting, the incoming attack from five turtles came to a halt, as they were now on midair, stuck in between my net of razor strings. I pulled it even further, and the clones ended up clashing against trees, immobilizing each one of them! "Now, take this! Ninja technique: Qillin's punishment!"

And without ceremony, lightning passed through the lines of strings to electrocute the clones. They shined a sick green light, and then also disappeared in smoke. Okay, nine down, one more to go. And I have a pretty good idea what it's preparing for me.

***BAM! BAM! BAM!***

"And bingo..." And said, turning around to the direction those hard, large stomped were been heard. The whole forest trembled against such impact, and walking to my direction, trees were falling, animals were running away and fruits were falling down. In the end, that massive shadow revealed itself as a giant clone of Albert, roaring like a true kaiju. I simply smiled, making some hand signs. "Well, well, I'm proud of you, Albert. Not only you can hold your expansion technique by your own, but you can read my mind as well. Okay, as a reward, I'll try to control myself!"

And soon I finished the hand sequence. Out of the sudden, the already cloudy night sky became darker and darker. Lightnings danced on the sky, and a few drops were falling. I couldn't care less, but again, one of the electric lines on the sky descended upon me. I gritted my teeth, feeling again the skin of my arm being peeled out due to the massive power I was about to unleash, and then, in a smooth, quick move, I touched the ground, and a summoning rune appeared right there...

**"Forbidden summon technique: Thunder God Emperor Qillin!"**

***DOOOOOOOOON!***

And then... Darkness.

...

...

When I first woke up, it was already dawn. The whole forest was silent, and not a single trace of animals by some miles due to the destruction I caused. I was resting my back against a large tree, and Albert was now sleeping beside me. At least I didn't kill him.

I looked at my arm, and like I was expecting, it was all burnout, with the skin peeling out and I couldn't move it very well. I wasn't feeling a thing with it, but every time I try to move it, it twitches a little and sends a painful feeling to my brain. That sure was a killing one. I wonder what Ichijou would say if he ever find out about this. He'd probably go 'are you trying to kill yourself?! Think twice before doing that shit!' Or something like that.

Why am I thinking about him now; anyway?

***ROONC~...!***

It took me a while to finally try to stand up. Okay, first things first, I need to take care of this arm of mine and then find something to eat. Luckily for me, there wasn't any animals around, so I could freely walk into the woods. It didn't take long to find me a good vine rope and use it's juices to pass onto my wounds, sealing those away with some long leaves. Bandages would've been a better choice, but since it's still too early to steal some, this will have to do.

Of course, I soon found some fallen fruits scattered around, probably after the great fight I had yesterday. Some of them were burned, others were full of maggots. Only a few had healthy looks. I picked one apple and took a bite out of it.

"It's bitter..." I grimaced, trying my hard to get use to it. It's still too early to try to steal anything, and Kuoh city is still very far away. I sighed,

If there's anything I regret for defecting my group was the fact that the food was great. Big sis boobs was a great chef, and mama cobra wasn't half bad either, Red dragon was also very good. Now, even if I wanted to go back just to have a quick snack, I can't, because I'm a stray, and unless I come back as the vampire King, the hell enforcers would arrest me for treason. I can't go back home, I can't go back to the village, and I can't go back to school. Until the meeting, I can only train and become stronger to defeat the ninjas and kill the vampire King... Only then... Only then mama and papa will be together forever... And we can be a family again...

So... I regret nothing for leaving the group after all... I am a ninja...

_'Because... Because I want to be your friend!'_

_'We did it! we're awesome, Ninja!'_

_'Please, take care of my daughter...'_

_'We love you, you know that, Annabelle Hellsing?'_

I regret... Nothing, I'm a ninja, after all...

***BITE!***

Ew, this apple is worse than I thought: it's not just bitter...

... It's salty, too.

.

**~~X~~**

.

It has been a while since I last came to Kuoh. If I remember correctly, it was roughly half a month ago, when Nemesis and Rina-chan had their Rating Game. What a memory. That chick's punches still hurt a little, but nothing like a good healing session with the girls to put me right on top again!

Sex is still very strange for me...

Currently, I am hiding next to the old building of Kuoh academy, next to mr. Michaelis and Nadja Sustrai. Waiting for the upcoming riot that the rejected students will cause today. I heard from her that Akio pulled the Entrance speech, so I have a pretty good idea what happened.

It kinda takes me back when I was still a holy knight. She gave a speech in the middle of the church saying that God was dead, and that everything we were fighting for was pointless and already lost. Of course, some of them fell, but I ended up sinking my gauntlet up to her face, breaking a few teeth of her. It was after that when I met nemesis and we fought because of Akio's damaged honor. Everything after that is history, but fortunately, me and Akio are in good terms now. Very... Good terms...

Anyway, the students were coming either alone or in groups. Some of them from Kuoh, others from other schools. I couldn't feel the presence of dragons in anyone, but I could sense the scent of Devils, yokais and other creatures. In the middle of this sea of scent, I saw Ichijou-San right ahead, being held company by his little witch friend and carrying the nine-tailed fox for some reason.

"I can walk, Ichijou. Don't worry about me." I heard the fox say, as she buried her face on the Sekiryuutei's nape. The witch girl came to her to pat her on the head.

"Like hell, Yoko. That Miyama guy is still around Kuoh, and after he did with you, I'm not letting you go. Who knows if he's planning a revenge." He said. She blushed even more, while he almost missed a step, and sighed. "Besides, you need to rest your legs and build up chakra. Go fusing with me for a while, it will help."

"Thanks, Ichijou."

Huh, getting a hang out of your harem, eh Sekiryuutei? To be fair, I wasn't putting too much hope into him when Nemesis first mentioned him. Grumpy, violent, easily triggered, but weak and predictable, he was the formula for a disaster. Then, even after Aria's training, he still wasn't able to beat me, winning against the girls out of sheer luck and maybe other obscure reason...

Taking him and comparing to Lord Issei, maybe it's because he was lacking something that the legendary Oppai Sekiryuutei had in buckets: passion. Rina-chan had that, and that was the reason how she was able to survive Nemesis' assaults even on her Alastor form. I was able to keep up with demons back in the holy days because I was fighting for a cause. Aria? Akio? Basara? They all have passion about living, and that's why they surpass expectations, plus the fact that they are descendants of the Oppai Dragon. Maybe it's because he lacks all of that why he's such a loser...

I wonder... If having a harem will help him achieve the proper motivation to continue to grow. But again, if he fails, and one of his girls die, he'll be devastated, and God knows what he'll be able to do. According to Aria, he entered Juggernaut Drive, even though it was suppose to be impossible, and pulled a fight against Mr. Hwan and her in their full power, defeating both several times. Since Aria won't talk about it I keep thinking what caused such event. I wonder if I can teach him some swordsmanship someday, teach him maybe the way of the sword and lessons about protecting and fighting with love...

But I can't possibly teach him that. Some people fight for the sake of other people, others for the sake of their beliefs. I don't think I can teach anyone how to fight passionately when I don't know a drop about them. I fought for the church. And now for Nemesis. Rina fought for her dreams, that Chinese girl for her friends, and back then, he fought for the sake of his identity. Now he lost it; and must find another reason to fight. No; maybe he already has one, just didn't realize it yet.

"Lord Gladius, are you feeling alright? I brewed some coffee in case the attack takes too long to happen." Faust touched my shoulder and offered me a thermic can filled with coffee. I picked it out of respect and took a drink out it, as I was now observing Ichijou enter the school and help the ninetails on her shoes and locker. The witch however went to behind him and hug him right there. Jealous guys and gossiping girls were all commenting on that, but soon shrug it off saying something about 'girls' love' and 'what a waste...'. Oh, they think that Ichijou is a girl. What a thing. "Taking a liking out of the Sekiryuutei, I see."

"He's... Something. Kinda reminds me how I was before meeting you all. I wonder which path he will take in the end." I said, sipping on the thermic can and grimacing with the taste of coffee. Personally, I like water best. Soft drinks and those other industrialized stuffs are not my thing. "Mr. Faust, Nadja, for what you two fight?"

"What a question, Lord Gladius. I fight for the sake of the Gremory name and my own King. Her commands are my objective." The butler said, smiling under his epic mustache. Nadja scratched her cheek a little while in thought.

"I fight because I like Nemesis-San. She's pretty, and strong, and I want to follow her because she loves me as much as I love her." The shaman said with a smile. "Besides, she said that I'm the only one that can control Akio when she's in S-mode."

"I see. Love." I muttered. Love for your king, love for your friends, love for your beliefs, that's what drives a person to commit several things out of it. Lord Issei was like that, the descendants of the original satans were like that, Lord Sou-Sou was like that.

Yes, maybe having a harem that truly loves and cherish him will be good for his development.

Bam! Out of nowhere, a dark, heavy atmosphere descended upon the School campus, and from afar, I could see an entire army coming this way. Mr. Michaelis and Nadja put themselves in battle poses, as the upcoming mob was just the first troop. Soon, others gathered around and more and more appeared out of the sunrise. In the end, roughly two hundred students were all lined up in front of Kuoh...

Goddamns it Akio. Nemesis said for you to take it easy...

By the question's matter, I lifted a barrier around the area in front of Kuoh, and we jumped out of our hideout to greet the rejected students. I know it won't be easy nor pleasant, but for the sake of this school, I'll have to hold back.

"Good morning, dear younglings. Please, do not disturb the usual schedule for the students in this school." Mr. Faust said, lifting both his hands and using the deep tone of his voice to reach all the present rejected ones. "Now, please, if you have any complaints about the elimination test that took place yesterday, speak it directly to me. I'm the one representing the current headmistress of this academy, and so...!"

***BAM!***

"Screw you, you old fart!" A students with a rather strange face of a giant crow said, tears running down his face and practically commanding an army of a sorts of long-nosed tengus. He just threw a really large rock against Mr. Faust's face! "I had dreams and hopes in this academy! But that bitch... That Akio whore... I want to be important, goddamnit! That's not fair! Just because I want to be important for my own, doesn't mean I have to quit this school!"

***YEAH!***

The entire troop exclaimed, charging against us in one way. Oh, this is gonna end badly. Not for us, of course. Mr. Faust then ascended from the ground, his face unsurprisingly unharmed, and without a single word, stomped the floor with all of his might. The shockwave alone was enough to put everyone within the barrier off-balance, the whole place trembling like it would in a earthquake. So much for a Gremory Rook. This amount of power is still ridiculous...

"Younglings, if you please, you all just picked the wrong moment to want to transfer here. Please, maybe next semester." The tall butler simply said, his hands hanging from a side. This statement fell into deaf ears, as they ignored the warning sign and continued to charge forward. Mr. Faust sighed while caressing his own mustache, and took the back seat. "Lord Gladius, Lady Nadja, remember what Lady Nemesis said: no use of fatal damage. We don't want to be labeled as murderers, after all."

"Yeah, gotcha." I said. I extended a hand to the high air, and from there, summoned a magic sword that I received after becoming Nemesis's knight. I still can't control it very well, but I can at least stun some folks with it. I picked it with both hands and with a smooth, quick slash, a energy beam of pure demonic power emerged from the cutting edge. "Cut the bonds that unites the world... Demon Sword of treason **Clarent**!"

The cursed sword of Mordred, the renegaded son of King Arthur, embedded with the blood of the said Hero on it's blade, thus dying the sword Crimson! The said demonic slash beam turned into the head of a demon knight and destroyed and launched away everyone on it's way. I turned back to Nadja, and she just finished her Shamanic rune, dripping a bit of her own blood to conclude her ritual.

"Summoning, spirits of the nature!" She said. The magic rune shined a bright red, and then disappeared. The ground trembled again, and from it, small earth golems began to appear, all with some kind of magic rune written on their hard bodies. Shamanic takeovers, wondering spirits that shaman uses to posses inanimate objects and fight for them. The said clay avatars suddenly became aware and attacked the intruders.

I jumped into the army itself, and soon the battle began. So much creatures and beings from other lores mixed up in one single place to one single goal. Fallen angels, Devils, Wind weasels, angels, sacred Gear-users, animal spirits, animagus(yeah, those really exist!), even flying meatball monsters! The evening consisted in magic runes, battle against summoners and familiars, with me slashing several energy blasts against the crowd of supernatural creatures, while Mr. Faust would punch them out of orbit and barrier with his diamond-hard fists!

"Nero, heads up!" I heard someone scream. From the floor, several mud hands emerged and tried to grab every single one who was standing in the area, tossing them away soon after. I jumped out of their reach and took care of the flying enemies, while the hands created by Nadja trailed a way out of the school by dragging the troublemakers with them. Nadja herself was standing on top of a massive clay golem.

And after a hour or so, they were all scared away or simply dragged away when unconscious. It wasn't that hard to do that, but I'd be lying if I say it was a walk in the park, either. Poor mr. Faust lost the jacket of his suit(not that it matters that much, since he has tons of that same thing.), I need to buy a new shirt and Nadja... She was alright. We met in a single point in the barrier to cheer for our little victory.

"It has been quite some time since I had so much fun." Grinned the Gremory butler, snapping a few articulations and cracking his fingers. "Those small fries have no class, but after what happened during our rating game with Rina, I can tell that this generation sure has mixed results."

"I hope none of them got really hurt. Nemesis-san will scream if someone starts complaining about the school staff." Nadja finished with a sigh. All I had to do was to pick her nose and say that everything's gonna be alright. She worries too much, which kinda pisses me off a little. It's nothing compared to Nemesis's rage, but she should have expected that.

"We did a go job. That's what counts. Nemesis might be a little mad, but at least we avoided a ruckus. No doubt she'll be proud." I said with a faint grin, both of them responding with equally shining smiles. Yeah, love it's what drives us to improve and do the right thing, even when it's not the right thing. Kinda paradoxical, but what do I know? I love Nemesis, and I'll do anything for her. And she'll do anything to me...

...

Brrr...

"Let's report the mission back in her office. If we use the communication spell, we might interrupt her, and God knows what she'll do to us for startling her..." I said. Everybody heavily gulped, and nodded to that statement. No matter how kind and protective she is, Nemesis's still Nemesis. She will give us a reward, because she can be kind like that. I wonder why Rina hates her so much...

***VOOSH!***

"Nero, watch out!" It was so fast! A black flash suddenly went flying right next to my head, and by an inch didn't pass through my skull! Who did that?! I'm sure that those delinquents are no more around Kuoh, so how? Before someone could answer my question, I saw a small young woman in the middle of the battlefield, her purple bangs dancing within the wind while her unfocused eyes were looking at nothing. By the uniform she's wearing, it means that she's a Kuoh student, however, the most noticeable thing about her was the fact that she was wearing a black gauntlet with the shape of a dragon in one of her hands! Is that a sacred gear? No, it's not 'just a' sacred gear! It's one of the prison black evil dragon King Vritra's set's! That girl...

"Aaaaw~, I missed." She said in a morose tone, further proving that she aimed for my head. In such bored tone, what is she? Her sacred gear vanished from this world, and soon she bowed to us. "Hey, hello, good morning, you three~. Care to step aside. I'm late for school, so so so, I want to pass pass pass~!"

"Young lady, good girls shouldn't lose to the clock. Good men only cares about a good woman that can either help him or take care of him. By missing classes, you are also missing the opportunity to find a good husband." The second oldest piece in Nemesis's set said in a grandfatherly tone, while the lady, while saying nothing, crossed her arms and tilted her head to a side, showing no malice nor mockery. However, suddenly, Mr. Faust's eyes became ferocious, and he adopted a battle stance. "But if you even try to harm those kids again, I said you don't have to worry about your inexistent future anymore."

"Oh, fear fear fear. Okay, gramps, I get it, I won't do a thing now." She lifted her arms up to the air in a surrounding pose, while looking away from us, mouth hanging saying that she's more bored than anything. Mr. Faust wasn't convinced, yet he lowered his defenses a little. The moment he did just that, that girl summoned her sacred gear again and tossed a black stake with purple jewels against him! Fortunately, The butler was fast enough to dodge it. We turned back to her, and she made a glacé pose. "Sorry, I lied."

"You little lying wrench. A good slap in your little butt might fix your behavior with your elders!" Said the older between us, being that Nadja was already building a backup golem and Clarent was already at hands. The host of the prison dragon Vritra, however, sighed, and also adopted a battle pose, as a dark and eerie aura began to ooze out of her body.

"Elders... Sorry, but I like my elders like I like my wine... I don't like wine..." And then the said black aura engulfed her and set her on black fire! We all wilded in the presence of such event, and when the black flames died down, it revealed a black dragonic armor somehow similar yet different than the Scale Mail one. It had purple details, several snake-like tentacles sprouting from it's back, dark shoulder-plates expelling dark flames from tubes located there and dragon heads as gauntlets and feet.

**[BALANCE BREAKER: VRITRA CORONATION!]**

"What's that... That eerie aura of dread... It's like that armor is trying to suck my sanity..." Muttered Nadja, trembling a little like me. Yeah, if Vritra's really a evil dragon, no wonder this sensation of terror is reaching us. However, the one standing tall despite that was Mr. Faust Michaelis. He walked into the armor's encounter and again took a battle stance.

"Younglings, do not feel ashamed to admit your fears. This aura from the Evil Dragon, who's also a legendary dragon King, is indeed devastating to young souls such as yours own." He said, turning around and giving us a thumbs up. He's really that strong, no wonder he's a rook. The armor by the other side simply sighed, leaping towards us.

**[Kiruko! Watch out! That old-looking one possesses a great amount of demonic power! Be wise when facing him!]**

"Yeah, no, I dunno. He's old, he might want to chat. He can talk to my fist~." A strange, hoarse was heard coming directly from the armor, but the girl, Kiruko, simply shrugged it off and leaped towards mr. Faust pointing her arrow-like lines and fists against him! Big mistake: the butler was fast enough and landed a single, powerful blow against the core of her armor, completely destroying her dragonic defenses, and it didn't stop there, as he picked her by the uniform and applied a judo move against her, taking the girl to the ground and opening a hole there! "Huuuuh~, lameeeee~...!"

"And that's what you get for messing with your elders, young lady. I hope you learned your lesson, and become a healthy adult without any problems." He warmly said to the fallen girl. We were at shock, after all, he just dealt with someone with a dragon Sacred Geat with minimal effort, and put it into submission with impossible ease. That's... Love and loyalty. So much for a servant of Gremory. He turned back to us, and looked at Nadja. "Lady Sustrai, if you don't mind, care to restrain this little miss? Maybe she'll be a formidable source of information, just like lady Leonheart."

"Oh, right!" Nadja said, drawing a rune on the ground and then hands made of mud appeared on the ground to grab and restrain the Kiruko girl, in a cocoon of earth. Hard as rock.

Huh, the mission went actually greater than expected. We stopped one supernatural riot and now, we captured one of those problematic Dragon-King Sacred gear users that miss Sarah Leonheart(Japanese) was talking about. One of her siblings, maybe. She'll be happy regardless, despite he state she encountered herself in now. And for now, I could see of what our little group capable of. Companionship, maybe that's another thing a great group needs.

"Done. She wasn't that problematic, but it's never too careful with sacred gear users. Now, we need to bring her to Nemesis-san's office and let Sarah make her own recognition about that Kiruko lass-..."

"Sorry, but I'm watching culinary shows. I can't lose it, because I don't use Internet..." A voice echoed from the barrier, and then, from the earth cocoon, a light emerged. Before anything could happen, me and the others jumped away, and then it exploded, lifting a curtain of dust. Curses, were we too careless?! The dirt cleaned off, and by the other side of the now thin curtain, we saw the Kiruko girl, not only free from her prison, but also harmless, without a single scratch. Not only me, but mr. Faust and Nadja were surprised! "Sorry sorry sorry. I'm the kind of girl that doesn't use the internet. Zero into free~. Hahah hahah, how showy."

"Huh, tough cookie you are, young lady." Fearless as ever, Faust Michaelis cleaned the sweat away from his thick white eyebrows and stood again against her. So much experience, so much posture. He really loves Nemesis, huh? "I'm afraid that, now that I see my minimal strength won't be enough, I shall use a greater percentage of my power against you. Please, do not resent my actions. You're the one forcing me to do this."

"Oh~, a lion law. Kinda like it; that's kinda cowardly, putting the guilt in the victim. You sir, are a coward. But cowards are always the ones who live mooore~." She said, as suddenly she cracked her neck in an unusual way. Not by stretching it, but by adjusting it with both her hands pushing different directions of her nape and throat. That alone made me shiver a little. Crap, this girl is scary.

**[Kiruko, that man's still the strongest. Be careful. I don't want you hurt, even with that ability of yours.]**

"Nero, stay close to mister Faust. That girl... Seems serious now." Nadja said, taking a leader's position since Mr. Faust was still on the zone. Suddenly, Kiruko-san materialized her dragon gauntlet, and from there, created from black flames a sick-black stake as night with purple details and jewels. I don't remember those on the books about the sacred gear of Lord Genshirou. What's that? Is that her own ability? So why the said [Absorption Line] sacred Gear?

"Hey, old man~. I have a voice mail for you: it's time for your medicine!" She said, again leaping against our rook, as he continued to maintain an elegant combat pose. She summoned a black stake out of her gauntlet, and was ready to stab our butler with it. "Take this, yo. Old man, now eat dirt...!"

***KICK!***

***BOOM!***

"Uuuugh~...!"

"Don't underestimate me, young lady. I might be old, but that doesn't mean I'm harmless. After all, I have experience." Scary. Mr. Faust just sinked that girl into the ground with minimal effort. He just hammer-kicked her right in the spot, and she went to the ground in one go. He hit her right in the collarbone, probably breaking it and piercing her lungs. I heard a story like that. The grizzled old man jumped away from her and turned to us. "Now, we better stay alert. Even with that kick, miss Kiruko must have a trump card. I saw this countless times, don't let your guard down."

"Understood." We all said, as the little girl in the middle of the crater, even though it would be impossible, stood up from the ground and turned around away from us, only to bend her back and look at us upside down. I heard a great deal of articulations cracking, making me shiver. Nadja was also trembling, and The old man gulped down hard.

"Ah~, ah~, ah~... Mr. Old man sir, you broke my collarbone, and it pierced my lungs... I'm gonna be crippled by the rest of my liiiiifeeee~, and I like it... Just kidding..." She said, now turning her body back to against us, and acting like nothing happened. This is really peculiar. Who or what in God's name(ouch!) that chick is? "I don't like being a cripple. Too many duties and things to do. I'd be bored... Thanks goodness for for for... Something something something..."

"What an interesting ability you have, Miss." Nadja began, as she walked a step forward and then was stopped by the older piece. She looked frightened, yet curious. "Is that... Is that a sacred gear? I mean, mister Michaelis is super strong! How can you still stand?"

"It's true. The amount of force I put in that kick should be enough to knock yours truly out for a day or so, if not, like you've said miss, it'd have broke your bones. Is that witchcraft? Magic? Sacred gear? It'd be greatly appreciated if you could tell us." The rook in our peerage also took a step up to look at the black dragon, who was dusting away her own uniform. Not even her clothes were damaged. Dirty, yes, but not damaged. She looked at us again, and directing her eyes elsewhere, she spoke.

"No, none of that. The truth is, as long as I believe in myself and my siblings, I'll be unharmed... It's usually like that how it works... Right...?" She said, looking elsewhere, not even trying to hide the fact that she's talking to someone else. But who? Her imaginary friend? I can't be too careless nor skeptical. "Now, now, like I've never said, nothing can possibly harm me~, unless pointy things, I love those~."

We three only stood there, looking at that mysterious girl in front of us. In this small moment of brief thoughts, it came to me something: why would she attack us like that? What's her purpose? She said something about being late, and since she's using Kuoh's uniform, she must be a student here. So why bother attacking us? I looked at both of them for a second, and with a nod, I signed for them to follow my lead while I distract her. They respond also with a nod.

"Okay... Hey, Kiruko-san? Care to explain why you attacked us?" I said, lifting my hands up to the air and taking a few steps up. I signed with one finger for them to step back, but also for Nadja to prepare a more powerful version of her biding spell. Kiruko-san crossed her arms and sighed, still looking uninterested. "I mean... You're already a student in Kuoh. Rather than cause all of that trouble, you could simply ignore us and go to school. Why all of that?"

"Eeeeeh~, why ask ask ask this now now now? I'm late, so of course I want to whack someone." She said, sticking her tongue out and closing one eye. "This is how it is, right? When you're angry, you have to aim your rage to someone elseee~. Since I lost my time today, I picked the first losers I found and tried to beat them up badly..."

"..." I gulped. I don't know what's more discerning: her speech or the way she says things so nonchalantly. This is not a speech of a mentally stable, functional person. Wait, no, gotta stay together, Nero, save some time so that Nadja can finish her spell. "And... Why would you want to do something like that? I mean, you can always skip the first class and enter during second period. Easy that way."

"I dunnoooooooo... Maybe that's why I'm never in class. I'm too busy punching a stranger Out of rage that sometimes I lose track of it. Just kidding..." She said, rolling her eyes away from me. This is really starting to mess with my mind. I don't know what she says is truth or not, and I don't wanna show it, but the way she's taking this so lightly is making my head spin. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Knight. I might not be the strongest or the smartest, but I want you to answer a question for me, please... What motivates you?"

"Huh...?" That... Can't be coincidence. Is she reading my mind or something? Her gaze is far away from me and the way she speaks makes me wonder if anything is anything for her. But again, this question. Of course I fight for love. I fought for the church, and now I fight for Nemesis... No, I'm getting carried away, I can't let her win this. "Why would you want to know? I fight for what I think it's right. That's why I'm fighting you!"

"Eheheeeeh, that's cool, that's great. But still... I wonder if I kill those two friends of yours I'll be able to finally feel something..." Suddenly, ZING!, two dragon gauntlets appeared in her hands, and from them, she pulled two black stakes out of thin air! So suddenly?! I summoned Clarent as well and waited for the clash. "Vritra...** [BALANCE BREAKER: SOUL EATER]!"**

***BAM!**

***SEAL!***

"Heseehhehheh~...?!"

"Good night, young lady."

***CRACK! CRACK! POW!***

And again, everything resumed itself in a couple of seconds. I'm surprised, I'm really surprised. She just pulled an individual balance breaker in one of the Vritra's sacred gears, which it can't possibly happen without it's sisters. That girl sure is frightening, but not as fast as us. In just a spam of a second, I created a shockwave with the hilt of my sword in order to hit her in the face and knock her out. Short after, Hands of golems appeared right under her feet to restrain her legs, and to deal the finishing blow, mr. Faust appeared behind her to break of her arms and crush her head on the ground, also breaking her legs in the process due to the hands firmly holding her feet. That quantity of blood can already say: unfortunately, she can't completely recover after that.

"I'm so sorry, miss Kiruko, but you left us no choice." Wailed Nadja, as she played a little respect for the girl under the butler with a bow. Mr. Faust also payed his condolences to the fallen one and picked her by one of her arms.

"Lady Sarah would be disappointed at us for not bringing her sister in perfect conditions. But if the Dragon Vritra sealed inside of her Sacred Gears is merciful enough, he might help her recover. She won't be talking nor walking anytime soon, though." He said, as he picked her by one of her arms and tried to lift her to his own. "I'm still feeling pulse. Weak, but she won't die."

"Death threats were only a reflection. But I guess since she's alive, she can help us like Sarah-san." I finished, glad that girl is alive. We should apologize later. No matter what she says, she's still a human. A powerful one at that too. "In any case, put a restriction spell on her, mr. Faust. I don't know what Nemesis says, I'll use a rune to her office. We have to treat this girl as soon as possible."

"Poor young lady. In my time, girls would rather play with dolls instead of cops'n'robbers. What a shame. She's cute despite this raggedy styl-...!"

"Ayeayeayeaye... It looks like I lost... Not."

"What in the world...?!"

***STAB!***

***VOOOSH!***

***BAM!***

"A-Aaaah...!"

"Mister Faust!" I couldn't control it, I screamed. Everything was going so smooth, and suddenly, in a blink of an eye, mr. Faust was stabbed by that same Vritra black stake right on the chest, and then pinned to the school wall, in the limits of the barrier! How... How is that... Me and Nadja turned around and...

***STAB!***

***STAB!***

"Stop screaming. There's too many good flowers here. If you scream, they'll die..." There she is, Kiruko-san, well and good and all put together, without a single scratch on her body and still being able to summon her sacred gear. Before we could do a thing, also in a blink of an eye, she stabbed us with those black stakes with purple jewels. It hit me right in the chest, but for some reason, it didn't hurt... It didn't hurt...

So... Why am I crying?

From then on, everything became more and more black. I lost grip around Clarent and let it fell on the ground, while a cold, completely freezing aura took over my body. What's this? Why am I cold? The sights of things around me began to lost sense. Fighting for the church? For Nemesis? What the hell am I thinking? No! Really?! Why would I ever doubt this?!

"What's... What's this...?" I tried to scream, but it died on my mouth and escaped like a wheeze. Around me, Nadja was also in shock, her eyes filled with tears and trembling uncontrollably, while mister Faust was on the verge of having an epileptic attack. What's this?! I turned back to Kiruko-san, and she was coming closer. "Yoooou~... What... What is this...?!"

"Hey, mr. Knight... Do you know why Vritra is considered a evil dragon, despite being such a nice guuuuyy~...?" She said, making a pose. From here, however, her voice was so distorted that I almost wanted to rip my ears off. What's this? Since when Vritra's able to do that? "Because he's the prison dragon. 'Abandon all hope, those who enter'... Shakespeareeee is soooo cooool~..."

"I... I don't understand..." Now I'm also trembling. She got the artist wrong, I can tell her that, but I was so scared for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Where's the worst prison in the entire universe? Can you say it~? It's in our heeeeead, mister knight." She said, pointing at her own. "The tightest, most powerful and dark prison... Is in ourselvesss... 'I can't do that', 'I don't deserve this'; 'I don't know'; 'what if'... Those questions are what drives someone to fear anything. But what fuels our minds in order to break those? Courage, resolve, fighting spirit, will... Reason."

"..." I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Everything now is white, and the whole gravity seemed to want to squash me like a bug. I'm crying now, this hollow sensation in my chest sucking everything within me. Despair, unreason, blindness, doubt, darkness. Was all I could feel, things that I completely forgot how it feels like.

"But... But... But... But... What if what if what if there's something that could simply suuuuuuck those away? Like, take from you the reason for breathing, fighting, standing up, even living?" She finished, this question hovering the air around us. I couldn't say a thing, my will and resolve were already dead, but I reached a conclusion, the direction she wanted me to go with this. "That's why he's considered an Evil dragon. By using [BALANCE BREAKER: SOUL EATER], Vritra can simply suuuuuck any positive feeling from it's victims. Not only power and energy, but also warmth, resolve, hope, dreams, good vibes and thoughts, happiness, until the only thing that is left is an empty sheeeell~... This is your prison, mr. Knight."

I see... She sucked from us our will for living. Such powerful and frightening ability. We should've killed her when we could. Now, I have no will, I have no soul, I'm just a thinking object... I have no mouth, yet I must scream. She came right next to us, and simply put herself on her knees to have a peripheral view of all of us.

"What a pity~... I won't kill you, and the effect will wear off lateeeer~... So, until then... Gooooooooodbyeeeee...!" She said. I couldn't move, and the barrier was on the verge of breaking. We can't... We can't let that monster escape... If she reaches... Someone... Someone... NEMESIS! ARIA! AKIO! I'm... I'm losing sight again... Shit... "Again... Cia-...!"

***CRASH!***

***POOOF!***

"Wheeeeh...?" And before she could do anything else. Someone disrupted the natural flow of the barrier, crashing the connection and then, in a blink of an eye, vaporized Kiruko-san's arm. So suddenly, she just gasped and jumped away from us, but then a centipede reached for her and picked her right foot on the nick of time to smash her against the floor. The black stake, and thus the negative feelings on it, disappeared from me, and even if there's some negativity left, I felt a lot better soon after. This can only be... Only be...

"Nemesis...!" And yes, crashing through the barrier and already in her Alastor form, with two centipede-like arms growing from her back, there was my precious King and Lover, Nemesis Gremory. Mr. Faust and Nadja also called for her, and she gave us an aside look, turning back to the black dragon.

"I figured you three would be in trouble. The barrier went awry and the flow was unnatural. So... This is one of the students Sarah-chan spoke of, huh." She said, her murderous intent leaking out of her own being. Despite her calm and composed facet, she completely lose it inside.

"Ah-hah... I lost an arm, what a thing. I guess you're a Gremory or a Bael... By the hair, a Gremory... Either way, nice to meet you~..." Despite the lack of one arm, Kiruko-san shrugged that fact off and turned her attention to the redhead devil. That was her biggest mistake. "Hellooooo~, devil... I'm the black dragon."

"Yes, I can see." Nemesis said, her eyes growing even more murderous, and her pupils becoming more and more slit as her Alastor blood took over due to her own emotions. "So... I'm guessing you're the one whom caused all of this mess and hurt my dear servants."

"No, it wasn't. That's a lie, that's bullshit, I didn't do it~, you can't prove a thing. And most of all, I won't harm you eitheeeeeer~." She said, dancing a little and circling a single point in one foot. Nemesis grunted to Kiruko's behavior, which was enough to catch her by surprise: the black dragon King then leaped in our direction in a span of a second, and was ready to stab my king with one of her stakes. "Heh, I lied."

"And I don't care." Nemesis said with the tone of a viper, spitting poison all over the place, as she didn't even move to shot another sphere of power of destruction against Kiruko-san, who did not lose just her stake, but the other arm too! The shockwave caused by the impact tossed the black dragon away, and she landed on her back, standing up with her legs soon after. "Do you think I'll forgive you for harming my dear servants? Do you think... **I'LL HAVE MERCY ON YOU FOR MESSING WITH MY DEAR PIECES?! think again!"**

"That's dangerous... That's dangerous... I lost both arms... This is not good..." I heard the girl by the other side mutter, as she stepped back a few times and looked, for the first time, scared. She was sweating buckets, and her missy steps were showing how concerned she was at the moment. In a moment after, she picked the bar of her shirt and showed a strange rune drawn around her navel. "But... But... But... I have a backup plan, of course. Whoever your name is, please do not harm me. If I die, this seal will release a magic rune in class 1-B and kill everyone there...!"

"What...?"

"**YOU COWARD**!" This crossed the line for me! What a cursed little whore! She'll even threaten us with such low tactic! I don't know what would Sarah-san do, but at this point, my blood is boiling as hot as the sun, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive her! Everyone around is just as speechless, but Nemesis was uncommonly calm about the whole situation. "Nemesis...!"

"..."

"I'm asking niceliiiiiie~... If you let me go, I won't kill anyoneeeeee~... Keheh, but I'll be back for moooooore..." She continued to dance around with that stoic expression like it wasn't anything about her. I almost leaped towards her to rip her apart, but Nemesis is still thinking about it. However, Kiruko-san's eyes turned serious for the first time, and the atmosphere around her also changed. "In order to defeat the so called '**Ultimate Evil**' that hides in Kuoh academy, I'm willing to take any measures possible, even change the color of my eyes if necessary."

"The... Ultimate Evil..." I muttered back. Sarah-san also mentioned the existence of such thing around Kuoh, that's the reason why her siblings are transferring here. However, she won't talk about it ever. Which comes to this, what exactly is that 'Ultimate Evil'? Another runaway? A monster? A supernatural phenomenon? Perhaps a Tulpa effect?! We don't know, but it's either too powerful or too personal for them to be willing to do anything to destroy it. "Tell me, what's that ultimate evil? Don't do anything harsh! Leave this to us! If you kill innocents, you're not any better than any evil on the planet!"

"Aaah... That's where where where where you're wrong wrong wrong wrong, knight-san..." She said returning to her typical way of talking, still tilting her head to the sides. Nemesis was still quiet. "You can't possibly defeat the ultimate evil... Because it is the main antagonist of our story~... The Miyama runaway stoooooooory~... So, simple supporting characters can't simply do anything, you loooooser~...! After all, we are the protagonists."

"Why you...!"

"You heartless coward...!"

"Little miss pig...!"

"You three, hush!" Nemesis commanded, and before we could leap at the infuriating girl by the other side, we stopped on our track, almost spitting blood because of rage. Even the so-soothing Nadja and the calm butler Faust were ready to break every bone on the Black Dragon's body. Nemesis, however, took the first step, sighed and looked at Kiruko-san. "You're right, black dragon. For several reasons, I can't let you do as you please in this school, but I can't let innocents die either."

"Nemesis..."

"Right, right, right, right. You have a pretty good head and boobs, Gremory-chin..." She said in a quiet, yet mocking tone. I don't know what my king has in mind, but we won't let her escape after that. Not in a million years. "And so, I bid my goodbye to let my arms grow back tomorrow... See yeah tomorroooow~..."

"What do you think you're going..." But before the black dragon could even turn around, a wall of fire was lift behind her, startling her enough to make her fall on her butt. She soon stood up again and gasped, turning back to us! I looked at Nemesis, and her eyes were, at the same time, serene and calm, yet livid and merciless. That same eyes Lord Sirzechs used to have during such times. "I said that I won't let anyone die in this school, right?"

"b-But you said you would let me goooo~...?" Kiruko-San, scared all the way due to the murderous gaze in Nemesis's eyes, was trembling now, still trying to maintain her stoic expression. "If you kill me... If you kill meeeee~..."

"I know, I know..." Nemesis sighed, and then lifted a single finger, in which a small, heavy sphere of massive demonic energy appeared. "Your death will trigger a terrible spell that will kill every single one of the students in class 1-B, right? Well, then, I'll just have to make sure that the spell itself won't even acknowledge your existence."

"What what what whaaaaat...?"

"**[Ruin The Extinct]**."

And so, [Ruin The extinct] was fired against the Black Dragon. Once reaching her, it became bigger and bigger, until it finally engulfed the girl in a translucid ball of dark energy. From there, we saw Kiruko-san went from confused to Scared as the particles of power of destruction ate her self until the smallest atom. First her legs, then her body, then her head. All in just a couple of seconds. In the end, before she could disappeared from existence, her last words were...

"Taaaaaaaacooooooos...!"

And then, she disappeared. No, she didn't even existed to begin with. No wonder she's the next heiress of the Gremory house and has permission to be Kuoh's headmistress in such young age. Lord Sirzechs would be proud. Maybe a little disappointed due to the early execution, but proud nonetheless. As expected, nothing happened to class 1-B. If it was a bluff or Nemesis's power is just that powerful, I dunno, but I'm glad nothing happened...

"Nemesis... I'm sorry." I said, standing up and bowing to her. Yeah, I'm really sorry for everything. I kept the riot in order, but was defeat by a girl in such small period of time. I'm ashamed. Mr. Faust and Nadja did the same. Nemesis turned to us and...

***SLAP!***

***SLAP!***

***SLAP!***

"You idiots. Stop apologizing. It'll make me feel bad." She slapped everyone, and then hugged us. Ice and sugar, that's my beloved Nemesis. Still, I don't want her to be worried about me, or anyone for that matter. "I'm your king, damn it. If things are too tight or too hard, you can always count on me. Idiots, next time is one hundred slaps in the ass!"

"Yeah... Sorr-...!" I said, before she slapped me again. I laughed a little.

"Stop apologizing, idiot."

"Sorr-... Okay."

Yeah, she's a great King. One that is worth fighting for, one that is worth dying for.

With that, we have two dragon Kings down, three more to go.

...

...

"Patatarata... Isn't that cute? It's look like a great family reunioooooon~...!"

"...!?"

"What the...?!" We all turned back to the center of the ground zero, and... I can't believe it! After all she has been through, even after suffering [Ruin the Extinct] and have her own existence completely wiped out... There she is, the Black Prison Dragon Kiruko-san, healthy and good as new. I can't even... What?! This is illogical! Nemesis's [RTE] is nothing compared to Lord Sirzechs's own, but she's still powerful! How can a technique that can even kill dragons fall so poorly against a human girl even when she has a Sacred Gear, being not even a Longinus?! "How... How can you survive my [Ruin the Extinct]?"

"I dunnoooooo~. Maybe when I died, a new power awakened within me... Or the prayers of all little children around the world reached my spirit and gave me the strength to go ooon~. Even better, I just got lucky to have a McGuffin somewhere in my body for a last chance opportunity. Isn't that what usually happens in this kind of situation?" She said, looking genuinely confused, yet maintaining her stoic expression and making hand signs after hand signs. "I'm back... Let's call this 'The Tales of the Miyama's Runaways: Re-birth' or something..."

"Don't joke around! What the hell is all of that?!" I said, as Nemesis tried to calm me down, but I walked it off and continued it. That's it, I've snapped! "What do you mean 'those situations'?! What do you mean 'supporting characters'?! Tell me! Tell me everything!"

"..."

"Tell me everything, you little whore! Tell m-...!"

**"Shut up! Why are you screaming, you asshole?! Do you think this is fair?! IT'S NOT!"** Was all that she said. The sudden outburst had enough strength to snap me back. What the... Did she just cursed? And above all else, lifted her voice?! I barely know her, but that was a big surprise. Then, she lifted her face to stare at us, surprising us even more: her face was completely contorted in a grimace that mixed rage, sadness and confusion, and she was also crying...

She was crying blood.

"W-What... What are you, young lady?" Mr. Faust, just as confused as me, spoke. Kiruko-san blinked a few times, and gasped. Even she's disoriented. She masked herself with her hand, and after a while, she dried the bloody tears from her eyes and sighed.

"One million and two apologies for my outburst. How uncharacteristic of me." she spoke in a calmer, almost different tone. She looked at us for a while, and blinked each eye in different times. Even Nemesis, who just got here, is unnerved by this. Who's that girl, really? Is she really related to Sarah-san? What is that 'Ultimate Evil' they spoke of so much? Kiruko-san put her hands on her pockets, and sighed. "Sorry, but you can't kill me now~, maybe when my series is over, you can do whatever you want with me in your future story. Even better, rewrite the story with someone else. Just kidding. But for you to consider this cheating... This is just unfair."

"What...?!" Nemesis lost her cool, and tried to take a step. Kiruko-san only sighed, and turned around, walking away from Kuoh, saying something with the lines of 'Second period is coming anyway' or something like that. "Hey! What the hell?! Answer me, damn it!"

"Let me answer your question... With another question..." And she turned her head to face us with an aside glance. "If I were someone dear to you... Would you keep bitching about it like that?"

"How's that even answer anything?!"

"I dunnoooo~, I just wanted to say that." And soon, a shadow portal opened right in front of her, engulfing her like a magic rune would. Nemesis even tried again to use [RTE] against Kiruko-san, but out of nowhere, a shadow appeared out of her feet and engulfed that power of destruction, turning it into a box and then vanishing onto nonexistence. Kiruko-san turned around to face us one more time. "[Shadow prison Balance Breaker: Dark Alcatraz.]."

"What the...?!"

"I'm not the girl you used to know, Nemesis-san. I became stronger with each fight. Death can't hold me when I fight for my friends and those precious to me... Or something like that, I guess." She said with a faint mocking smile, before finally vanishing into the portal and disappear in thin air. "Goodbye and thanks for all the fish..."

That girl... That girl... What is she? What are the Miyama runaways? What do they want? So much questions in so little time. Nemesis and the others are speechless, and soon the barrier broke, returning everything to normal. Everyone was altered with the encounter with such abnormal enemy. She wasn't a girl, she was a mystery after mystery. I heard a dripping sound nearby, and when I knew best, it came from my King, blood dripping from her clenched hands, while she was grunting and crying in frustration.

"Nemesis..."

"Lady Gremory..."

"Nemesis-san..."

"Leave me... Alone." She simply said. By her low tone, she's really close to an outburst herself. So we left her be. No one is in the mood to talk either. We were all trembling and deep in thoughts. If it was because of her Balance Breaker or the fact that we lost to a single enemy, we don't know. The day just became darker out of the sudden...

However, we've decided this: next time we find the Black Dragon Kiruko, she'll pay for that, for our King...

However, if the weakest dragon King could defeat us... How about the others?

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

Man, what a relief. Apparently, Matsuoka-san missed school today again, so, according with sensei, I can reclaim my place beside Shiori-san again! What a plus to my day. We talked a lot during morning time, and we shared some ideas with each other during classes. This is actually the first time I talked normally to someone new who isn't aware of my status. Not that I don't like my new supernatural friends, but I'm glad that, even when human, I would be able to maintain such a healthy relationship with someone, specially this girl I've a crush on!

Lunchtime came as soon as I knew it, and like always, I picked my lunchbox and walked away from my classroom. I'd love to talk and lunch with Shiori-san, but it's time to organize the gym for the rest of the trials and have to take a patrol with Ren. Sigh, still, we can chat a lot all the way...

**"Hey, Sekiryuutei..."** However, in one particular corridor, someone called for my title. For a instant, I remained silent to avoid any kind of misunderstand in case it was someone else. When it called for me again, I turned around, and standing tall in front of me, there she is, black long hair balancing on the air, and piercing violet eyes, with her eyes crossed and eyes turned to me in a frown. That little bitch Bael, Ludger.** "Greetings, Sekiryuutei."**

"What do you want, Bael? It's lunchtime now." I frowned back at her. My response apparently didn't pleased her, as she slapped my lunchbox out of my hands. All of Yoko's efforts came to waste as the plastic box hit the ground. I turned to her in rage! "Hey! What's the idea?!"

**"Mind your words when talking to me, trash."** She said in a disdainful tone. I really wanted to punch her square in the face, but this is Kuoh. I can't hit a girl with others around. I grunted, and heavily sighed my stress away. I also crossed my arms, gently kicking the remains of my lunchbox away so that no one would stomp on it, and turned back to Ludger. **"Enough crying? Good, now, I have a propose to you.**"

"Yes... Talk away." I responded with a grunt. She wants to talk with me, but at least show some sympathy first. But I can't do that now, who knows what she'll do to me.

**"Very well. You know very well that, in my eyes, you're the worst Sekiryuutei who ever lived. Even lower than Issei Hyoudou. No respect and no class, just like that, just like him."**

***BITE!***

**"...?"**

"Go on..." Was all I could mutter under the bite of my own hand. Talking shit about senpai is unforgivable, so I resumed my rage in just biting my own hand. I think I ripped my own skin, I don't care, at least the pain is taking the anger away.

**"Brute. But, well, it came to my mind that, according to the information I gathered, you're the only one without a respectful background in your peerage. Berolina's the daughter the current lord Lucifer, Sayuri's the daughter of the Vampire aristocrat Desmond Hellsing and the leader of the Hot spring hidden ninja Village Haruka, Natalia's the heiress of the Campbell Mage name and Liu Bei was trained under the tutelage of Sun Wukong himself.**" She said. Oh, so Tasha's name is really 'Natalia'. What a thing. But, I don't see her point.** "Out of the four pieces under the command of Berolina Gremory, you're the one who is completely apart from them, being a normal human without a single achievement or special lineage."**

"I am." My mother is a famous businesswoman and editor of a manga company and my... Father... Is a diplomat and freelancer photographer. I don't care what she says, they're still overachieved people.

Mostly my mother. My father sucks.

"**No, you're not. Which came to my mind that maybe is that what might cause your progress retardation. On the hot springs, you showed impressive evolutionary potential, but for some reason, your actual battle performance is yet to be desired, and according to Lady Beelzebub, you're not bad either in swordsmanship and have high potential with magic, yet is mediocre in both of them."**

"Get to the point, Bael. What do you want from me? If you want to spit on my face about my status as the red dragon, I don't care at all! If anything, wait until today's trial, for what I care!" I said to her face! Yeah, I don't give a single crap of what she thinks of me! I have my own resolve, and one day, she'll see! I'll make her swallow her own words! However, she stayed composed. She looked at me deep in the eyes, and sighed.

"**Very well, you brute, I'll say it."** She took a deep breath, sighed, and looked at me with those amethyst orbs. I blushed. She's an arrogant bitch, but there's no denying that she's also kinda pretty. I turned back to her, and she spoke. **"Ichijou Tsukino, heir of the legacy left by issei Hyoudou, the current Sekiryuutei..."**

**Would you like to be my Queen piece?**

* * *

A**nd close the curtains. Will he accept the propouse even if he has to live with that bitch? What do you guys think. People are having mixed feelings about ludger, but I'll make her soft a little. She's able to cry, so I can write some humanity into her. But the worries lies on the rest of the miyama runaways. Can you think of what the other two girls can do? I do, I do...**

**and for the guest what has been asking about berolina, as a remember, she'll be appearing soon. Don't worry~~. For the rest of you, stay golden.**


	38. A reason for tears

**Yeah, not much to say about this chapter but to deliver some exposition and build up drama for the new chapters ahead. 9k words in just that. I hope I did a good job.**

**Like always, dxd does not belong to me~**

* * *

"What?" It was all I could muster after that question. I mean, really, what? Is she asking me to be part of her peerage? Wait, is that even possible? I know Gremory said something about 'trading', in which two Devils can trade their pieces for another one, but... Is she really considering trading with me?

**"You heard me, Sekiryuutei. I can make you reach strength and influence better than you can ever archive staying with Berolina's peerage. Ludger might not be the one true heiress of the clan, but since the death of the Supreme Lord Zekram has thinned the links between the one true Great King clan and the other families, I guess that Ludger can take you under his wing with the Bael name and then train you in order to reach higher grounds."** She said, putting now her hands on her hips and flicking her hair into the air. **"In exchange, not only I'll have the one true Crimson Heavenly Dragon by my side, I'll also be known as the one devil that crafted the strongest Sekiryuutei that ever lived, even better than the Hero of the Underworld, Issei Hyoudou. So... Be mine, Ichijou Tsukino."**

She extended and offered a hand to me. First, she's a total bitch, insulting me, my mother and senpai, making Yoko's lunchbox go to waste for nothing, and calling me trash. Now, she wants me into her peerage after all of that. Of course I would say no, but instead, I stayed quiet. No... No?

Someone... Stronger than senpai. That would be awesome. Gremory used to say a lot of his own abilities, how he could simply stomp so hard on the ground that it would create craters and level mountains, how he defeated his opponents with not just brute strength and his own sacred Gear, but also by using his brain and lucky shots, how he was able to defeat someone as fearful and dreadful as Lord Rizevim Livan Lucifer and be able to simply destroy his Sacred Gear Canceler. He was already someone worthy by his second semester as a second year, while I haven't even reach Balance Breaker and just a few times won against someone probably weaker than me.

Is that how... Annie feels like? Being stuck with people around you and having your time when you could be just outside training your ass off so that you could become someone useful or worthy? Well, I do want to become stronger, but at what cost? Abandoning Gremory, Tasha and Ryuubi, just like Annie did? After all, they ARE more experienced than me, therefore my presence there is quite irrelevant, like Ludger said, and while I would have to stand her bitchy attitude, she did say I'll become stronger than senpai if I take her hand and accept her proposal. Someone stronger than the Hero of the Underworld. If I take her hand, I no longer will have to be just 'the Sekiryuutei' or 'Issei's Legacy'. Even more, people will recognize me as the strongest of them all, and that's what I want... Kinda. Eisha, Belzard, senpai and the others... Stronger than them...

However, again, if I take her offer, what will happen to me? As a person? Will I become just a decoration for her? I've learnt so much with my little group, and even if I hate to admit it, I got the biggest memories out of them, even if sometimes they were kinda painful. If I take her hand, right here right now, no longer I'll have to worry about getting beating or ridiculed for being weak, and I'll grow stronger and stronger, while 'Ichijou' will slowly rot away, becoming the 'Strongest Sekiryuutei ever'. I won't be friends with anybody anymore. I can just leave Gremory and her shenanigans, leave Kuoh and it's crazy events, leave the human world with only a few people that like me, and make 'Ichijou' disappear, turning myself into 'the Strongest Sekiryuutei ever'. That would be cool, right?

What do I have to lose, anyway?

...

...

...

"I refuse." And so, even after all of that, my resolution came stronger, and I slapped that hand away. She didn't even blink for that, just sighed and returned the affected hand on her waist.

**"What a fool, you're just like the previous Sekiryuutei: a sentimental mongrel. Rather than take the hand, you rather walk on the unknown path that could pretty much lead you to your doom."** She said, taking a wet wipe out of her pocket to wash her hand with.** "What makes you refuse my proposal? It's not Berolina Gremory, because you wouldn't have lost the Rating Game against Nemesis otherwise, nor your little peerage, which shown to be on a higher level than you. So... What is it? What's your resolve that prevented you the certain future as the 'Strongest Sekiryuutei', someone that could pretty much rival Gods in just a few years?"**

"I dunno." I answered, such a simplistic reply made her show emotions for the first time as she wilded her eyes in surprise. "I really don't know. Maybe I'm really an idiot. A idiot that likes to have fun with people rather than being a boring someone that, while it can be the strongest, there's no one around to be happy about."

"**...?!"**

"I mean... Senpai wasn't anything special since the beginning. He was just someone that was lucky enough to be born with a Longinus Sacred Gear. Lady Rias wasn't a tyrant with rigid training, either." I said, remembering everything both Raven and Annie told me about senpai and the others. "I don't know the whole story, but she went to the human world so that she could be just... Herself. Not a Gremory, nor the little sister of Lord Sirzechs, the satan Lucifer, but just... Rias. So... Even if senpai knew about what she was since the beginning, I guess It wouldn't make a difference from the start. They would still fall in love with each other, wouldn't they? So... It wasn't her name, but herself, and it wasn't her training, but the will of senpai who made him what he was."

**"So you're saying you can reject the name of Bael. This is irrelevant for what we're discussing right now."** She said, now staring directly at my soul. I could feel a mixture of pain and sorrow coming from her, I don't know why or how. **"But I have you know, out of our generation, the youngest and weakest King is indeed Berolina Gremory. Even if she really matures and becomes a clone of Rias Gremory, her power won't be enough to make you reach your full potential. Generations passes and learns from their predecessors's mistakes and flaws, and when I say this, even if she reaches Lady Rias, she'd be long passed by others, stomped and crushed, and you'll be like her, for having such a lowlife and worthless King, who has only a name and a lineage."**

"Well, then... Might as well grow with her." I am kinda losing the grip of what I want to say. Poetry classes are kinda helping, but if continue like that, I might bore her to death. After all, I don't know anyone that much but... That's the reason I want to stay at Gremory's peerage. "I mean, you did say generations passes and learns from mistakes of the past... Doesn't mean she can also."

**"..."**

"Look, what I'm trying to say is... Shit, what was it again... I can reach my full potential myself, and I want to do it the way I want." I finished, taking a deep breath and sweating a bit. Oh, crap. I'm going full 'shounen hero talker' here. Since when Am I so noble? "I'd accept getting you to train me, but for me to become the strongest just for the sake of others... No, thanks. I rather become stronger for others. To fight not just for them, but also with them. Not be a bother, but a companion. And you're right, I'm not the son of someone important or have a special snowflake quality, but that's the reason I want to become stronger even more: to show people like you that I can surpass expectation!"

**"...!"**

"And even if Rina's the weakest King, she can also surpass those expectations, all while having fun like someone our age. We can live eternities, anyway. After all, everybody else has their ways to become stronger, I can learn from them too, so can her. So... I refuse your proposal, Ludger Bael."

**"..."**

"Also, you're kind of a bitch."

Yeah... I want to become stronger, but not for the sake of being the strongest. Maybe that's one of the reasons I want to become stronger: to walk besides others without feeling like a bother, a load. They are powerful, well, I can also be. After all, all I need to do is wait ten seconds, and if... When I reach Balance Breaker, not even that! I'll be the Sekiryuutei Ddraig and senpai can be proud of, the Sekiryuutei that can reach and fight alongside his companions, the Sekiryuutei that can show that he can be worthy with whichever path he choose to walk, the Sekiryuutei that can reach higher and higher and serve not just as an idol, but a paragon, like Senpai and Lord Sairaorg were in their time! And Gremory can also have her shine, and when she wakes up from her coma, might as well teach her too, that she can be stronger than Lady Rias, that she can be herself!

Heheh... Maybe my time at the springs cleaned up my mind better than I was expectin- Oh, crap! It's all coming back! No! No, no, no! Get away! Get away! I don't want to remember!

"Fool... You're just a fool thinking like that. Fantasies won't take you anywhere, only to a early death and suffering when they're crushed right in front of you." So she's still thinking like that. Whatever, I've said what I wanted to say, so there's no more reason to work my ass for her stupid way of thinking.

"Look, I don't care what you think about me or my resolution. If you want to talk about anything, just wait until today's Trial. Until then, leave me alon-..." I turned to give her my best 'piss-off' stare, but I stopped mid-sentence when I saw it: she was crying again. Her expression stoic as ever, but even so, salty water was running down her cheeks. She blinked a few times, and apparently just now noticed that. Out of instinct, I reached a hand for her. "Ludger-San..."

**"Don't touch me."** However, Ludger slapped it away and covered her crying face away from me. She picked that same tissue and dried the tears away.** "Don't get any ideas, Sekiryuutei. This is just an allergic reaction. It has been some time since I killed my emotions in order to gain such power. Those are... Nothing too much."**

"Killed... Your emotions." I blinked one eye out of reflex, and she crossed her arms and straightened her posture to bypass a sense of superiority. She's shorter than me, so I guess it didn't make such an impact she was aiming for. Her lack of expressions, however, was already another story.

"**Elites don't need to cling on such childish concepts. The strongest walks alone, or at least by others with ulterior motives. Someone who was once a human could never understand this, since weak creatures such as them need companions to walk straight. I don't need it... At all."** She said, now aiming all of her emotions and contempt towards me. I felt my heart a little heavy due to her wave of negativity, but at least tried to stand up against it. She sighed once more, and turned around, walking away not before telling me this.** "I have you know, I'm not doing this for your sake, but for the sake of the Sekiryuutei's legacy. As well as the safety of this school, which's under attack by the five dragon kings. If you don't do something about it, they will, and you might not like the results, Sekiryuutei."**

And with that, she left me be. Why I keep talking with her, anyway, she's stuck-up, like really stuck-up. Rei-chan tried to be like that, and failed, but this girl... Ludger Bael, she might be one of those that doesn't like a good chat, rather avoid anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. Come to think of it, since they're royalty, Alice-san and Nemesis-san would also be like that in the end, yet, they're not, not THAT much at least. Maybe it's the Gremory genes in them, maybe it's their interactions in the human world, I personally don't know, but I'm glad that they're like that.

Now that I think about it, I did say some pretty epic lines back then, yet, I don't know how I'm gonna do it. Maybe it was just the blood boiling at the time, but as long as I believe in myself, I'll be good for now, right? Aria-san and Hyung will never reject a chance to fight me and beat my ass, and maybe talk with Rei-chan about the Issei era(ugh, I'm still not used to this.) will also help me improve. Still, maybe Lord Calico is right, I think too much. For now, I defeated one of the Dragon Kings will little to no repercussions, so maybe others, if not myself, will do much better.

Well, here I am, monologuing like there's no tomorrow. Who'd have thought that, maybe I'm really pushing this protagonist thing, like Miyama would say...

"Hey, Ren, what do you think?" I said, turning to a random direction and squinting my eyes to see the fair outline of a camouflage in a random wall. Turns out, however, that he was actually hiding on the ceiling, as he descended from there and landed in front of me.

"I'd say that you need a little of ham in all that cheesiness." He said with a faint grin, now extending his arm and resting his elbow on my shoulder, supporting his body there. "In all honesty, like I've said before, you're you. You do what you got to do, and leave the rest. That's also a ninja thing: we're just everyday folks doing their jobs, no questions asked, never compromise. That's a ninja's motto."

" 'You're you'... You know who said that once? Your sister." I said, while he gave me a look that mixed disbelief and boredom.

"I can't believe she got so hammy as well. Maybe it was because she was walking with you, guys." He sighed. Huh, if only he knew it was actually from her that I got a lot more emotional and passionate. Thinking about it, it was after her training I got use to scream a lot. Oh, great, now I'm turning nostalgic. I should really relax more, this is an old man's thing. "Whatever, let's eat our lunch and be done with our patrol."

"Unfortunately, she destroyed my lunchbox." I said. Ren then passed me a curry sandwich. "Huh... Thank you."

"You're welcome."

And so we began our little journey to walk around and talk like old friends. What Ludger said is still hammering my mind a little, but I'm sure that someone in our group can take care of whatever comes when I won't be able to do it. I wonder... How's Miyama gonna get what she calls it a 'bigger force'?

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

"So, what I'm trying to ask you is... Could you please kill the students of some classes in this school, Miss Annabelle Hellsing?"

"Sure."

It was one of the strangest encounters of my life, mainly because it were them who came to me. It all started not long ago, when I was paying a little visit to good old Kuoh, to find something to eat and maybe pay a little visit to some... Old acquaintances, after all, this place is filled with traps thanks to my... Brother Ren, so I needed to not only disable some of those, but also avoid drawing unwanted attention.

When I was about to pick a fallen lunchbox some loser wasted, I was surprised to be discovered immediately by a strange girl with short white hair and strange orange eyes, who was strong and fast enough to disarm and spar with me for a long time. She said that, if I'm interested, her group might want to contract my 'services'. Out of curiosity, and for the fact that she also offered me some good food, I followed her to the old building. Surprisingly or not, the misdirection spell was lifted from the place, so it became just an old building. The girl, her name was Madaraki Eiko or something, guided me to inside of the old building, and once there, I met the leader of their little Group, Miyama Rei.

We exchanged some words and greetings, and then he explained to me: he wanted to eliminate something known as 'Ultimate Evil' in Kuoh Academy, and for that, he must find a special someone within the students here. I asked him why to kill if a possible candidate might be one of them, and his vague response was just a shrug and Miyama saying that 'special someone' would survive his games. That whole 'mass murder on class 1-D' was just to find it, and he might have, but nothing concrete. So my job would be to kill as much as students I can in order to find this special snowflake amount them. And of course, being a ninja, I accepted...

... Not.

"Just kidding. To kill everyone in this school. I don't know if you're stupid or just plain naive, but the daughter of the current Lucifer is the headmistress here, not to mention that the student council president is also a powerful devil." I said, crossing my arms and legs on the sofa the previous occult research club used to sit on. Kinda ironic. He, who was with his feet on Lady Rias's table, also shrugged. "Besides, I might be a ninja, but attacking such important people might not only taint the name of my village, but also mark me as a SSS-class terrorist. This means the entire three factions will be at my ass."

"This is a risk we have to take, miss Annabelle. After all, only the ultimate Evil knows where my father lies, and when we figure it that out... We'll kill him." And another one with father issues. However, I heard about this, the Miyama house, that particular experience laboratories that used to create and experiment humans in order to evolve them further and into God-like beings. I thought it was just an old fairytale Devils would tell their children, but apparently not. "Besides... I'm aware of your current objective. Killing the current Vampire King isn't also an act of terrorism?"

"...!"

***VOOSH!***

***CATCH!***

"Don't be too harsh, I know you're not that kind of character." He said as he nonchalantly picked my flying kunai in his direction in midair. He's smart and also pretty fast, no wonder he can control one of the Dragon Kings, the Golden panties Gigantiss Dragon Fafnir. He threw my knife to a random direction, and put himself straight on his chair. He threw in front of me a small card with a little caricature of me, and spoke. "Now, let's get down to business. I read in your bio that your current objective is to become the Vampire King by Killing the Current one and take his place. Now that the Carmilla and Tepes faction are in peace since they were all near extinction once, they're now accepting anyone who's strong enough to lead them. Currently, the vampire Lord is Nosferatu Black who, despite his age, can still hold himself in a fight. However... Can he defeat five dragon Kings?"

"..." I continued to quietly listen to him, picking that little card in front of me only to discover in shock there was an entire bio of me there. Blood type, height, weight, birthday, you name it, it was there. Who is this guy? What is this guy?

"We don't have much money to pay for your service, but how about a trade?" He said, leaning forward and making his sick-green bangs cover part of his eyes of the same tone. "You kill everybody in this school, leaving only those you couldn't, and we help you pass through the royal security plus the ninjas and Kill the Vampire King."

"Deal." I said with a smirk. Oh, I get it now. I don't actually understand their motives to want everyone dead here, but as long as it doesn't concern me, and to top it all, can help me achieve my objectives, of course I would accept it.

"Glad to hear that. We can provide you with food and a home, plus someone for you to train with, while doing your job and, when the time comes, we'll help you against Lord Nosferatu." He said, throwing his gaze elsewhere as he extended his hand to me. Now, everything I gotta do is accept his hand, and maybe my dream will come true.

I have nothing to lose, right? When I'm done with all of this, not only I'll be the Vampire King, but also the Future Kaguya, the ninja protector of the village. And when this happens, mom and dad won't have a choice but to obey me, and then become a couple again. So that we can finally live together as a bunch of psychos...

After all this time I lost with Gremory's little group, I need something of a handicap or backup to help me out. It's just unfair that only Lord Nosferatu got to have his security. Not to mention, they'll probably tighten the protection around campus after all this ruckus is over and the meeting comes closer. In short, I really need this help, and this came in a good time...

I'm a ninja. Never compromise, no questions asked, no bonds. Just you and your blade. Tons of us comes and goes, so we better don't bother about it at all. Those who I once call 'my peerage' were just stepping stones, and once I'm done with them, of course I would disband from them and follow my own path. Never thought it would be this early, though. I am a lone wolf, and I'm willing to do anything, even abandon those I pretended to care about to reach my goals...

After all, **Gremory** was all talk, talk, talk, her incessant talking about Lady Rias, Lord Issei and those other things no one cares about anymore, her childish and stupid behavior, her cursed-to-be-doomed plans and works and just plain stupidity... But she was also quite supportive on me, took me to a good place to train and live, didn't have any hard feelings about my insults and she was pretty kind and fun to be around, even if I'm not like Lord Gasper.

**Tasha** was a pain in the ass, with her non-stop barrages of dirty jokes, impressive rack and aloof attitude. The think I hate the most is the fact that I can't read a person, and she was so mysterious and quiet she just generally pisses me off... Then again, she did know for what I was fighting about, and cared about me as a family. She read my mind like a book, and she does care about what I think, so much she didn't even tried to stop me.

**Liu Bei**, fun incarnate. Her long speeches are really tiring and sometimes I just wished for her to go away and mind her own business, but alas, she was always the one to put her nose where she did not belong... Still, that was part of the fun to have her around. After what we did back in the Jade Palace, I'm surprised that she defended us against lord Son Goku, and just like me, she joined the peerage so that she could look further into the world and know more about it. We would have so much to talk about it...

The only things I will miss are Mama Orochi's dishes, my friends back in Kuoh, the boobs of the Gremories and other girls, the funny video-game nights, the jokes and insults of my training with Ichijou...

Come to think of it... **Ichijou**, the number one loser, probably the most insignificant guy in my group, I don't think he'll be missed when I leave... Yet... Yet... Yet...

Ah, whatever. Like I've said, I don't have any... Any... Any...

"..."

***DRIP! DRIP!***

"I can't... I can't do it."

"Miss Annabelle?"

"I can't do it, Miyama. I love them too much." And it was just a short bit. A tiny, little, insignificant moment that probably wasn't even worth the time of my brain, yet, I don't know why, my vision is blurry, and I can feel the hot tears coming down of my eyes. What's going on? I was about to shake hands with him and seal our contract in blood, yet, in this little moment I had, I realized that I can't do it. I can't simply walk away from them. For some reason, I can't.

Huh... Maybe I'm really my mom's and my dad's daughter...

"Heh... Maybe I'm really losing grip of what's important. Instead of taking everything to gain more power, I'm sticking with the loser team because they mean so much to me. Tch, what a drag. What is this, a shounen manga?" I grinned to myself, seeing his expressionless face suddenly change to a more surprised one. I dried to tears away, and stood up from the chair, cleaning my skirt and turning around to walk away from here. "Sorry, Miyama, but a no's a no. I don't want to get involve anymore. And it's definitely not because I miss my old comrades or anything. I just don't want a part on this madness. So, see ya."

"Very well, then. You did join Berolina Gremory's peerage, and while she doesn't want to see you anymore, maybe the sin of being turned into a devil has reached you." He simply said, now turning his gaze to an old book in the bookshelf and picking it up. It was 'how to kill a mockingbird.'. Pretty ironic. "Then, you can go away. Go live your life and have things the way you want. You're dismissed."

"..."

...

...

"Wait, what?" Really? That easy? I know their location, I know what and why they're planning this, and hell, I even know who they are, as in which one of them. Is he really gonna let me go that easily? Than it comes to me, I'm technically alone now. People won't trust me since I'm stray. And even if this juicy information comes to their ears, they'll still apprehend me for running away. Worse, since Gremory's dad in a maou, God knows what he'll do to me. Heheh, well played. However. "Oh, I get it. Since I'm a stray, they won't believe a single word that I'd say, right?"

"It's your word, not mine. But this can be the only outcome, am I correct?" Without taking his eyes off the book, he said it again. He's extremely on the wrong if he thinks that he has me on his hands.

"Cheating, huh? So... What if I kill you?" I said with my best snake impression, sticking my tongue out and letting my bangs cover my eyes so their golden shine could do the intimidation work. He closed his book in a smooth move, and turned to me. "Think about it: if I kill you and bring your head to the high ups of devil society, you, a terrorist with a Dragon sacred Gear, they will have no choice but to pardon me. I'd be free to tell others where the rest of your sisters are, and all of your plans will go down the hole. It might take a while longer for me to become the vampire king, but at least I'll be able to stop you, and have everyone trust me again, which is a plus to come closer to Lord Nosferatu during the meeting."

"Are you really planning to do this? If your answer is yes, you're out of luck. If you do anything against me, Tsukino Kyou will die."

"...!"

"Oh, what. Did I hit a wound or something?" How... How does he know about mama Kyou?! "Your face... Is just like Light Yagami's face during the last chapters of Death Note. Don't you think I already thought of any possibility. Very well, let me explain: I fought Tsukino Ichijou. He was a tough one, mainly because he could read me like a Manga. When we came to a conclusion, I'd figure that he must have a family, since he said he was so different from me. It didn't take long for me to pinpoint the Tsukino household. Super easy, in fact."

"..." I was still mute, as he threw again a card in front of me. Despite all of my fears, I picked it up to take a look. It was really Ichijou's house. Address, number, street and even the number of people living in it. What the hell is that all about?! "You... You bastard!"

"You threatened me, and suddenly I am the bastard. That's unfair, y'know. But, like I was saying, I know about Tsukino Kyou, her step-daughters and children, and the fact that you used to live that, as well as her being the progenitor of the Current Sekiryuutei." He said, picking another book and tossing it to a random side. "I have you know, I have four sisters willing to kill Tsukino Kyou and her daughters and burn that residence to the ground. If during any time of this day, my heartbeat comes to none, they'll know, and without a second thought, kill everyone related to the Sekiryuutei. You can just walk away and pretend nothing happened at all and just continue to live in the shadows training, accept my proposal and defeat the Vampire Lord, or try to kill me and have a mad, sad and desperate Sekiryuutei running after you like the three factions would. Your choice."

"You... You...! Don't you have any shame?! Using innocent lives to try to threaten me?! Killing people that don't know anything or has nothing to do with it?! You're the worst! A coward!" I lost my cool. For the second time, I lost my cool. I don't know it was because my perfect plan was foiled, or because it has About Tsukino Kyou and his son we were talking about, but I lost it. I was ready to kill him at any time.

"Shame? Cowardliness? 'The worst'? What are you talking about? We are just using Hyoudou Issei's motto: 'Friendship, hard work and Victory'. We are using our 'Friendship' in order to 'work hard' and make plans upon plans to achieve 'Victory'. Simple as that." He said, now looking directly at me with his sick white eyes. My hand was twitching in anger, as he opened his arms wide, putting himself in a defenseless state. "But, as much as I hate to kill innocents, this is the dimension I want you to see I will go. In order to defeat the Ultimate Evil and know the localization of my Father... I'm willing to eat even Raw Onions."

***ZING!***

"What...?!"

***STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB!***

"Ughh...!"

"But I guess you're right, after all. I can't let someone who has so much information go away that easily. I changed my mind." And everything went so fast. Before I knew it, my whole body had been stabbed by countless swords and pointy weapons coming from golden portals behind his back. I couldn't even react to it, the speed of them were absurd. I was pin to a wall, and from there, I descended from the ground. Immobile. I can't feel my legs, I can't feel my hands, yet, my body is burning. It hurts... It hurts so much. "Ah... I guess that you're not the one. Don't worry, since you're not the one, nor you can defeat me by any chance, I guess it doesn't matter if you live or die."

***OPEN.***

"Hey. Sarah enters the room." And from the door, I saw a new figure enter the room. A tall girl with spiky azure hair and green eyes, wearing Babel institute's uniform came in and tapped the Miyama on the shoulder. "Tururu~, s'up, little bro. Doing great? End of message."

"Hey, Sarah. No, not really. That chick has quite the objective and past, but she's not the one we're looking for. You can take her off the list like class 1-D and the rest." He said to the tall bluenette. At this point, my vision was already blurrier than before, and soon, the only thing I could distinguish were colors and tonalities. "By the way, how's your infiltration in the student council doing?"

"Tururu~, I don't think they suspect anything. I said I was going to be a double-agent, so of course they have my backs and racks onto me. End of message." The tall one said, as The blur of colors I figured it was Miyama walked towards me and stopped when he was close enough, at least enough to cloud the light coming from the windows.

"Perfect. Don't worry, miss Annabelle. We're not murderers, we won't kill you. But at least we will leave our mark in Kuoh, as well as in you."

"..."

"Ah, ah. She's dying. Can't even talk. Well, time to use Susanoo's sake. You'll be alright the next moment you open your eyes, but won't be able to say a thing."

And that's everything he said, before picking something from one of his golden runes and drop on me. It was some kind of water, hot, heavy, dense and wet. After that, I passed out, and remember nothing else after it...

...

...

It was already nighttime when I woke up, still on the old building, where the old Occult Research Club used to meet. My body was sore and twitching, yet, there was no wounds or holes on me. They only thing that was out of place were my clothes, now looking like Swiss cheese.

Was that all a dream? An illusion? No, that was very real. The nightmarish sensation of being pierced by several swords at once, while being taunted by someone who can't even reach at your level. It was just a surprise attack, of course he wouldn't win in a fair fight. Plus, he has a hostage...

Realization hit me like a bullet when it came to me: Mama Kyou's in trouble! All of the Berolina's pieces were away from home when I met with Miyama! How about their house?! How about her?! I stood up and tried to dash to the door, only to feel a sting of pain that made me kiss the floor. Crap, it's still hurts, my whole body is still immobile. Even the reaction moves hurt like I'm breaking some bones. Still... I need to... I need to see if... They're alright...

For some reason... I need to see if they're alright...

***PULL!***

"What's...?!" When I thought couldn't get any worse, a set of strings reached for me and rent me immobile. No, this cannot be! I turned around and saw Ren, ... His strings on hand, grinning.

"Yo, Sayuri. Remember me? I'm still around school. I knew that coming for a quick checkup in the old building would pay off this time."... He said, gripping even tighter around... His strings. Shit, I was too careless. I can still stand on ground, but those strings are making harder to move.

"Ren, release me at once!" I screamed at... Him, making some hand signs, but the lack of space making the seals difficult to do. "I need to see a thing! I think Ichijou might be in trouble!"

"Nice try, Sis. But of course I won't fall for that. Geez, waking with those friends of yours truly made you vulnerable, eh?"

"You shut up!" I finally finished one more seal, and then set electricity across the razor lines. Ren was fast enough to dodge it, but fortunately, ... He loosed the strings enough for me to jump out of it and escape! I jumped out of the window and ran for the Tsukino Household. Damn you, Miyama!

"Come back here, Sayuri!"

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

Gosh, today's trial was a waste of time! The one who lead this time was Lady Roseweiss's great-something-daughter. The challenge was to play a video-game that shares the same steam with all the present students. Sounded cool and all. However, I only noticed something amiss when the leader was Yuno-san, I guess that was her name, was doing all the work.

The first minute, the second minute, we could only stare at the massive screen on the podium showing her having all the fun of the game, while we were just looking at our tiny portables and waiting for commands. Sure, she would give us command from time to time, like pressing one button or so, but compared to the rest of the walkthrough, we did jackshit for her.

Things got a lot worse when hours come to pass, and after the upgrades, she didn't need out assistance anymore. Looking at the screen like zombies, of course others would give up and walk away from Kuoh. The first, the second, the third and the fourth hour came, and already half of the students walked away from their chance to enroll in Kuoh. I had to call my mother to say I was going to be late, but for some reason, she wouldn't receive it or call it back. Amount them, I saw Miyama sitting right at the front row, disinterested as always. In the end, Yuno-san finished the game, and the credits rolled. Of course, after that one, there was an uproar, with people screaming and shouting what was the point of all of that. Yuno-san's only response?

**"If you wanna be in Kuoh, you need to learn that your assistance will be just eventual and when we want. Learn your place and stay out of the champion's way, coppice?"**

And she dropped her joystick and walked away, as some others also walked away from the gym, while others, still altered a little, stayed strong to receive the permission to go on. That marked the end of the Preta Trial.

I reached for Sarah-san and said to her to talk to that particular character that was Miyama Rei. She nodded, and tried to reach for him, but before I knew it best, he disappeared. In just s blur, he disappeared. Sarah-san turned around, nodded to me and also disappeared, probably to chase him down. I message Kaichou to say that Sarah-San chasing down. In response, she responded with a happy face, and saying that she'll try to help her later. Meanwhile, I still need to stay here, beside Bael, avoiding any desperate encounter. Thing went smooth today...

"Today's trial was a drag. If I knew it would be that boring, I won't have come at all." I sighed, taking a sip out of my coffee in a nearby convenient store, together with my fellow Bishop, who was also drinking some powerful energy drink, and Yoko taking her time to drink some tea. They were waiting for me this whole time and were on the bring of falling asleep. Fortunately I came just in time for us to take our time and recover our energies with caffeine. I'll need it to Wrestle my sisters today, anyway.

"Responsibilities. Can't run from them. Like pregnancy." She said without even blinking, while I almost throw up into my coffee and Yoko choked on hers. How does she encounters anything dirty in such things like that?! Still, I can't believe I'm kinda getting use to this. Huh... Maybe living with them is affecting my ways of tolerate the world.

Yoko still whacked her on the head.

"Hurt."

"Only I can make those jokes, Campbell-san." Yoko smiled, patting the witch on her head for comfort. I'm kinda glad we're getting along.

"You can't think of anything but sex, right miss Natalia?" I said it like a joke. She shot her eyes to me in dull surprise.

"Natalia. How. Know?" She asked, now strangely too focused on me, her purple eyes aiming me like I just exploded out of nowhere. She blinked once, I did it also, pushing Yoko away and leaning towards me on the table. Now touching cheeks with me. "Said it."

"Ah... Too close, Tasha-san~." I said, feeling the uncomfortable heat of her cheeks. People are watching, the fox is staring. This is really embarrassing. I fought against a dragon for five days straight, yet is a girl that is making me uncomfortable. Tasha pinched my cheek. "Owowowow..."

"Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, care to hear a secret?" She said, her tone now a lot more serious and focused I almost got lost in it. Wow, shocking, she knows how to be like that. She let go of me and sighed, she pushed me closer and blocked Yoko's sight with another hand. "Witches should never reveal their real names to anyone. The thing is, our names are given to us based on a thing we call numerology. Magic based on numbers. My powers and abilities lies in every letter and secrets behind my true name. If any other Mage ever discovers it, they can simply solve it and discovers my powers, secrets, techniques and even weaknesses can be uncovered and explored. See what I mean? Don't ever say my name again... Or I'll have to either kill you or cut your tongue off."

"Un... Understood." I said. 'Tasha' then picked my chin and made me stare her by leveling my face to hers. Again, too close!

"Do you, Tsukino Ichijou? Do you? Maybe I should seal your tongue and put my worries to rest." She said, now squishing my cheeks and putting her tongue out. Oh, shit! I'm in this situation again! Need to stay calm and do the right thing... No, not kiss her! Be a man and face-suck her! Just kidding. Yoko jumped on my lap and stopped us before anything drastic could happen.

"Do that, I'm sealing your two sets of lips, Campbell." Yoko made a dirty joke! Yoko made a dirty joke! I'm not even mad, really. Just surprised, it has been a while since she last told a sexual joke or anything with this connotation. Out of instinct, I lightly whacked her on the head. She interpreted it as a gesture of kindness, and smiled.

"Yoko, we already have Tasha. I guess we don't need another one telling jokes." I patted her on the head, and she smiled even brighter, while Tasha eyed me with her tongue out, hanging it like she was still waiting for something. Okay, just this once. Just this once. I hugged Yoko, making her bury her head on my shoulder, and faster as I could, I blew a kiss to Tasha, who blushed and put her tongue in again with a smile. Smooth, huh, Ichijou? I just feel bad with Tasha like that. Better her with a smile. "Still, we better be going home. Mama will be mad, and maybe we'll need to battle my sisters... Again."

"I still can't believe they're stronger than us." Yoko said, letting go off the hug to face me with a wisecrack smile. I sighed, I was going all out because I wanted revenge, yet, they still stronger than me. Maybe it's because I used to be beaten 24/7 by them is why I'm able to shake some pretty serious injuries off. How convenient. Mom used to teach me some fighting moves too, and since they're girls, of course mama would show them how to defend themselves too. "Don't worry. One day we will kick them and turned them into your slaves."

"Aaayy~..." Tasha made the hands.

"No! I don't want two making the jokes now! And don't talk about my sisters like that!" I said ignoring the fact that everyone, EVERYONE, was looking at us. I looked at the clock in my phone, and it was almost 7 p.m. Great, I will regret passing through here, but I should call mom again...

...

...

Tch, still no response. I wonder if Ryuubi ate mom's phone or something. I sent s message just to make sure, finishing it with a happy smile... Nah, I'm not that much of a smiley person. I'll write a cat smile instead... Screw it, there it goes without

"Well, I'm dead anyway. You girls wanna stay here for a while longer and drink some more coffee?" They smiled. As I picked another set of coffee and tea. One coffee for me, Tasha and of course tea for Yoko. Oh, I need to order also some camomile, because I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. "Hey, Tasha, since you can handle numerology, what does my name means?"

"Let's see." She picked a napkin, a pen out of her bag, and began to write something in there. After a while, she stopped, analyzed the piece of paper for a while, and sighed.

"So...?"

"Sex-driven sadist."

***BAM!***

"I had an idea that would be it... Could you please read it again?"

"'Kay... Walking console."

"Oh, my..."

"What people has so much expectations out of meeee~?!"

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

Oh, today is such a good day. Cohen made me a cake that I ate and I like it, I had tea with Mary and, last but not least, had a good lunch with lady Anzu. Too bad for you, mrs. Mary Beelzebub, but I just got a new best friend that is better and funnier than you~!

**(Mary - like I care...)**

However, everything came crushing down as I came back home and saw the dear peerage of my older daughter down. What a let down, maybe they're out of tea or something. Time to use that new set Madam Anzu bought for me~. I bumped into Nemesis on my way to the kitchen, who was equally as livid...

"Hey, miss grumpy face. Care to explain why your group is so down?" I asked her. Ms. Leave-me-alone just grunted and walked away again. Maybe she's still upset about Rina and Ludger, I dunno. I shrugged, and walked to the kitchen anyway to brew tea and maybe bake a pie. Cohen lives pie, my dear fly husband, dear. It didn't take long for me to finish the set, and with a golden plate, I took them to the living room, where the downer group was havin their silent reunion.

"Hey~, my dears. I made so tea and pie, for you to drown your sorrows in them and maybe feel a little, for whatever reason~." In response to my little show of affection, my little Nemis eyed me so poisoning. Typical. Mr Nero sighed again, just like Michaelis and Nadja. The dark-skinned busty shaman, however, was polite enough to thank me and pick a cup for herself. She's always so sweet.

"Mother, please, leave us be. Today was a really harsh day." My dear Nemis said, grunting even more and picked a piece of the pie to take a vicious bite out of it. Scary.

"Very well, I won't push your four, but I might add that, as your mother, I'd like to know what's occurring outside. If it's about Kuoh, well, of course, in the name of Grandmaster Millicas, I'll have to interfere."

"..." They all shared glares at each other, and some time passed while I lost interest more and more with this. I wonder how Rina's doing back there. Did she already score with Ichi-pon? Maybe I'll complete my game with a route with a threesome with her, Ichijou and Raven. Huhuhuh, Alice Gremory, you're such a little devil~. Nemesis finally spoke after a few minutes. "Mom, do you know anything about Fafnir and the other Dragon kings?"

"Well, sure. The great five dragon kings, the main enforcers against 666(Trihexa) during the great apocalypse. Too bad they bodies ended up destroyed." I prayed a little for their souls to find some rest in the afterlife, taking a shock in the head as a result. I actually don't care, I do hope they're in peace now. "What about it?"

And like a typical story, she told me everything: the terrorist attack on class 1-D, the eliminatory selection of transferring students back in Kuoh, and now, the information that all of those little pesky kids are actually dragon-sacred gear users, not just any dragons, but based on the said Five Dragon Kings. One is missing, other escaped, and the third is under custody of Serena Sitri-chan. This means two more to go. One more crucial information: for some reason and why, they're trying to destroy the school for some reason in order to defeat 'an ultimate evil'. Could it be our Ultimate Evil?

"I see. Not only the original set of Vritra, but all the other dragon kings were transformed into Sacred Gears, which are probably artificial since Lord Michael, despite becoming the singularity with all the others Seraphim, is still unable to create lasting ones. Quite a story." I sighed, taking my time to digest all of that story. Yeah, lord Michael became the single identity in highest heavens, passing their roles as seraphim to others, yet despite their combined powers, they're unable to create stable Sacred Gears, even after the destruction of Grigori institute and Lord Azazel's disappearance. Quite impressive that someone was able to create those without his blueprints. Such interesting story. "By the way, you three... A single girl defeated you all by her own terms in such humiliating way... Oh, my. Now you all understand how lord Riser felt during the Gold Issei Era~."

"Shut up, Mother! This is serious, goddamnit!" Joykiller Nemesis, a difficult and annoying habit she picked from her Alastor Grandfather Fillus. That comment indeed left them depressed. I pouted and ate a piece of pie to forget that dude remark, while Nemesis sat next to her peerage, deep in thoughts. "Shit, not only that girl was able to create a Balance Breaker for one of her Sacred Gears individually, she also doesn't die for some reason! Kuram-... Akabane Yoko also stated that boy from 1-D was also hard to go down... Who knows what the others can do! And that Sarah brat won't say a thing! Fuck!"

"Words there, young lady. Being upset won't help you at all." Yeah, you say it, lady Alice. Show her that you can be level-headed and helpful, that you're her mother. Jokes aside, Kuoh being under attack might be a problem. And if that's eating my little, sweet little hardhead daughter from inside, I can't simply wait without doing something.

However, helping her out directly would destroy her pride as a Gremory and the devil in command of all the supernatural around Kuoh city, not to mention that, as the wife of the Demon Lord Lucifer, my direct interference might cause an uproar and unbalance the order in that same city my family inherited and protected for a few generations. Not to mention being sacred gears based on dragons, simple Devils won't work out, their powers alone plus those terrorists's own unique ones. Nemesis's group faced one with powers to avoid death, even against grandfather Lord Sirzechs's [Ruin the Extinct]. This is a problem.

Then it hit me. They're fighting for their 'Ultimate Evil', right? Well, let's unleash our own Ultimate Evil on them.

"Hey, Nemesis..." I said. She turned to me with an expression that was just saying that she'll hit me of I even dare to joke around. I smiled anyway. "You said that they're fighting an Ultimate Evil... Well, how about we use our own Ultimate Evil on them?"

"...!" The whole room went silent, but I could even heard their internal screams. Nemesis and Michaelis went overdrive, while little Nero and Nadja were trying to comprehend the suddenly change of mood around here. Oh, right, they're reincarnated Devils, they probably are too young to know anything. Still facing me; my daughter stood up and shouted. "Are you insane, mother?!"

"What's wrong? It has been so long since we let That take a walk around. Sure, it killed an entire army of dragonslayers, but at least It was a lot calmer from when I was younger." I said, taking a sip out of my tea ignoring the intense stare of my daughter. "Besides, we have the Sekiryuutei, now. Since they're technically cousins, I guess that Ichijou-kun will be able to control It."

"Mother. The risk is too high. That... Thing can' no longer think like anything resembling the part of humanity it has." She said, now a lot more calmer. She's right, the risk is indeed high, but as natural opposing existences, as well as their (more or like) shared genes might help us control it better than before. "Tsukino Ichijou... Might be the Sekiryuutei, but he's not ready to take That face on! He'll die in a second!"

"Who knows, right? Maybe he'll make a new friend. Dragons understand each other better than anyone. And remember that he's not the only dragon you have." I blinked to her; and tossed a set of keys to the ground. For a second, she was surprised. "Oh, no. Nemesis, darling, I think I lost my keys to the secret magical prison in the deepest part of the Gremory Territory. Oh, the humanity. Who knows what the individual with it will do? Maybe she or he can, I dunno, used it to release the Ultimate Evil sealed within it and maybe, just maybe, help her or him with his problems with dragons~..."

"..." Nemesis went quiet; looked at the key, then to me. To the keys, to me, to the keys, and sighed. My dear daughter picked the keys, put it in her pocket and shot me a poisonous glare. "Alice Gremory, you're the kind of a devil Lord Rizevim would be proud of. Your desire to watch the world burn knows no boundaries."

"You hurt me saying this, Nemesis. I don't want to see the world burn, I'm just doing what a devil should do: you either take the hard way, or shake hands with me and make a pact with the devil... Literally." I giggled for my own pun. The mood became heavier and heavier, as we stared at each other for quite some time. In the end, she sighed, picked up her stuff and walked away.

"I won't fall for your mind-games mom. I believe in my own and peerage's strength." She said, leaving the place together with her peerage, but taking the key for herself. "As a matter for protection, I'll be in charge of these keys."

"Okay, do what you think is best. Don't catch a cold. Mama loves you. Say 'hi' to Rina for me~."

I know my daughter. She's a good kid, stubborn and hotheaded like her father, but a good kid nonetheless. However, she has this strange mood swings and priority issues. She say this now, but I won't be surprise if she chooses to use the key under desperate circumstances.

About That... If Ichijou is determinate as he wants to be, maybe he'll be a great help by the time nemesis uses the key to unlock it. It'll be such a heartwarming reunion for me too. Still, I missed the old days, and things won't ever be like that again. Huh, it has been a while since I became so nostalgic, and I'm almost crying as a result. Don't be precipitated, Alice, you know how things work these days.

Out of respect, I picked more two cups of tea and filled them with tea besides my own. Just how they liked...

Just how it used to be...

Before the Great Apocalypse...

* * *

**Yeah, nothing but some words, exposition and maybe a little development of character this time. I hope I did a good job, but i'm also afraid that maybe i gave too much information. whatever, i hope you all enjoyed. Stay golden~.**


	39. A trip to Okinawa!

**Hey, ho, fandom. new chapter, and nothing more to declare. Only... Double your attention this chapter, because things will get messy a little. Stay golden as always~.**

**highschool dxd doesnt belong to me~.**

* * *

It's raining. What a bummer. Everybody is probably all cozy back at home, and yet here I am with my group in the middle of the rain, being protected only by my little umbrella. Yoko can control the wavelength of the drops of water so they won't fall on her, and being a fire witch, Tasha's body temperature is much higher than of a regular human's, enabling her to turn the water around her into vapor. Do what? I can only rely on this black umbrella I got from mom while those two can effortlessly pretend that it isn't even raining...

Then I ask myself why the hell they don't use those instead of fighting for space with me under the umbrella.

"Girls, you can protect yourselves against the rain. Please let me use my umbrella in peace." I muttered. Of course it wouldn't do a damn thing against them.

"Too much coffee. Too weak. Can't control magic. Hold me, Tsukino-chin." The girl whose name is a cryptogrammic rune said to me, squeezing her body onto me. I pushed her away with my own weight, yet I ended up being pulled by Yoko.

"I'm... I'm still recovering from the Chakra overuse, Ichijou. I can't waste it in those frivolous things and I have to recover some, therefore, I need to touch you." Was Yoko's excuse. Lies, all lies, I can feel it. Actually, it's not that bad be changing warmth with pretty girls, but if my sisters ever find that out... Dealing with the rest of the five dragon kings will be the least of my worries...

"Okay. Okay. Whatever, let's go home like that, but please be aware that when we're near home, we need to split apart from each other or else my sisters will do that to us... Individually."I gulped, just like them. Not even the cold breeze from the weather could make me shiver like that. The girls then parted away their contact with me, using their own abilities to escape from the rain. Wow, sad, that had the opposite effect. It was just a warning, but they probably thought I was indirectly telling them to go away. Shit. "Uuuh~... Doesn't mean we can't stay like before until then."

"Yaaay~." And there was much rejoice as they practically squashed me between them. Just to remember myself, Tasha is indeed taller than I am, but Yoko's smaller. The position I stayed in is kinda uncomfortable, but what can I do? I gave them the green light, so better suck it up for now. I wonder if senpai had that kind of problem. Who am I kidding, he probably couldn't even take a step without being covered in girls. And I'm okay with just two girls... Kinda.

For some reason, I miss the other girls around. Yes, even Gremory...

***Vooosh!***

***Voooosh!***

"Incoming forces!" Suddenly Yoko shouted, pushing us away from harm's way as two flashes passed around us. The first one disappeared into the curtain of drops, while the other landed next to us. My vision was kinda blurry from the rain, but that shadow soon revealed itself as The Albino Ninja From the hidden Hanzō village Ren. He was panting and ready to leap to the unknown again.

"Ren...?!" He turned to me, but returned to take a move forward again.

"Not now, Ichijou! Duty's calling!" Was all I could hear. He left us to the dust,disappearing from from my sight.

"This scent... Ichijou, it's faint, but I can sense Hellsing's smell coming from that same direction!" Yoko said. I gave an exclamation at that, summoning my sacred gear in the deserted street and running to that direction! Shit, is Ren trying to capture her again?! We gotta keep up with her too!

"After them." Tasha commanded as she mounted on her broom she pulled from under her skirt and rode it to the same direction. I pulled Yoko and made her rode me from the back, as the Boosted Gear announced [BOOST], and the burst of energy ran through my body. And so, we ran after them.

"Anything, Yoko?!" I took the lead since the nine-tailed fox was on my back, and so it would be easier for her to track Annie down, rain and all. She nodded, but pointed out that the rain was interfering a lot. Also, I dunno why, but this way seems too familiar. "How strange, this pathway is really... Really... Oh, don't tell me they're going...!"

And I was right. This place, those streets, this pathway... We are going directly to my house! But why?! If she's planning to use my own house and fam-... Mother as hostages, I'm gonna break her so bad! Not kill her, but break her anyway! The rain turned even more violent now, and the purple witch next to me had to put down her flying broom to avoid it fall to the floor. We ran and ran, and like I was expecting, we ended up on the way to my home.

"Almost there! What the hell she wants, anyway?!"

"Ninja art! Qillin's punishment!"

***ZAAAAP!***

"Whooooa...!" But before we could even reach to my house, a flying frying Ren was tossed against us. We dodged the gliding loser in time, and in the end, we were now facing the back of our former comrade, as she stared at something in front of us right in front of my house. What does she want here?

"Darling; watch out. She put razor lines around this area! If you get too close, you might cut yourself!" Yoko informed me, but Tasha simply dismissed this warning as she burned, in the middle of the rain I might add, those lines away with purple flames. Yoko deadpanned. "Thanks Tasha, I forgot how overpowered our group is."

"Yay, I'm important." The witch muttered. I was the one who took the first step towards Annie and picked her by the collar, making her turn around to face me!

"Okay, what's going on, Annabelle?! Why are you here?! You know very well that I'll break your legs and scream at you until you give up from that suicidal idea!" I screamed at her as she took it all, immobile, with her bangs covering her eyes. I thought that she was just shocked to see me, but soon enough I discovered the why of that: it was not the real Annabelle Hellsing, but a dummy doll. "Shit!"

"Substitution Art, basic tricks to fool idiots. Classic. I'm a ninja, after all." I heard from above, and right on the concrete wall, there she was, sitting there and eyeing us with a mocking expression. I tossed her wood dummy away as the rest of my group gathered to face the ninja. "Yahoo you all, long time no see. Miss me?"

"Yes. Very. Much." The witch pouted, crossing her arms.

"Hellsing, I don't know what's your plan or what you're trying to pull here, but no matter how good acquaintances we used to be, I won't hold back." Yoko also said, taking a step forward and ready to take her eyepatch away. I stopped her from doing anything further, and sighed.

"Annie, I want an answer, and depending on that, I'm gonna kick your ass: what are you doing here?" I pointed my Boosted Gear at her. I'm pretty sure she's not here to eat snacks and drink coffee with mum, so what else she's here for?

"..." For a moment, she went silent, and alternated her own gaze from me to my house. To my house, to me, to my house, to us. In the end, she covered her face with a hand, took a deep and audible sigh, and after a few seconds, she turned to us and smiled. "Don't worry, red Dragon, I'm just here to kill some time and maybe bid a last goodbye. I won't be coming back soon, either like a Stray or the vampire King."

"Don't joke around, damn it. You're not doing that!" I jumped to try to reach her, but she also jumped away. Tasha used her broom to stop right in front of Annie, but the ninja used a smoke bomb to lose herself and appear right next to the witch. Again, she landed right in front of my house, and sniffed, and sneezed. That was random. "I won't let you escape!"

"Annie!" I heard from behind me, and as I turned around, another gust of wind blew right next to my face. Ren was standing up again, and by the look and position of his hands, he apparently tossed something. I turned again to Annie, and like a ninja, she didn't even touch the flying small package, instead picking it in midair with her strings. "Here's a delivery! Next time, I'll kill you."

"Ren..."

"Oh~, what's that~? A trap? A booby trap at that? Sorry, but this is not the one I want, so long then!" And then, in a violent and sudden move, she pulled her strings with a visible struggle, *RIP!*, the entire small package collapsed and ripped away. Fortunately, the object inside of it was intact, making a ringing sound as it fell to the floor. We all stopped in front of it. "A... A **key**...?"

"**Your** key, Annie." I said to her, picking that small set of keys and tossing it to her. She picked with her hand this time, and took a deep look at them. Annie turned her gaze to me, and for the third time since I know her, she looked completely surprised and wordless. "Those are the keys to my house, Annie. You can come back whenever you feel like it. If you change your mind, or just want to come inside and eat something, you're always welcome. I won't bother you anymore, just keep in mind that you will always have somewhere to go."

"..."

"I want to be your friend, and if you come to the conclusion I want you to, you're welcome anytime, no questions asked. I'm an idiot, after all."

"This... This..." And everyone put themselves out of risk, while Ren and I were still looking at the ninja girl in front of us. She trembled a little, a then lifted her head to us, smiling a trembling grin, while holding her set of keys tight. "This is really stupid, Ichijou... You're really stupid, Ichijou! I... I don't need your pity! Just you see! I'll kill Lord Nosferatu and... And... And I won't ever go back here!"

"..."

"I don't need this! I won't... I won't ever go back! The next time I see you... I'll be the vampire King... And this will be the last time, ya hear me?" She said, turning around to avoid facing us. The rain is still pouring, so I couldn't see her very well now, but I had the impression she was still trembling. Is she struggling, is she laughing? I dunno. But she didn't let go of the keys, for what she claims it is. And again, right before our eyes, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as another gust of wind blew in our faces as she did that. Another capture failed.

"Well, I got something better to do now. See ya later, Ichijou." Sighing out his... Our own failure and tapping my shoulder, Ren turned around and walked away from the ground zero.

"Hey, Ren... Thanks. For the keys, that is." I said to him, turning to face his back. He also stopped mid-track and turned to face me. We crossed gazes and for a second, I saw a blush on his face.

"Don't get the wrong ideas. She's still my cute sister. And the mission only stated to 'eliminate possible threats'. If she's really our mom's daughter, plus her father's one, she will think and think about what you just said and don't bother for a while." He stated, now parting ways with me and scratching his head. He's okay on my book, at least. "Besides, I have my priorities straight, I didn't do it for you, at all. It was only the... Easiest request I got for now."

"I see... Thank you anyway." I turned to him and bowed. He also turned, and disappeared again with a gust of wind without saying a word. I have the strange impression that people will get even more complicated now. Well, do what? Social skills for me is still a madman's thing, so I'll just have to find a normal person to stand my standards on. I'm really Surprised how I'm not mad yet.

"Tsukino-chin. Keys." I snapped back from my stupor when Tasha appeared right next to me with her hands in a beggar pose, puppy eyes not working because of her stoic expression. Now what? "My keys. Want. Where?"

"Me too, Ichijou." Yoko appeared right next to her, pushing the witch away so that my attention was all hers. She sprouted both her fox ears and downed them in a cute way. Is she... Is she trying to induce me to something?! "Yoko wants keys. Woof, woof... Please give me, then."

"..."

"...?"

"I can't... I can't look at you." I said, cursing myself for being so weak against her. Not because her "cutesy charms" are working on me(far from that, she's freaking me out!), but because Neighbor's shame is itching on me. Geez, stop that, you're making me blush. "Please, don't do that."

"Keys. I want. Keys. Where?"

"C'mon Ichijou. You won't be the kind of husband that locks his wife outside, right?"

"Hey! Hey! Enough of that! You two don't even leave home! Why bother a key, anyway?!"

"ICHIJOU...!"

"Heh...?" Oh, shit.

***KICK!***

"And of course it wouldn't be different today! Bringing girls home to have a wet-tee contest! What the hell! You're sick, bro!" And again the presence of girls brought a great misunderstand by the Tsukino part. I didn't even step inside home and Futaba was already flying-kicking me in the face only to wrestle me in the middle of the rain! Of course, I used the slippery things to escape her head lock and tried to pin her to the ground!

"Futaba, when you're done punishing Ikkun, come inside. You'll need another bath and Tasha here also needs one." My sister Shion said with a scowl, as she picked a pair of towels to dry Tasha and Yoko up. "Now, now, Tasha-chan and Yoko-chan. Come inside and have some soup. Don't worry about those idi-... Eh?!"

"Get away from him, you fiend! He did nothing wrong!" But the fox girl came to my help, as she tossed herself against us and began her own wrestling match with my older sister! For a while, we had the upper hand, but then Minatsu came and the match became even.

"A pair against a single one is the peak of cowardliness! Do not fret, half sister of mine! The knightness Minatsu is coming for thy Help!"

"Oh, dear... Mother, I think we need a backup."

"Fucking pimp and gigolo!"

"Futaba, I'm getting really angry!"

"Release Ichijou at once sister Futaba, or face the consequences!"

"Oh, rapture! The end draws near! Bless me with the power the purge the lustful demon that is my brother and his cumcubines!"

"What the hell you kids are doing in the rain?! Get out of there before you catch a cold!"

Thanks, mom...

.

~~x~~

.

I don't think is right to say this, but I'm kinda getting used to my sisters's abuse: from since I was six up until now, I guess I developed some resistance against their physical assaults. Maybe it's the because of my training back and forth in the underworld, and after the rating game, minor injuries like bruises and punches are a breeze to take. Doesn't mean I want them.

Still, those bandages itch like hell. I'm remembering now how I used to lie about how I end up getting so many bruises from my sisters to mum. The classic 'I fell down the stairs' to the ludicrous 'I was playing JoJo with Futaba'. I was just a kid, so of course it would hurt. But now... I used to cry whenever they would assault me, and even after yesterday, I'm okay now. So~... I'm getting used to suffer domestic abuse. I'm not going to joke about that.

"It seems that those bruises are getting worse by the day. Tsukino-kun, I'm really worried about you, now." Kamiyama Shiori said looking at my bandaged arm as I twitched a little by copying sensei's note on the board. Summer is getting closer, so The bandages are making me dismiss my blazer to refresh myself. Unfortunately, that also reveals the bruises and bandages in my arms, and while the majority doesn't care much, teachers and Kamiyama are very easy to pick that up.

"Don't worry, Kamiyama. Yesterday was raining; I just fell down some wet stairs." I muttered, massaging my arms a little only to finch at that. But... Kamiyama is worried about me! That's a good, yet horrible sign! I'm a horrible person for thinking that hurting myself will do any good for me. That sucks. "It won't happen again. I promised."

No after mom's scowls. Even the mightiest of men would shiver like a little girl. The weakest of little girls, because I know some little girls that can pack a punch...

Lunch time came flying by, and as I promised, I sat right next to my crush, putting our seats side-by-side and taking a look at each other's lunchbox. Yesterday's leftovers, because mom and Satsuki-nee can't control their competitive spirits during cooking competitions. While Kamiyama... Again with the three-store lunchbox with vegetables, sushis, steaks and other things more. She doesn't talk with anyone, so everybody wonders from where she gets that delicious and fine cuisine.

"Say, Kamiyama, where do you buy those things? Seems expensive." I declared, looking at a small tuna sushi roll next to the shrimp one.

"Oh, those? Well, some I make myself, others are from a friend of mine. She have enough money to buy some expensive things and make those dishes. Delicious, aren't they?" She said as she ate another fat tuna. Oh, so she can cook as well. Neat! Maybe she can teach me how to make rolls too! I can only cook basic fried stuff, doing something more traditional might be a good change of pace. Not to mention I can avoid getting beat up again.

"That's really cool, Kamiyama. Maybe we can..." I stopped as an electric shock passed through my hand, stinging it and letting me go of my chopsticks. Huh, not good yet. Maybe taking things a little calmer is more than a zen teaching. "Ouch..."

"What's wrong? Are your hands still hurt? I said those bruises were bad news." She spoke, looking at my trembling hand. The same hand where my boosted gear is on. I could use my right hand, but the grip and strength wouldn't be the same, also because my hand there is also kinda hurt.

"Don't worry. I'm used to it. No worries." I spoke. Hah, I said it, I said I'm getting used to it. That's lame.

"Don't worry, Tsukino-kun. Here, let me help you."

"Eh...?" When she said she would help me, I though she would pick an ointment for me or take me to the infirmary, but no. Instead, she picked my own chopsticks and then a piece of meat to feed me! She's feeding me! This is so awesome yet so awkward! Kamiyama Shiori is feeding me~!

"Now, say 'aaah~'." She said, moving that piece of meat towards my mouth. I did just that, and when I took a bite out of that, I felt like the world just exploded! Wow! So this is the sensation of being in love! This food was already tasty before, but by the simple fact that it was Kamiyama who was feeding me suddenly make that taste ten times sweeter and better! Then she picked another piece of broccoli and move it to my mouth. Oh, man! "Here, another one."

"Thank you, Kamiyama." I said as calm as I could, while on the inside I was almost having a heart attack. Now after the yesterday's storm, this is what I call the rainbow after the rain! **Awesome**!

Ah! I can't take it anymore! First he's all emo and shit, and now he's all lovey-dovey with that Kamiyama chick! I thought I would survive until the end of the semester, but I can't! This guy's a train-wreck, holy shit! That's it! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind instead of the other way around! I stood up and turned to him! Today's the day!

...

...

Wait, what?

"Tsukino-kun, are you okay? You stopped out of the sudden." Getting me out of my stupor, Kamiyama said next to me, her chopsticks hovering while I was now staring at the limbo. What the hell was that? That wasn't my inner monologue! It was... Something else.

"I dunno, Kamiyama." I answered, just as confused.

It was me! I thought as I finally reached his seat. Ignoring completely the school freshman idol Kamiyama Shiori, I picked that Boosted Gear lad with one hand and dragged him away from the class! He's doing that so much, I guess he's probably used to it by now!

"Oe, oe! What the hell!" I said! Now, not only this lass has dragged out of class in the middle of lunchtime, I can now hear a strange voice in my head! What the hell, really?! Am I a psychic now?! I can hear and read minds! I turned to her, and she grunted, also turning her gaze to me.

No, you fool! I am the psychic here! But for some reason, I can only hear your voice when We're at school! And finally we reached an empty room! I gave a quick scan around the perimeter, and having sure no one was around, tossed that loser inside and closed the door behind me so we could have an... Heart-to-heart and mind-to-mind conversation.

"What's going on? Are you a devil?! An angel?! What do you want from me!" I said to the girl in front of me. A very pretty girl with plain and smooth short strawberry-blond hair, magenta eyes and good frame, not to mention slightly tanned skin. How I didn't notice her in the class? And now... She's blushing? Did she catch me wooing her?

You think I'm pretty, of course I would blush, idiot! Damn it, that's why I hate telepathy! I can hear others describing me like some kind of art! You don't have any idea how awkward and sexist this is! He blinked a few times after my outburst, and tried to clean his ears like a swimmer would.

"What the... Am I hearing things?" I said, cleaning my ears. What the hell. That girl just blushed and stomped the floor, yet no words came from her mouth. I, however, heard in my head things from an unknown voice that was matching with that girl's gestures. I turned my attentions to her.

Why are you keep using past tense? That's really retarted, y'know. I flicked my fingers in front of him a few times, hoping that he would catch my drill, and after some thought, he came with it.

"Wait... Don't tell me... You're the one who's the Esper here!" I pointed at her, while she nodded. For some reason, apparently the voice in my head is hers, and also she can read my mind as well.

Bingo! You're sharp, Tsukino Ichijou. I grunted. That's a problem less, but the real big one is: I can't turn it off around Kuoh, and for that matter, from him. From you! I pointed a flaming finger at him!

"Wow! What do you mean? Also, how can I never have seen you before?" I gasped as she pointed her burning accusatory finger to me. She seemed so livid, and by her inner monologue and Eyes, apparently I'm the cause of all of that. But first things first. "Say, who are you, and when you transferred to Kuoh, for that matter?"

I don't just 'seem livid', I AM livid! Just so you know, I transferred here, actually, snuck in around Kuoh around a week or two ago. Using my psychic powers, I erased every single memory they had that day and simply brainwashed them to think I was a freshman like them since the start.

"I see. Since I wasn't around by the time you enchanted the classroom, your spell/brainwash didn't reach me. That's why you look so fresh to me." I'm kinda glad for that, really. No one will ever remember I cried like a little bitch thinking about the girls, specially Kamiyama. So... She's an transferee who snuck in using psychic powers. That's new.

'Cried like little bitch', you say? Well, I did make a mind-search around the students of class 1-B so that I could blend in more easily. And before brainwashing then, I picked the image of Tsukino Ichijou crying like a baby while going to the bathroom. I turned to him, and he was now blushing and hiding his face in shame. Don't worry, you crybaby, your secret is hidden with me. I did you a favor, then.

"So you know... Shit. But... What do you mean you can't turn your powers off from me?" I asked. Putting the shame away, I have to know why she's so angry with me, and that's probably has to do with her powers, according to her monologues. She blushed again. Oh, right, she can read my mind!

Huh, you're kinda noble. I like that, however, let me explain: since I started going to Kuoh academy, for some reason, my telepathic links would always end up with you, and won't shut up until we both leave the school ground. Like a good esper, I have an extended control over my powers. I could hear and read mind when and with who I wanted, telekinesis, electrokinesis, clairvoyance, psychometry, teleportation among other things. However, since I enrolled... Snuck in here, my mind-reading powers would always end up stuck in you! And I can't shut it up!

"Wait! Wait! Are you telling me that you can hear anything I think since you snuck in?!" She nodded, while I gulped. She apparently has been around Kuoh for quite some time. When was the first time I freaked out? If I recall correctly, around the time I met Ren. "So... You have been reading my mind those whole weeks, right?"

Down to the smallest bit of thought, Tsukino Ichijou. The time you wanted to French that pretty girl, from your own inner monologues about 'love' and 'friendship', down to your mental conversations about how you lost your virginity(eh). And yes, I know about Devils, because their own monologues are spoken in a really freaky language. I can communicate with you better since your speak japanese. You must be a reincarnated devil as they say...

"Oh, hoh... So you read everything about me." I spoke again, my mind going a little blank. She knows about Devils too, but this is a minor detail. She knows... She read everything about me... For the past weeks...

...

...

**GAAAAAAAAAHH...! The horror!**

***SLAP!***

Too loud! Shut up! I slapped him so that he would have a tilt to recover from the shock and leave me alone. Do you think I like this?! It's because you're having so much bitchy fits I can barely hear my own thoughts! Goddamn it, be a man!

"Well, it's not my fault that...! Shut up, shut up, no one can hear you but me... Stay calm. Stay calm." Calmness is my goal, despite the fact that I'm really close to a nervous breakdown. But for her sake, I'll mentally go zen. I peeked at her again, and she blushed. Damn, right, you can hear my thoughts.

Loud and clear, Tsukino Ichijou. Don't scream. Unlike physical screams, I can't muffle them with my hands on my ears. I demonstrated that by pointing to my ears. You can't actually blow my ears or anything, but the headache after is a bitch to deal with. I might get a concussion with it.

"Yeah. Sorry. But if you can really read my mind, this means that you know what I've been going through the whole week." I said to her. It's easier to talk like that even when she can read my mind. Ninjas, treason, five dragons, seven mysterious wonders of Kuoh... Those past days are a bitch to deal with. She turned to me, looking surprised. I wonder if she knows about anything.

Not about the seven dragons per se, only their names since you won't shut up about them. But it turns out, I'm one of the seven Mysteries of Kuoh. The fifth one to be specific. Tsukino Ichijou gasped as he facepalmed on his own stupidity, but then eyed me oh so curiously. Yeah, I'm one of the seven Mysterious wonders of Kuoh academy, the ghost on the second floor.

"So... You're one of the Seven mysteries, the Ghost of the second floor which moves the things around... Well, care to explain why?" I crossed my arms, and she did the same.

I was bored, okay? Having psychic powers is fun and all, but by the end of the day, when you can't hear anything but the thoughts of someone else(really boring thoughts I might add), you get bored very easily. So... Pranking others for the sake of it sounds very tempting. Oh, no. He frowned at me. This is so~ bad. I hate when people dislike me. Of course, that's a lie.

"Well, as long as you don't mess with the reunion, I guess you're free to go." I said to her.

Oh, the Vampire-Devil reunion people are talking about. By the gravity of what you have been repeating that, I guess that's really important. Don't worries, I'm not looking for trouble. I just want to live a normal human life, and maybe turn into a devil or angel someday. That would be pretty neat. But... If I keep reading your mind as for now every time we're around Kuoh, I might get a stroke if your bitchy fits continue. We gotta do something about it.

"And what you suggest?" I questioned her, sighing. So sorry about it, miss, but by the pacing things are going nowadays, I'm surprised how your head didn't go 'Kaboom' by now, and I'm pretty sure it'll go like that soon. Suddenly, she lifted a finger, and from there, a ball of electricity emerged. Those sparkling sounds are saying that's bad news. Please, don't do anything harsh! "Hey! Hey! What are gonna do?! Don't do anything harsh!"

Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill you, but at least I'm gonna send you to somewhere far away from Kuoh! Maybe Okinawa for that matter! I threw at him the teleportation ball, and soon enough, he...!

***POP!***

"Eh...?" And when I was about to summon my Boosted Gear, that Psi girl tossed that ball of electricity against me, and before I knew it, I was put in another place. This is definitely not Kuoh academy. Let's see...

Blue sky... Sandy ground... Muscled men and well-endowed women around... Endless ocean... Good weather... And I'm feeling like a sore thumb in the middle of everybody else... Holy shit, I'm really in Okinawa...

...

...

**HOLY SHIT! I'M REALLY IN OKINAWA!**

.

~~x~~

.

Around sixteen years ago, I was born. I was a normal and completely ordinary baby like every other else. My parents are ordinary people, just like the rest of my family. My father is a salaryman who's always away, and my mother is a housewife with always a smile on her pretty face. Nothing out of ordinary could ever come from them, and being their daughter, I was no exception.

At least it was what everyone think. However, roughly two days after I left maternity, I was already speaking my firsts words. Not out of my mouth, but directly into their minds. They said it was cute. Two weeks later, I was already walking on my two tiny feet, and two days and a half after that, I was walking again, this time in midair, around two meters from the ground. My parents response to that?

"Aw~! Look, honey! Our little Mizuki-chan can walk on air~!"

"I'm so proud of her! I can't do that even now! Our daughter sure is a special girl!"

Yeah...

As the time went on, of course they would begin to get worried about my powers. When I was one year old, I used my teleportation power for the first time, and opened all of my presents and gifts before the cake song. My parents got worried after that, and wondered if I indeed had supernatural powers. After some tests and medical procedures and other experiments, the result was final: I have psychical powers, and I'm what people call an Esper, or psychic.

And then my parents, fearing the powers of the daughter they used to love so much, shut her in, calling her a freak and sent her to a maximum security facility for people just like me. I was raised in a blank room, treated like a simple object, suffering hours and hours of torturous experiments by the hands of unscrupulous people that wanted to use my powers for a bigger evil. I saw friends die in front of my eyes, hearing screams of pain and despair all the time in my bed at night, wondering when would be the day of my death, my claims of 'help me' turning into 'kill me', as tears would run down my eyes, thinking nothing but revenge on this world that condemned me as a freak, a monster, an abomination...

Nah, just kidding. My dad and mom were so chill about it. When they first discovered my psychical abilities, they went all...

"See, darling? Didn't I say? Our Mizuki-chan is really special! An esper, eh? We are so proud of you!"

"I guess that we love each other so much, this love ended up giving superpowers to our daughter! Hahahah! So the source of her power is our love! Best of all, it'll be completely eternal!"

After all, being different doesn't change the fact that I was the daughter they still love very much up to this day. This isn't a cheap sympathetic-alienating backstory you see in every fanfiction ever...

My parents loved and raised me like a normal child, despite my psi powers. And so, I had a completely ordinary childhood: they used to call me 'Lucky-chan', since I was always the winner in the rock-paper-scissor game and chess. Mom didn't need to take me to the kindergarten because I could simply teleport to there; if I got lost in the mall, I would simply use my clairvoyance to find dad in no time. If some bad guys tried either blackmail me or take my family as hostage, I would just brainwash and sent them to Tiki or Hawaii to enjoy the place. Life was good, life was easy.

I had many friends, many many friends, and all of them liked me very much. However, one of the downsides of having telepathy was the fact that I'm able to read the thoughts of people and thus what they really feel about something. As an example, one day, I ended up getting sick and had to skip school. When I finally went back, my best Friend Tokikaze Chizuo came and said...

"Wow, Mizuki-chan. You skipped so many days! Everyone was worried about you! I specially was praying everyday!"

That's what she said. But inside her head, I could hear her thinking...

_'OHMTGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! Mizuki-chan is back! I was soooooo worried! Is she okay?! Is she fine?! What if this is just an phantom feeling?! What if she's really sick or dying but doesn't feel it?! Is that a bandage?! Is that a bruise! MIZUKICHAAAAAAAN~!'_

Yeah, which was unfortunately a pain in the ass to deal with. Turns out that people can scream inside their heads, and when this happens, I can mute it away, so it's like having your I-pod on max volume on your phones. That was another time I first met Kazuo-kun, and he was all...

"Hey, Kyouka-san, are you free this Sunday? Maybe we can catch a movie or something."

In this head then...

_'Oh, crap! Oh, crap! What did I just do?! I'm so nervous! I hope she doesn't notice I'm nervous! Oh, why I did that out of the boom? This is so embarrassing?! What should I do if she says no?! This is the end for me~!'_

People are really irritating once you know what's inside their heads. Not that I dislike my powers, but hearing what people had in their own thoughts can be really bothersome.

Everything changed when I moved to Kuoh city when my dad got a promotion. I would see and hear strange people with different languages walking around and talking Japanese like it wasn't a big deal, without even typical accents or different dialects. At first I thought it was just foreigners visiting Japan, but then I heard people all next to Kuoh academy thinking a strange language that wasn't anything I ever heard before. Soon, I discovered that those people were Devils, and they ruled the whole Kuoh city. My response to that?

Eh, whatever. I'm psychic, so of course I don't bother with strange things around me. Otherwise I would be being a hypocrite...

However, my problem began when I transferred... Snuck in Kuoh academy. My mother was too busy making dinner for that for his promotion, and I didn't want to bother her, so I took care of the paperwork myself. However, the moment I step in there, for some reason, my psychic powers wouldn't shut up. I could hear every thought of a specific person. His ideas, his quotes, his secrets and, ugh, his bitchy ass fits. I thought I would be okay, since I would try to block my mind using my other powers, but that soon proved to be useless, as his thoughts would only get worse with each passing day, and only stops once I was out of school. I was living like that since I was born, but that one was frying my brain just by screaming at it!

Soon, I figure it was the mind of Tsukino Ichijou I was reading, and as I showed, he's no longer here. Simple as that, but what the hell? Why my powers ended up sticking on him? He's the most idiotic and annoying guy on the world. All he does is whine and complain about God knows what. Seriously, what kind of sadistic pervert would like to read his mind like that all the time?

...

...

Wow, did I just go full zen a minute ago?

'Ding! Dong! Ding dong! Student Tsukino Ichijou from class 1-B. This is the last warning. Please go alone to the Headmistress's office. That's all. Have a nice day.'

And that's the fourth announcement headmistress Morimoto Shizuka, aka Nemesis Gremory, a devil, according to Ichijou, make today. I had my firsts suspicions when I first read her mind, and that strange language was I could hear. And because of Ichijou's endless thoughts, now I'm sure about it. This school has indeed many Devils. And that's not the first time at that. Not to mention the transferred students to-be who are sacred gear users, whatever that is.

Well, nothing else to do, using my clairvoyance I can see that Ichijou-kun's still on Okinawa learning how to play taikou, and I guess no one will miss him for now. I'll just have to brainwash everybody anyway. By the way, I can brainwash, but not mind-control, which is a bummer. I wanted to do that just that I could eat candy all the time. Time to go back to class. I got out of the abandoned classroom and was ready to walk towards my own...

***VOOOSH!***

***BAM!***

***BOOM!***

That's very rude of however did that. I turned around, facing for now my shattering concrete barrier, and by the other side of it, I saw a pretty and busty girl wearing Kuoh's uniform, with black hair and pretty purple eyes. She's that Bael girl Ichijou-kun will probably end up screwing. Hi, missy, how can I help you~?

"I saw what you did to the Sekiryuutei. I could also feel his presence vanishing to another place that is not here." She said. Well, that's just rude. Okinawans are also Japanese people... Kinda. But anyway. I dismissed the concrete barrier I made from the floor, and crossed my arms. Since Ichijou is no longer here, I wonder if I can read her thoughts...

_'0"3-/3 $3"0 '3! * :9'5 ]_!_ !3 - !-3" -!8'943! "8/43! 59 '3! :9!5 35 !349"9!- (43'036 :83!'_ And that's what came from her head. Only gibberish for me, so she's really a genuine pure-blood devil. But for some reason, her inner voice sounded a lot desperate and sad. I wonder what's she's thinking about. Well, no use losing my time with her. Let's end this at once. I stroke a pose, and got ready for a possible fight!

"Humans and their strange costumes. I'll never get that." She sighed, as a ball of black energy gathered around her hand. That same miasma I felt the other day when I was around the school when that Kiruko girl attacked Kuoh. She tossed against me, but before it could harm me, I again lifted a wall of concrete from the floor. And hit it right there.

I'm sorry sister, but that won't work on me. But *Boom!* as I was thinking that, the wall protecting me suddenly exploded, making me fly away and land on my ass! She just exploded the damn wall, and when I was about to stand up, another of those negative balls came for me! *ZING!* in the nick of time, was able to teleport myself away from that, but only for a inch: for at least a some cubic meters, that sma ball expanded itself and devoured a whole chunk of that floor and ceiling, leaving nothing behind!

"Your next thoughts are... _'That was dangerous, so that's the power of a genuine devil_', right?" That was dangerous. So that's the power of the genuin-... Whoa! What the hell! Don't tell me she's an esper as well! No, wait, the doctor said that supernatural creatures can't be Psychics because they don't have the 'complete image from God' as we humans. They can't create or manipulate nature because they're incomplete images of the creator... Or something like that. My expression probably said it all for her. "Surprised? Don't be, you're too easy to read. Trust me. Next time, you're history."

I gulped. Damn, she's dangerous. I'm not exactly worried, but she might be tough to be. Let's see, I can't read her mind, thus predict her moves. But I can read her aura. I lifted a finger, and three concrete chunks floated around me, hanging in midair by my telekinesis ability. She also formed with her hands two more of that balls of destruction. We launched both our artillery at the same time, and like I was expecting, two of them clashed and disappeared in dust, while the one left was coming from her direction. By the reading her aura, she'll land... There!

"Curses." She said as I launched a teleportation ball right where she would land when she dodged the remaining chunk of floor. If engulfed her, and before she could do a thing,** *POP!***, it simply vanished. I hope she likes Monaco, because she's gonna be there for a while. With that of the way, I can go back to class and brainwash everyone to think Ichijou just missed classes today. Oh, well, today's yakisoba day.

***CRASH!***

Eh? I turned to that same direction outside the school building to look where I heard that sound, and before I knew it, *BAMM!*, all of the windows of the first floor exploded! And in the middle of the P.E. Camp, a black ball full of demonic miasma appeared. In the end, that portal exploded in a simple pop, and from there, that Bael girl emerged, dusting her uniform like nothing happened. This can't be right! Did she... Just partly nullify my teleportation skill? I jumped from the window and levitate to there, as she sighed and turned to me.

"Don't get to cocky, human. No matter how abnormal you are, a mere mortal can't escape the power of the House of Bael, the single Great King of the Underworld." She stated, the gravity around here growing tenfold. So, I can't escape her grasp, the 'Great King' grasp. Well, you are indeed underestimating humanity. My father and my mother are humans, yet their love for each other is more powerful than any petty devil. I won't lose to you. And if you wanna your boyfriend back, I'll only bring him back if you convince me otherwise. "Huh... I have no interest on the Sekiryuutei, but I can't continue my job without him. Very well, prepare to face the ultimate power that descends from the True King of Hell."

Bring it on, sister. I stroke again a pose and electricity began to ooze out of my body. Suddenly, a translucid curtain descended upon us, covering the whole camp. A force field? No, a barrier. Yeah, a barrier. Well, unlucky for you, missy, this means I can use the full extend of my powers now.

"Your power is nothing compared to mine. Now, bow to me, human." In your dreams, Queen of nothing.

**I'll show the power of a true Esper!**

But not now... Next time...

* * *

**Meanwhile, Tsukino-kun is still trying to play taikou back in okinawa.**

**Yeap, expading the lore even more and adding an esper to the cast. Wasn't really that hard to follow, riught? I had fun writting this chapter, and yes, Ludger will finally show us that's she's more than just talking. Next time, let's see what the rest of the cast is doing.**


	40. Ever again

hell**o dear readers who have come this far. This is literally the longest fic I've ever written, and as for now it'll be completing a year in some weeks. that's roughly 3 chapters per mouth or 1 every ten days. What~. But I'm glad to keep writing until here, and I must thank you my dear reader for reading up until now. :3. whatever its a new or old reader for this chapter, thank you for your support and view, even without a review. I'm ranting now, sorry. up to the chapter~.**

**as always, dxd doesnt belong to me, thank you.**

* * *

I was looking now at the set of keys on Nemesis's desk. Rudger went personally find the Sekiryuutei around since he apparently disappeared on thin air during lunchtime. So there's only me and her here at the Headmistress office. That set of keys... Could it be?

"Why didn't you just refuse the keys then, Nemesis?" I asked her, directly looking at the said silver objects on the table, as she was covering her face with her hands, elbows supporting her on the table. She's deep in thoughts again.

"I dunno... Aria, you know very well that, if anything goes out of control, you have full permission to kill me, right?" She said it with a sigh, now resting her back on her chair and looking up to the ceiling. Yeah, I have full permission to kill the Gremory heiress and daughter of the current Demon Lord Lucifer if she ever goes out of control again. I nodded with a bitter taste in my mouth. I hate that. "Very well, I want you to do just that in case I ever try to use these keys, do you understand me?"

"If you say that one more time, I'll kill you here and now." I muttered. She heard me, and turned her gaze to me. "If what you're saying is truth, and Those Miyama runaways are indeed strong or have freaky powers, these are just more motives to use those keys and unleash that... Ultimate Evil."

"..." She opened her mouth, only to close it like a fish. Keep thinking, Nemesis, you know I'm right. Five brats who have the power of the five dragon kings, the only force under the Heavenly Dragons and the dragon deities, and all attacking a school with unsuspecting and innocent students just trying to live their lives or build a harem. As the descendant of the Previous Maoh and next head of the Gremory Clan, you must think of the risks of both decisions. She sighed, and lowered her head. "Aria... If your grandfather were here right now, what do you think he'd do?"

"The same thing as I: break things and charge like an idiot." I snickered. She turned to me and pretty much gave me the famous 'I won't ever ask this again' stare. I do love Nemesis, but messing with her is so cool. She won't allow me to sleep in her bed in the same day, but it's worth it. I picked that same keys and she gasped. "Relax, Nemesis. I'll tell you what: since I'm the said Descendant of the Hero of the Underworld, maybe I'll be fine when confronting this... Ultimate Evil that lies in the depths of the Gremory residence. If not, I can always bring bro with me. He's the Sekiryuutei, and according to Auntie Alice, they're technically cousins, right?"

"And what do you want to cause? A family reunion that might destroy the very thing we're trying to protect?" She protested, standing up from her chair to face me on equal grounds. I said nothing, only stared at her Ruby gaze, and we stayed like that for a few minutes. In the end, we diverted our eyes. "Aria... This is not only about the world, but about you too, and Tsukino Ichijou. Both of you are still pretty young, and if something ever happens to you two..."

"Nemis, darling, sweetie, the love of my life and soul, my love rival and lover, my king and Master, I'm this close to smack you right in the ass, and not in the way you'll like." She blushed with my statement, but I smiled at her. She cares, of course she cares, why does she hide the fact that Nemesis Gremory can be such an awesome older sister? Who knows. I extended a hand for her, and lightly bumped her forehead with a fist. "You worry too much. Leave everything to me. After all, the strongest piece is the most likely to protect the king, right? Don't worry about it."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just..." Fortunately, she didn't finish her sentence. I can see now that she's realizing she doesn't really trust me that much. Nemesis facepalmed, sighed, turned to me, and picked my hand to put it on her Chest, right where the heart should be, and then to her neck, right in front of her throat. "Okay, okay. Do whatever you want. But mark my words, Aria Argento, if you walk out of this hypothetical situation dead or terminally injured, my father will have to dig two graves."

"And if I'm alright by the end of this, you'll have a Nemesis-shaped hole in your garden. Deal?" I snapped my arm out of her reach and winked. Nemesis sat down on her desk again and looked at the dust-free part shaped like a key on her desk. The said key now circling around my fingers. Even when they're just keys, I can feel the weight of the responsibility they carry within. This will be tough even for me. If Ichijou could defeat me in my sealed state, I wonder what will happen to me once I use those keys.

After all, what do you get when you mix the blood of the Strongest White Dragon Emperor in all known history, past, present and future, with a copy of the embodiment of nothingness and infinite? Indeed an Ultimate Evil of uncontrollable power. Yeah, the offspring of Lucifer and the infinite...

That will such an heartwarming family reunion...

***BAM!***

"Nemesis-San! We got a problem!" Suddenly, that pretty boy(?) from Hanzō village, Ren, bursted the door open, sweating buckets and for some reason wearing an gakuran filled with kisses.

"What? What now? Did you find Tsukino-kun?" Nemesis, as eager as me about my bro's whereabouts, stood up from her chair to better look at the boy in front of us.

"That's the problem! I can't find him or Ludger-san anywhere!" He said in a rather confused and quick tone.

Well, that girl messed with something she shouldn't again. Shit...

**.**

~~x~~

.

You know the best part of being a psychic? You can make everyone ignore how unusual you are. I can't really mind control, but I can slightly brainwash a full bunch of people in thinking that my Strawberry blond hair is normal, even when I'm 100% Japanese. Same goes with my eyes. Do gremories have to explain everybody their unusual hair? Of course not, because they can simply say they're foreign ones. That wouldn't work with me, since I'm Japanese, but thanks to my power, I can really hide that fact freely.

**"Null stardust!**" Not in the mood to chat, right? Tch. I levitated a few inches from the floor, and using my psychic abilities, dodged every single one of the bullet-like destructive energies coming for me. That Bael girl was now flying in the sky with her bat-like wings, shooting balls of destructive power against me like a Gatling gun. I can't really read her mind, but I can read her heart, thus have an idea of where she's shooting for.

That ability of her... Must have a limit. To have such a destructive power and be able to shot several times like it was nothing. There must be a limit. She shot right in front of my feet, making me stop dead there, then resumed her barrage of magical bullets. As Fast as I could, I lifted a wall of dirt and took chance with that temporary shield to back away before it eventually turned into dust. I created a small implosion under my feet and back away a good distance from her flying self. Hey! Bael girl? What do you want from me? Is it because I stole your BF, or perhaps you think I have some connection with those Dragon Kings?

**"As much as I don't care about the Sekiryuutei, I need him to fulfill my mission here in Kuoh academy. As for the Dragon Kings, that's confidential, and as for it, I'll need to escort you to Lady Nemesis's office for her to properly deal with you."** The brunette said, landing on her two feet on the dusty ground and retracted both of her wings. Sekiryuutei, that's Ichijou-kun's nickname, the red Dragon Emperor that inherits the power of Ddraig, the welsh Heavenly Red Dragon Em-... **"...?"**

I... I just bit my tongue. Somehow, somewhat, I just bit my freaking tongue while mentally talking. What the hell... Okay, one more time, Ddraig, the Welsh Heavenly Red Dragon Emperor. Okay, okay...

**"Do not ignore me, it'll be the last thing you'll do, human."** I dodged another ball of negative energy, and then used a chunk of rock beneath my feet to levitate myself with it. Now the game changed and I was the one above the ground. She looked at me and sighed.** "Do you really want to talk, human? I have you know, Tsukino Ichijou and I have a duty to do in the meantime, so your little spar and demonstration of power towards us is nothing but a nuisance. If you keep insisting in battling with me, a Bael, I'll have to take drastic measures."**

Meh, I don't actually bother. I would bring Tsukino Ichijou back if the situation were another one. For some reason, I can't stop reading his mind, and he can be pretty loud sometimes. That information seemed to tilt her senses, as she wilded her eyes in surprise. Since I can't read her mind, I don't know what she's feeling.

"**So... You can also read minds. But for some reason, your link is permanent with Tsukino Ichijou."** She muttered. Yep, not that I want, since that guy's probably the worst idiot ever, but he does have some nice moments. The problem is, I can't concentrate that much during his bitchy fits. **"That doesn't concern me."**

Rude bitch...

**"Did you say something?"** Oh, what a slip. I think my inner monologue ended up losing control and I thought that out loud. By the way, that was sarcasm. She frowned, and then extended her arm to me. Are you gonna throw one of those funballs at me again? **"Stop underestimating the Power of Destruction, the single most powerful spell in the underworld, which only descendants of Bael can inherit. Now, vanish to non-existence with your arroganc-...!"**

***BAM!***

**"What in the...?"** But before she could do anything harsh, like I was expecting, a fireball landed right next to her, opening a deep burning hole on the ground, steam oozing from that same fissure. Can you feel it? The weather is sure getting hotter around here.** "Is that... What the... Are you toying with me, human?"**

Me? Toying with you? Not even if you were a limited edition. But putting jokes aside, I have a question: what do you call a celestial phenomenon that consists in a glowing space ice rock crossing the universe? That would be a meteor. However, what do you call a celestial phenomenon with one of that same ice rocks that enters the atmosphere of a planet and burns with the friction with it?

***DON! DON! DON!***

**"Curses... More of those!"**

The answer is... Meteorites.

Yeah, I can't really harm the environment here inside this supernatural domes, but I can call for space rocks via electromagnetic pulses and summon them here via teleportation! And now, those same space rocks of ice and stone are raining down this same arena. Not even the Great King can escape the universe, am I right?

**"How troublesome. The ability of unlinked communication and teleportation, such powers are similar to sacred gears, yet you cross those boundaries despite not having them. Dr. Beelzebub called you 'abnormals', now I see why."** She muttered. 'Abnormals', eh? Sounds cool to me. It has a nice touch, however, you haven't see half of it, sister. She gave me an incredulous look, while I could feel a hot sensation by my nape.

Since this is a separated universe from the original world, I guess I can use this here. Above my head, an enormous energy portal appeared, and from it, an enormous, flaming meteorite was coming for me. I saw the desperate and confused look in my rival's eyes, and before it could hit me, I snapped my fingers, and then *BOOOM!*, that giant rock exploded in a million pieces, causing a true meteor shower against the floor.

**"Coward. Dirty trick!"** She cursed, as she formed as many magic runes she could and fired her own barrage of several cannonballs of that Power of Destruction. I was protected by a dome of electromagnetic impulses, so I was safe for the time being. Poor Bael girl, though, soon ran out of energy to shot more of those, and dismissed all of her runes. I ended up using a good junk of my powers today to soft the landing of some rocks, but this is enough to mark you good, Bael!** "Like I was saying, you underestimate the Bael name too much, human!"**

And then, before any of the meteorites could hit her, that Bael girl pulled her right arm away and using the impulse, she proceeded to punch the nearest rock! ***BAM!***, the impact was a hundred times more powerful that I could ever imagine, and suddenly, all of the fallen burning meteorites stopped, and began to fall onto the ground. What the... Unbelievable! She stopped a full meteor shower with just the impact of her punch! What the hell! Bzzzz! Tch, I'm at my limit. I can no longer... My powers... Are getting weak...

***BAM!***

Whoa! What was that?! Something just came from the ground below and damaged the rock platform I'm standing on! *BAM!* it happened again! I looked down there, and that Bael girl didn't stop, kicking rocks in my direction!

**"Do you regret now your actions and words against me, human? Pay your respect for my name in the afterlife."** Now, now! That's really harsh, sister! You're the one who started all of that. But you probably want to finish it as well, right? In between that small mental conversation, she hit a perfect spot on my platform, making it crumble and thus making me lose balance and fall! I used the rest of my powers to safely land on the ground, although the landing wasn't soft at all. I tried to take my breath and maybe regain some of my psychic powers, but I got a psycho instead(hahah, puns. Tsukino Ichijou doesn't like them, neither do I.). She punched my gut, but I felt like a truck just hit me whole! I was ejected backwards, rolling all the way to the edge of the barrier. Shit! I gotta get up! Or else it's over, at least in this situation! But as I blinked, she appeared right next to me, bloodthirsty eyes, a fist in formation against me again! **"Face the power... Of Bael."**

**Ugh!**

***ZING!***

**"...!"** But before she could land the last punch, a blade bursted from one of the buttons of my uniform and tried to reach her! The Bael girl jumped away, and landed a few meters away from me. Oh, curious how I got that? It turns out, just because I can read minds and do psychic things, doesn't mean I solely rely on those. When you can read minds, paranoia can be troublesome.** "Oh... That's right, you humans can't inherit talents and abilities from relatives. It makes perfect sense. So, human, what's your ability beyond those mental ones?"**

I have a name, y'know. It's Kyouka Mizuki(kinda lame, I know.). But whatever, fine. And so I stood up and, from under my sleeves, cape, collar, skirts and even stockings, I summoned several weapons from under those, including katanas, swords, knives, lances, tomahawks, shields, claymores, scythes, baseball bats and many, many more. She gasped in surprise. Yep, that's my secondary special ability, I call it 'Hyperdimension stock'. I have enough weapons to arm a roman battalion. Not to mention, my uniform is custom-made of Kevlar, which can take one of your punches without little problem. As you can see, I'm not over-reliable on my psychic abilities. Instead, that same ability that gives me power is the reason for my paranoia. Don't underestimate me.

**"..."** She looked at me with those big purple eyes, then to her hand; where she summoned a small ball of black flames that vanished a few seconds later. She sighed, and turned back to me. What? Still recharging?** "I dunno what this 'recharge' thing is, but I need to halt the use of my abilities in order to recover myself and use it again."**

Yeah... 'Recharge'. Don't you Devils have technology in your world or something? Whatever, she came for me again, but before she could land a hit on me, from my sleeves I picked a pair of semi-automatics and opened fire against her. She stopped midtrack and crossed her arms in a 'X' in front of her face, as the bullets would ricochet out of her body, damaging her clothes, yet not her being. Granted, those are rubber bullets, since I don't wanna kill anybody, but some bruises were to be expected. Then again, she IS a devil, probably she got harder skin than human's. But she'll be able to take that? While still firing with my left hand, I dropped the pistol on my right hand, and from that same sleeve, pulled a bigger one!

***BANG!***

**"Ugh...!"** She must've seen it, since she dodged that bigger bullet in the nick of time. However, I ended up burying it in her left shoulder, drawing some blood from there. She grimaced in pain, and almost lost balance there for a second. So Devils can also be harmed as long as the ammo is heavy enough. **"What... Impossible. That flimsy bullet actually harmed me."**

Yeah, you can count on that. But this isn't some 'flimsy' ammo, sister. This is a special-made Jackal pistol with 10kg metal balls as ammunition, spiral barrel and high explosion levels that can launch it's bullets at the speed of a revolver. Normally, humans wouldn't be able to use this thing without some really strong arms to lift the barrel and powerful joints to take on the recoil... But since when something is 'normal' here, amirite? She stared completely immobile against the powerful weapon in my possession, and frowned.

**"I see. Using your telekinesis abilities to lift such weapon and fire it. I would be lying if I say I'm not impressed." S**he mused. Hah, a devil is praising me, a strange thing. Not that I don't like it, after all, I've always being praised by my abilities, and using telepathy, I can tell genuine praise to just hypocritical jealousy. It's kinda nice, I like it. What about it? You can praise me more if you want.** "I'm not praising you. You, human, whose name is Kyouka Mizuki, basing on those words I've said earlier, just, now, I formulated a question for you. Care to answer me as quick as possible?"**

Sure, go ahead. I can't read your mind, but I can feel ill intentions, so no matter what you do, or what language you speak, I'll know by looking at your soul(even though the matter of 'seeing' anything is vey subjective here.). So, go ahead, I got all the time in the world...

**"Very well, then..." She sighed, took a deep breath and answered. "If you're so powerful, so strong like that..."**

**... What's the point of keep up living?**

...

...

**What's the point... Of keep up living?**

**"A being with such abnormal power like yourself, treating a fight with a devil like me as a simple child's play, able to so easily scan, pinpoint and destroy your targets and dreams, living in a such peaceful and pleasant world, with nothing to live for or fight for even after the death of your caretakers. Tell me, what's your reason for living, if you can accomplish anything in a matter of seconds?"**

**...**

...

...

I'm speechless.

**"..."** But I've never said a word since the beginning, so this statement is completely irrelevant. **"What...?"**

It's true, I am powerful. If there weren't any limits on me, like fatigue or stamina, I could destroy this world in roughly two, maybe two and a half weeks. Doesn't mean I don't have my own limitations and restrictions. Right now, I'm recharging my own psychic batteries, so I can only rely on my Hyperdimension Stock. There are others, but I don't feel like sharing them with you.

And yes, I don't have a motive, but can you really blame me? I'm sixteen, I'm at the spring of my youth, taking some time to meet boys, meet girls, going on dates and parties, study and just have fun. Yeah, sure, my future problems will be a breeze to deal with, but that doesn't mean life won't be exciting. I've just met 'Tsukino Ichijou' and you at the same day, so of course that, if things get boring, there'll be always someone out there to have a chat with me. So... As you can see, just because I'm a powerful being, doesn't mean my life won't be exciting and fun. After all, I'm just an existence that takes the waves of life and ride them accordingly. It's not what I can do, but what I'll do.

Of course, if I was a substitution character in a fandom, it won't be any interesting since everybody will know what will happen. That would be lame.

**"..."** And now the New Girl Bael remained silent. What's wrong? Did you thought mere words would be enough to destroy my spirit? Being able to read minds gave me great deduction abilities, and reading manga and games gave me a wilder worldview. You see, I can't read the thoughts of fictional characters, nor use my clairvoyance to pinpoint the killer in a Mystery Game, so I could only rely on my own brain to deduce and find the culprit. Sorry, I got carried away, but what I'm trying to say is that mind games won't work on me, since I'm well versed into myself. How about you? Have you been honest to yourself? She looked visibly shocked, as she wild her eyes. **"What... What makes you say that?"**

You see, like I've said before, I can't read your mind, since you probably speak in another language akin to demonic rage or something, but doesn't mean that I can't reach the source of those words: your heart. Not that I can completely understand you, but as long as I have the essence of your words, your intentions, I can figure things out. It's a 'hit or miss' thing for me, and personally, some people have such a great self-confidence that sometimes their souls are black as the eternal darkness, making me useless in those readings, but since your mind is clear, I guess that I can keep hitting bullseyes like I did just now.

**"You wouldn't dare..."** She seems shaken now. I can't really see from here, but since I did that first mind-reading, a strange sense of conflicting personalities is happening inside her. I wonder if that has to do with Tsukino Ichijou. Let me ask, hey, what's your relationship with the Red Dragon Tsukino Ichijou? Are you friends? She was taken back, covering her mouth with her slender fingers. **"No. Of course not. We just met. It'd be ridiculous any kind of relationship with him besides duties to fulfill."**

She answered anyway. Conflicting chick. That's not a joke by the way, her heart is still divided and conflicting in those words. Maybe she likes him? Do you like him? Like, 'like-like' or 'like'?

"**Don't try to fool me. And halt those nonsensical words. Like I've said, nothing can possibly happen between us. He's the Queen of Berolina Gremory, while I'm the heiress of Bael. I would gladly accept him into my peerage, but for some emotional reason, he declined."** Still conflicting. Those last words had actually pretty soft and light compared to the first ones. 'Nothing can possibly happen', eh? Doesn't discard the possibility that you want it to happen.** "Why should I be listening to you? Maybe that pause was a mistake. I shall resume our spar and destroy you."**

Liar. She doesn't want to destroy me. Far from that, she wants to reach me. That doesn't make sense even for me, but that's a clue at least. She's actually kindhearted and, I must admit, kinda cute. Maybe she's a tsundere. Oh, boy. Here we go again.

But before I could even manage to a flashback fading sequence, she reached for me and, this time, aimed a punch to my head. I dodged in time and kicked her in the stomach. Like I suspected, her hardness is inhuman, but I was actually looking for a booster to use to jump away from her grasp. I threw a dagger at her, and picked another pair of semiautomatics to keep her at bay, but her defense combined with tenacity makes things difficult for me. If only I had more than one Jackal Shotgun... Oh, wait, I do. I summoned a dozens of those massive cannon-like guns and opened fire at her. This time, she had no choice but to take a step back.

So, with that out of the way, you wanna still talk? I can talk. Uuuh~... I went 'Uuuh' on my own head, what the heck... Let's be direct, you wanna be something-something with him more than just acquaintances? He's kinda handsome... Not 'Sanada-level' of handsomeness, but he has his charms. Plus, he's sensible... A bit too much. I ceased my fire in order for her to respond me as clear as possible. She lowered her guard, and looked at me with those large and ever-frowning purple orbs.

**"Stop assuming that. I have no interest on the red Dragon."** That sentence was so conflicting that she could pretty my trigger a stroke with so much internal bickering. Let's do this, then. Final question: answer me, do you want or not Ride his Dragon?** "..."**

...

I think I went too far.

"**Such... Vulgar... Language. I knew you humans could be foul-mouthed but to address someone you don't know with such obscene innuendo..."** She keeps talking and talking, yet from here, while not much, her mind is timidly trying to say something to a dominant part. Yeah, not enough to want to ride him like a horse, but a kinda of attraction towards him nonetheless. Perhaps a crush?** "I won't hear anything more from you, scum. Prepare to face true despair as you sink into the true power of a Bael."**

And after she said that, the nastiest, most repulsive aura took over her mind, as even this alternative reality was being drag in by it. Shit, I can't actually move. This sense of dread is new to me, so even if I try, I couldn't do a thing against that. Suddenly, a black miasma began to ooze out of her body, and like a smog of hell, it covered anything from her part of the barrier. She lifted both hands, and all of that negative energy gathered above her body, in a massive ball of darkness. That thing... It's so dark I can't even see anything beyond it. It's like it's sucking every light around it.

**"Surprised? You should be. This is Lady Rias-... No, the supreme Ruler of Hell Bael's ultimate move. Annihilation Nova!"** And then, she tossed that massive ball against me. It was slow and had a predictable trajectory, so I tried my best to stay away. However, when I tried to take my first step, for some reason, I didn't even feel the ground. To my utter horror, that wasn't just that. My feet didn't even reached the ground! I was floating. It wasn't just floating, I was heading towards that sphere of darkness! I tried to teleport away, but the gravity would just drag me anyway! Telekinesis wasn't working either, since the floor was also being taken! In the end, I was forced to turn around to face that black sun. One of my legs touched it, and like simple dust, it pulverized it whole in just one second! **"Now, face the consequences of being in the presence of the Great King of Hell."**

And was everything I heard. From there, only the agonizing horror of seeing my body disintegrate in thin air. It wasn't magic, it wasn't an illusion, my body was seriously turning into nothing just by staying next to that ball! I gotta get away! I gotta get away! I gotta get away! I gotta...

...

...

...

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

"So, bro ended up being 'engulfed' by a ball of lightning by a mysterious girl, and after a small spar with Rudger, she disappeared with her. Quite a story, Ren-kun." I said, looking around the PE area with Shizuka(Nemesis) and Ren-kun, plus the fox girl that hangs around with him. He said something about Ichijou being all Zen while talking to a mute girl. In the end, that same girl ended up taking his presence to another place, and then, she disappeared with Rudger after a small spar. Could she be a devil?

"I can't feel his presence. He's not around Kuoh academy, nor Kuoh city by that matter." Akabane-chan said frenetically looking around and sniffing the place like crazy. She's making more progress than us. So Ichijou got a girlfriend, eh? That's cool and all, but he can't enjoy the booty without hands. "A... A barrier is lifted. This place is jammed."

"Akabane, can you unseal the barrier around the place? Must be easy for you." Nemesis said, trying to create a small rune in order to dismiss the protection spell without drawing unwanted attention. The fox girl sighed and made some hand gestures, while reciting some old charms.

"Of course. But first I need to draw some chakra so the spell can cover the entire area..."

***CRASH!***

"Eh...?"

**"That won't be necessary, Miss Kurama."** The sound of shatter echoed to our ears, so we turned to that direction. There was a crack in midair, in the middle of nowhere, suspended on air. From there, a hand emerged, and breaking the rest of area around, The... Girl of the Bael clan materialized, breaking the barrier around her. **"The problem has already been solved."**

"Ludger, it was you who lifted the barrier?" Nemesis asked, approaching Rudger. The younger lady put a blazé pose and turned her eyes away from the older one. "Answer me."

**"Nemesis Gremory, as you can see, the problem has already been solved. I've eliminated the threat in question, and it's just a matter of time before Tsukino Ichijou shows himself."** She said in a matter of fact tone, pretty much cementing how much she changed. I gulped, Rudger is treating this situation with so much calm.

"What do you mean, Ludger?"

**"Have you ever met a student named Kyouka Mizuki, miss Headmistress Morimoto Shizuka?"**

"Kyouka... Mizuki?"

_'Yo, s'up.'_

"Whoa!" Out of the sudden, coming from the nowhere, a chick with strawberry blond hair and wearing Kuoh's academy suddenly appeared behind me, greeting us without any significant expression on her face. Also, she didn't move her mouth to say that, what the hell? Rudger was the first to speak after that one.

"**You... How is it possible? I used... I killed you. You should be dead by now."** Rudger spoke. Wow, did she seriously use an annihilation spell on this girl? I don't know which is more surprising. The fact that she used in here or the fact that chick, probably that Kyouka Mizuki, survived it at all.

_'Yeah, more or less that, sister. It turns out, I have another ability based on thought. I call it '**Schrodinger**'. It uses quantum physics on that.' S_he spoke... Thought. I get it now, she's using maybe telepathy to communicate with us, akin to an esper. Also, 'quantum physics', I gotta ask some question to Nemesis to that one. _'Simply put, as long as there are people thinking that I'm alive and well, or at least has acknowledge my existence, I can't die, so to speak. It takes away half of my powers for a while, though. And I can only use it once a year.'_

"I see. How reckless of you, Rudger. You can't go around killing people left and right." I turned to the troublemaker, and she crossed her arms and sighed. Nemesis instead walked towards the telepath and called for her attention.

"In any case, your name is Kyouka Mizuki, am I correct? Are you linked somehow to the disappearance of Tsukino Ichijou?" My king spoke. Kyouka-chan probably locked her link on her, turning to her and nodding. They stayed quiet for a while, now. "I see. That's a problem, indeed. However, it doesn't excuse the Fact that you teleported him without his consent. Bring him back immediately. Then we can talk about your own problems and how to solve them."

"Wait, what? What just happened?" Ren-kun turned to me, seeing those two having quite a zen conversation. This world is full of strange people indeed. Akabane-chan was twitching her ears seeing also those two, and after a big sigh, Kyouka-chan pointed her fingers to a random direction, and then summoned a ball of electricity, a dense and black one at that with sparkles flying to all the sides. After a few seconds, that sphere vanished, leaving only a known wet young man with just Crimson shorts, Basic diving mask, flatfeet and carrying a giant and colorful shell plus a fish in his hands.

What...?

"Yeah, kinda. Okinawa is fun, but even translated, their dialect is complicated." Ichijou spoke turning to the telepath girl, which apparently is also a telekinetic user. Oh, goodie, we found another of those abnormals. Humans and their frightening abilities to be unpredictable(the great-granddaughter of two ex-humans speaking.).

Bro gave a light punch on Kyouka-chan's shoulder, and then turned to Nemesis and apologized about his lateness and the fact that he wasn't present in the elimination ceremony. Nemesis sighed, and like the good and cool big sister she always tries to hide she is, pat him on the head and said it was okay. Since neither Bro or Rudger were present, we delayed it to avoid ruckus. Those rookies are lucky, as well as the Miyama runaways...

"Now come, Kyouka-San. Let's see what we can do with those. After we talk about your punishment." My dear king said, turning to the problematic esper. She sighed, and followed Nemesis to another place. However, before they could enter Kuoh academy, Kyouka-chan lifted one hand and *BAM!*, the cloudy sky opened a giant whole and blew the clouds away, revealing the shining sun behind them. She turned to us with a frown, and thought:

'_For God's sake, Summer is just around the corner. Make it sunny.'_

I sighed. Oh, her punishment will be harsher now. And then, the duo entered Kuoh and disappeared from our sight. There was only now me, Akabane-chan, bro, Ren and Rudger. I turned to the latter one and crossed my arms.

"Rudger, you know that we aren't allowed to kill humans anymore. Even if they're fallen ones or a normal ones, we can't. Please understand that." I said. She bowed quickly, her way to wordlessly say she won't do it anymore. Sigh. "So... How was it? The fight, that is. Depending on your answer, you know your father won't forgive Kyouka-chan ever."

**"..."** She said nothing, instead turning to the Sekiryuutei that was now talking about Okinawa and how the hell he picked those tropical-like beauties. Despite the stoic expression, she blushed, and wheezed a cloud of uneasiness. Something happened and I want to know what~!** "No comments..."**

"Aw~. Are you sure~? C'mon now, tell me~?"

**"Are you insinuating something, Aria Argento?"** She turned to me and shined that black and heavy aura around me. I was taken back a little, but just for a second, and turned my eyes away as I stopped with my tease. Sheesh, talk about uptight. She turned and walked away from us.** "I'll take my leave now. See you later, Aria Argento."**

"Yeah, you do that, I don't care. Whatever." I said, yet I'm worried about her. Killing her emotions sure turned her more to the Bael side. And remembering Lord Zekram, I can only hope she doesn't reach the level of a Satan. The underworld might take a uncomfortable turn. Better check bro for now, who was talking about Okinawa with his hoes. Hah, hoes. I said hoes.

"The sea was pretty clean and the weather was nice. Pretty much like now. People are kinda rude compared to here and Osaka, but kind enough." He kept talking with Akabane-chan and Ren, including the fact that he met a manly loch monster and had fun with a festival. He looked more relaxed now. I thought I saw a smile, but it was only an illusion. "Do you wanna see this shell? I brought for mum. Oh, hey, Aria-nee."

"..." I almost threw up. He called me 'Aria-nee'. I'm... Confused. He is having his time now. Good to see him in a good mood. Oh, crap. I don't have anything to say. Just say something to avoid awkwardness, Aria. "You smell like Okinawa."

"Oh, you noticed..."

"It's salty and fresh. I don't dislike it." Akabane-chan said, hugging his dear 'wife' by the neck and sniffing the salty and tropical scent emanating from him. Instead of hitting her, he sighed and pat her on the head, but with a vein of rage popping from his head. Ren was observing the shell and the still struggling fish on the ground. I turned my head to the clear sky above my head and sighed. Why Kyouka-Chan did that? It doesn't make any sense.

What I do know is... **He** might come again.

.

**~~x~~**

**.**

"We're home."

"Hey, Ichijou, Yoko-chan. Welcome bac- Is that a fish?" Satsuki-nee greeted us with a quick hello until she noticed the plastic container I borrowed from the student council with the giant fish on it. Plus the giant and colorful shell on my hands. She paled a little, and sighed. "I ain't gonna ask, but you better have an explanation for that, brother."

"We got something for dinner. I guess this is enough." I said. Satsuki pouted, yet said nothing. Instead, she picked the container box and took it to the kitchen. I guess we'll have either sashimi or grilled fish for tonight. I turned to mum on the living room, who was sitting cross legged on the low table. She turned to me and gave me a confused look.

"Hey, Ichijou. Welcome back. Apparently, you had your fun today, eh?" She said, looking at the natural beauty on my hands. I walked towards her and placed in on the table full of letters. It's a present for her. "Oh, for me? Thank you. That thing is indeed beautiful. Pearl, right? How pretty. Hey, you smell like Okinawa."

"Do I? Must be the shell." I gave her an uneasy smile, and turned to the stairs. I gotta take this Okinawa smell away or they'll start asking questions. "I'm going to my room and change, then. If anything, just call me."

"Hey, don't you wanna help me read those letters? I know is old-fashioned, but apparently relatives don't know what e-mails are." Mum said, opening another letter and picking the paper inside. She read it and smiled. "Oh, look. Your cousin Shuu-chan got married. How cute. We should send him a gift!"

"Please don't tell me that he married his imaginary girlfriend again."

"Nope, he's over that now. It was with Hana-chan. They even sent a photo. Aw~. He's so awkward here." She picked a photo from inside the letter and practically melted with it. So, cousin Shuu got married... With a 3D girl. Now that's a step. "Come here, Ichi. Take a look. Aren't they cute together?"

"Maybe later. I'm exhausted." I said. Did she really call me 'Ichi'? Whatever, better not think too much into it. I called for Yoko, and together we talked upstairs. She went to the Guest room as always, while I took my way to my own room, to pick my towel, soap and some clean clothes in order to take a bath.

Today was a pretty calm day, actually. I talked with Kamiyama, went to Okinawa, learned how to play Taikou and even picked up a fish and a pretty shell for us. Not to mention, that Psychic girl even cleaned up the skies, so the gloomy atmosphere might be away for a while. Yeah, today was a great day. But I hope I can end it as fast as possible.

***CLICK!***

***OPEN!***

**"HNNNG...!"**

"...?!"

...

...

**[Allow me, the author, to explain the unfolded event: The protagonist Tsukino Ichijou couldn't think of anything in the current situation he was in. In front of him, sitting on the floor and wearing nothing but black briefs, there was an extremely muscular and hairy man, with an overly manly face, but skin as pale as a zombie. His muscles were throbbing a lot, since he was stretching himself on the floor, with his black-as-night hair cut in a wild and pointy style, as well as his pointy beard and wild sideburns that could pretty much poke your eyes out with the wrong move. Ichijou couldn't think of anything but...]**

_'This is the second strangest, most awkward hard-on I had in my life...'_

"Huh...? Oh, sorry. I didn't see you here, lad." That manly man said with his voice as strong as a thunder. I put myself on a defensive stance, as the man put his clothes, a very sophisticated suit with a cape red as blood, and walked towards me. He lifted a hand, and offered it to me, a smile and a pipe on his mouth. "Allow me to present myself: I'm Desmond Hellsing. I'm the royal minister of the Vampire Empire and Lord Nosferatu's righthand man. You must be honored for meeting, huh lad? Oooh, hohohoh!"

"Yeah... I'm honored, lord Hellsin-..." I awkwardly accepted the Vampire's hand, but stopped my worries after hearing the known surname of that strong and manly man. I stopped on my track, lifted my eyes to stared at that giant, and spoke. "Did you say... '**Hellsing**'?"

"Ooooh, ohohoh! Well, yes, my good lad. The Hellsing Family, the one and only from the former Tepes faction to capture a Vampire Lady as they say and try to snap the title of Tepes Leader. Yes, those are us, indeed." Desmond laughed again, as black smoke was escaping from his pipe. However, soon he dismissed his smoking object, and smiled with his shiny and pointy teeth. "But you must know this name from another source. Isn't that right, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, the queen of Berolina Gremory?"

And so, once again, I remembered that my life can no longer be called 'normal' ever again...

"Why does my royal and gorgeous nose picks the scent of Okinawa?"

"Gosh, cut that out, will ya?"]

* * *

**So... Me! Me! Me! got a sequel and shuu and hana are tying up. That was actually pretty cute. too bad for meme-chan though. Okay, so there are thories about being a prequel or something, but i'd like to see as an sequel with a reabilitated shuu rejecting meme-chan or something. I'm rating... just, just ignore this. Oh, crap, I'm blushing~.**

**but yeah, new character, new allies and foes, and the plot going nowhere I guess. One year for this. i'm soooo sorry! but I'll get better! I promise! Until then, stay golden!**


	41. Can foxes, witches and warlords kiss me?

So**... how's going, fandom? What a day to be writting, right? The new season of my anime start airing, and one-punch man surpassed anything I could think of, so it's indeed a good day. So... maybe thats why this chapter is so short, after I've been writing some other stuff without this one on my head. But I'll try to keep up with the updates. thank you for your patient, I hope you enjoy.**

**as always, dxd does not belong to me.**

* * *

And like always, I found myself in another awkward, kinda strange situation: in front of me, sitting right across the tiny table on his room, there was a tall, dark, muscular and manly man sitting crosslegged, scanning my room as a whole, and taking quick sips on the tea in front of me, courtesy of Yoko, who was now distracting everyone downstairs. I'll have to miss dinner again...

Apparently, that mass of muscles taking humanoid shape is the prime minister of the current Vampire Kingdom, and the righthand man of the King Nosferatu Black himself, Desmond Hellsing.

Oh, he's also Annie's/Sayuri's father, what are the odds...

"So... Lord Minister Desmond. It's a honor to meet you." I bowed until my forehead touched the table. Remember what Gremory said, Ichijou, vampire's asses are more tighter than any devil's. Show respect and they won't blow up in front of you.

"Ooh~, hohohoh! You should be, Sekiryuutei. After all, it's not like the great me can actually leave Lord Nosferatu's side for a petty reason from a devil." He considers the Peace Reunion a 'petty reason'. That and his speech form is cringeworthy at best, but at least he's answering me. Okay, Ichijou, you have to stay in the game and know with whom you're dealing with. I'm dealing with a vampire lord that can pretty much snap my neck like a kit-Kat, so we're in good terms for now. "In all honesty, I'd rather take a walk with my old buddy Cohen, but he's too busy for it."

"Cohen... Cohen Lucifer, the current Supreme Demon Lord?" And Gremory's father? Huh, so aristocracy does work in other races. And he said 'old buddy'. I wonder if this is just mockery or they are really friends like that.

"That's right. My good, beautiful, handsome, pretty and powerful champ Cohen. The current demon Lord whose daughters are Also true eye-candies." He said with a grin and a proud expression, when myself am kinda uneasy because of that same quote. Them again, he's a vampire, and vampires are either rapists or lovers. Lord Desmond is probably both. "His wife is also aging like wine, the best kind."

"If I may, I want to know what a great vampire lord, the prime minister at that, is doing here? What's your affair here, Lord Desmond?" I asked that just to shove his indecent comments away, but in all honesty, that question is also something bugging me. He stopped his session of nose-growing and turned his black-as-night eyes to me.

"Well, I'm here to collect information, as well as reconstruct the weather barrier that was destroyed this afternoon." Lord Desmond said with a sigh and scratching the back of his neck in an uneasy way. Weather barrier?

"You mean... Those clouds that were in the way even when summer is just around the corner?" I asked with a hand up, and he puffed his chest on pride.

"Yes, that one indeed. I have you know, since vampires can't withstand the power of Light from the Sun, with a few handsome exceptions, I, the prime minister thank you very much, am in charge in constructing the barrier around Kuoh city made out of clouds so that my fellow vampires can enter this territory without any problem."

"Oh, I understand." So that's what Aria-nee talked about earlier. And thanks to that Esper Girl, the said 'cloud barrier' was lift from Kuoh city, and if I route turns me right, he's here to fix that... 'Refix' that. I dunno. "I wonder what caused this. Wait, I have another question: why here? Why on my house? I don't get it."

"Oh, that... For some reason, I smelled a pretty familiar scent coming from here. The smell of a certain girl you might know." He smiled back at me. He's talking about Annie, definitely. "Lad, if the information of Alice Gremory serves me right, your group, or 'peerage' as you Devils say, has a servant by the name of Annabelle Hellsing, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir. She's... Our... Knight." I said a little hesitant. I don't know this man enough, I don't know if he's gonna pull a prank on me or just do something and destroy my house. Either way, better be prepare for the worst. "Unfortunately, she's not here. He ran away..."

"Aah~, I see, I see." He backed up on his cushion by the other side of the table and nodded in thoughts. He's taking this pretty lightly. Lord Desmond then turned his eyes to a random side, crossed his arms and flashed for me a sardonic grin, looking with an contempt gaze to that same stray direction. "I'm glad to hear that. That blasted Dhampyr garbage shouldn't be under my presence, nor breathing my air~. What a disgrace she is to the Hellsing name."

"Why bother coming here anyway if you wanna avoid her, then?" I should be angry at his contempt remarks about Gremory's knight, yet I found a contradiction between his words and actions. I'm no detective, but he shouldn't be having this conversation if his interest here wasn't Annie in the end. After that little remark, Lord Desmond stopped laughing, and then turned to me, still grinning.

"Playing mind games with the Great Desmond, Sekiryuutei? I have you know, you have to be at least a millennia old in order to even think about tricking me, lad." He says that, yet I uncovered him in less than a hour. But for the sake of my own head and neck, better go with the flow, and change the subject. Let's see.

"Lord Desmond, any reason for you to... Get naked on my room and stretch yourself here?" I almost forgot that, but yeah, there was a naked guy stretching himself on my room like this place is his turf or something. Not that I care much, since I'm getting used to this stuff, but that was freaky enough. Younger Toguro has nothing on Lord Desmond. Oh, I'm blushing just for remembering. Lord Desmond, on the other hand, grinned even more, as he flexed his biceps again.

"Of course you would notice, Sekiryuutei. I have you know, i don't use any other form of transportation besides my own body. As a result from this and my usual training, I've grown an enormous amount of muscles." He said in a proud tone. "From time to time, I must re-exercise them, so that I can be on top shape anytime. Oh, hohohoh, not that anything can pose a threat to me, in the end!"

"Cool." I said with a deadpan expression and a thumb up. Wait, shit! I did it again! I snarked! Fortunately, he was so absorbed to... Himself, he simply ignored my little sardonic remark. Thank goodness. "Lord Desmond, if I may, who's exactly haruka-sama, Annie's old lady?"

"Who...?" Of course.

"Never Mind. Anyway, thanks for the visit, I'm honored... Somehow." I gave another snark at him, while drinking some more tea and looking away from him. "I'm really sorry for bugging you with question. You can go away and help Nemesis-san now."

"Huh, polite. But of course, it is with I with whom you're talking to, so of course even Devils would act accordingly!" He laughed even more, much to my chagrin. Somehow, that behavior triggers some nostalgia, he's definitely a relative of Annie. Lord Desmond then stopped, and turned directly to me. "I know you don't want to, but let us talk about you. Is it true that you host the Red Welsh Dragon Emperor? The one and only Sekiryuutei? Might be another Twice Critical type, if you're not careful."

"Uhh~, yeah, I think I'm sure that I'm the Sekiryuutei." I said, extending my left arm for him and summoning the Crimson Dragon gauntlet there. He took a quick, superficial look, and smiled, nodding in understanding. I mean, I'm pretty sure Yagura and Ddraig himself wouldn't be lying to me... I think. Besides, everybody says I'm the real deal, so I'm sure this one is also the one.

"Oh, I see, I see. The infamous Dragon Longinus made from Ddraig of the heavenly dragons. I'm surprised, yet at the same time, not." He said with a grin, looking to my arm, then back to me. He was so concentrated that I felt uncomfortable again. "But as I can see, you're still far from total control over it. Moreover, I see a lock around your arm and body. In other words, there's something preventing you from fully take advantage of the power of the welsh dragon."

"Is that so?" I looked back at my sacred gear, and it shined it's jewels to me. So there's a lock in my sacred gear, that's a thing, I guess. Lord Desmond stood up, and helped me stand on my two as well. Now what?

"Get up, Sekiryuutei. As a token of my undying kindness and power, I shall lend you a hand in your development as the successor of the Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor!" He said bombastically, almost breaking my mirrors across the room. But he said he'll help me achieve something, so it's a start. I don't actually wanna cheat my way up, but since I'm dealing with five sacred gear users at the time for now, I don't have much of a choice. I want to help, so better take it while I can.

"Thank you, I guess." I said. Lord Desmond laughed again, cracking his Knuckles in a menacing way. I'm regretting every choice I had in my life for now... Not that is something new, mind you.

"Very well then, Sekiryuutei. Now, take off your coat!"

"Wait, what?" And after that freaky command, I reluctantly stripped myself from the jacket of my borrowed uniform, the real one is still in Okinawa, and in his command, turned my back to him. Okay, this is really awkward, not that it's the first time for me to be naked next to someone that I don't actually know. However, the problem starts when I remember the last person I found myself in this same situation with was... Irene-San. A chill ran down my spine as I felt strong, great hands reaching my shoulders from my back. He could easily crush my hand between them. "Err... I feel uncomfortable."

"You should trust your elders, Sekiryuutei, mainly me, the one and only Prime minister!" He said next to my ear. Oh, shit. "Now, relax and let me take the lead. I'll show you the wonders my hands can do to your stressed and tired body while I reach for inside your spirit and awake the beast from within."

"..."

"...?"

"You're not helping."

"V**AMPIRIC ULTRA MAX OMEGA TECHNIQUE! EIGHT GATES OF WONDER**!" And without any warnings, I could feel his thumbs, which were as big as my own fists, reaching to certain points in my back!

"Kyaaaah~!"

.

~~x~~

.

I don't know any better. Everybody had dinner, and everybody was now pretty much asleep, except for me and the girls. We were now parked in front of the door with a number 1 board, Ichijou's room, waiting for our nighty opportunity to have our usual asleep sleepover with him, but for some reason, the door wouldn't budge.

"I wonder why he would lock the door." I wondered out loud, a plate with rice and grilled fish on my hands. If he's awake, we'll talk and give it to him, if he's not, we'll just slee on his bed. Tasha and Ryuubi are also here, for that same reason.

"Maybe Lord Desmond is spending some quality time with Long Hong! After all, men should only spend so much time together!" The tall Chinese girl said with a hand over her muscles. Men spending time with men, that's not right. A man should also spend time with his girlfriends, and to tell the truth, I wanna cuddle with him too.

"Yaoi?" And of course, another stupid joke coming from Tasha Campbell herself. Brr, thanks for he imagery of a muscular grown man and the skinny boy that my husband is. With that, is obvious who's at the bottom and who's on top. As amusing such thought is, I just pat her on the head.

"Almost, but let's not forget he has us too." I smiled, reaching for Ryuubi to do just that as well. Thy may not know, but I'm also way older than everybody in this house, so better take the motherly tone instead of the perverted old lady trope. I turned back to the door and tried to knock it again. "After all, who knows what a bumped monster like Lord Desmond Hellsing can do to a low-class devil like Ichijou..."

"**AND TAKE MY LOVE AGAIN, SEKIRYUUTEI**!"

"Kyaaaaah~...!"

"..." No. This can't be right. I think I just heard Ichijou's voice moaning like a little girl. Heheh, no, this is probably one of those slapstick gags we see in comedy. I'll just open the door, and everything will be a misunder-...

"**FEEL THE FLOW OF ENERGY IN YOUR BODY! RECEIVE THE BOOST OF EUPHORIA FROM WITHIN! RECEIVE IIIIIIITTTTT..**.!"

"Oh, holy shit! Stop it, Lord Desmond! I'll break me~! You'll break meeeee~!" This is going a little too far. They're saying this just to mess with me. As much as I love Ichijou, I'll pinch his cheek to the ground if this goes any further. I scanned around, and like I was expecting, the girls had different reactions: emotionless Tasha with a bleeding nose, and an excited Ryuubi with gleams on her eyes. I simply... Can't. Stay calm, Yoko, you're not... Jealous. Wait, I can't be jealous! My husband is being raped!

Maybe I'm jealous because I'm the one who wants him to r-... Ah! Bad Yoko! You're his caretaker now! Don't go lusting for him now!

"**FINISHING MOVE: THE EIGHT GATE OF EXTASY AND REDEMPTION**!"

"Hyaaaaah~! I can't marry anymore~!"

"That does it! Ryuubi, break that door!" I commanded the pinkerette, who was so curiously looking at the door like she could see anything by the other side. She turned to me in a blink, and smiled.

"I have a better idea, Akabane-dono." She spoke as she straightened a metal clip and instead of breaking the door, put that metal wire inside the lock of the doorknob. After a quick turn and a few twists, and *CLICK* sound was hear inside the lock, and soon, the descendant of the infamous strategist turned the knob and opened the door.

Oh yeah, how I keep forgetting how overpowered Gremory's peerage is.

"Let me see." Tasha was the first to come forth, opening the door in a hurry to see a 'wrestling match' between two manly men. Fortunately, reality was a lighter: my Ichijou was laid on the floor like an animal-carpet, his face practically screaming for help, while that same muscular, gigantic vampire with pitch black hair and goatee was sitting on him, shirtless, pressing his thumbs on the Sekiryuutei's back so furiously steam was oozing from them. Tasha, who was quiet this whole time, muttered a simple. "Wow."

"Oh, if it isn't the lovable ladies of the new Sekiryuutei. I gotta say, some things don't change even with different generations!" The blusterous vampire said with his thunder-like voice, as Ichijou's now-meek voice tried to reach us.

"Help... Me... He wants... To tear me... In two..." He sobbed in a rather pathetic way. In a normal vision, he was just like a headless cockroach, but seeing from here... His smell, his aura, his entire being changed, somehow. I dunno, he seemed more healthy, which of course wasn't visible in normal sight. I turned to the vampire on top of him**(I wanted to make a joke, but not now.)**

"Lord Desmond, what's happening here?" I asked. The vampire, their general prime minister, flashed a quick glance at me, and then pressed a final spot on Ichijou's back, making the former gasp in pain and then go limp on the floor. Then, he stood up from his poor victim and dressed himself up again.

"A small favor for Dear Cohen. I'm doing something I've learned with some fellow vampires back in Thailand and pressing some pressure points on the Sekiryuutei here. Not just that, I've also undone some knots and lumps on his back and body, as well asimproving his circulation." He gave me a thumb up. No wonder Ichijou's like that. Must've hurt like hell. "What about it, huh? Isn't the greatest prime minister of the Vampire Kingdom, Desmond Hellsing, just the best and kindest of his race? You might also include 'handsome'."

"I guess 'thank you' is enough." I sighed. After a while, things got a little calmer, and since I'm the daughter and second in command of Kanto's supernatural faction, might as well hear what are his business here since there are no more distractions. We sat face-to-face on Ichijou's room, while Tasha was drinking the rest of the tea on Ichijou's bed and Ryuubi was back-walking on him on his bed. "I see. Not only you must accompany lord Nosferatu to here in Japan, but you must also finish the barrier so that your vampiric compatriots can safely travel to Kuoh academy."

"Exactly, my dear Kurama. I couldn't expect less from that gorgeous woman that is Muu's daughter." A shiver ran down my spine. My mother... Is indeed a bombshell with Big breasts(genetics are very random on youkais) but a compliment coming from an old man is unsettling. I nodded with a quick sip on my tea and sighed. "With the rain gone, I smelled the scent of a vampire around here. I thought she could help me out with his job, but after I've discovered it was Annabelle all along, I gave up. Huhuhuh, I was brought here by a random vampire in the hopes of helping me only to end up disappointed."

"Is that so? But you covered all the area from Romania to here. How come you need help for such a petty task as this?" I know the answer, actually. I'll just pretend I don't in order to make him speak. His usually pale skin blushed a little, and he dismissed my comment with a handwave.

"Details, details. Let us not engage in those to avoid losing our precious time here. Ooh, hohohoh! You and the Sekiryuutei sure share some lines of thought." He answered. Yeah, I'm not falling for that one. He obviously care in the end for a vampire. He took another sip of his tea. "I know is almost a sin to not talk about me, but enough of my business. How's Kuoh doing? Are the preparations going well?"

"We found some... Problems along the way, but we can take care of them. Don't worry about it." I bit my lip in frustration. That was definitely a lie, since those Miyama runaways are being a thing to deal with. Aria-San said she'll take care of them by the time of reunion, so I guess I can let this one pass. He snickered at me.

"Don't be afraid in asking for help! You creatures of the Sun really underestimate the power from the shadows!" He said to everyone in the room, but ultimately grinned at us. I dunno, this vampire is being a lot more friendly than I've anticipated. Lord Desmond then pulled from his cape a bouquet of red roses, a black veil holding them all, and placed on the table. "Thank you for thy hospitality. This is my signature token of gratitude and eternal love! Then you can all proudly declare that Desmond Hellsing blessed this place with his presence!"

"Yeah... Thank you." Without joking around, I have to say, those roses are indeed one of the prettiests I've ever seen. However, they don't look so strange for me. With the exceptions of the black ribbon, those roses look awfully like the flowers downstairs decorating the living Room...

Token of gratitude and eternal love, eh?

"But now I shall go! Kuoh academy awaits me for the ritual to bring back the clouds and prepare the ultimate show that this place has ever seen!" He said in a rather bombastic way, jumping while still sitting in a true Zeppeli-style and doing a flip midair to top it all. In the end, he landed right on the edge of the balcony window, and pulled his cape to cover his lower half. "Until then, dear Kurama and Berolina's peerage. Do not disappoint me."

And with a final laugh, he turned into a pack of bats and flew away by the window, leaving a dense most all the way into the skies. Vampires, who can explain them? To be fair, since Lord Rizevim's "prank" back in the days, the nigh extinction of the vampire race made the remaining members of such simply ignore the quarrel between the factions, building the current Vampire Empire and by the rule of the 'Strongest leader' regardless of gender, and now are searching for their own survival among the supernatural. That reunion itself it's just a way to tie all the loose ends with Devils and search for their own place in the earth. I hope this goes well.

"Interesting fellow." Tasha said, still looking at the open window and facing the now covered moonlight. I turned back to the bed, and Ryuubi has already finish her back walking on the Sekiryuutei, who was now pass out on the bed. Lord Desmond made him a favor, he's... Different now. I dunno why, but the circulation of power is a lot smoother now. Previously, the energy inside was only build up in his left arm, so much I was afraid it might end up bursting his arm off, now, the circulation is better, and his arm no longer is saturated. This is good.

"And the Hong Long rests. If I had a legendary adventure as much as him, I'd be like that too! Rest well to fight well." Ryuubi said, patting the head of an asleep Ichijou. Jealousy attacked a little, but then I sighed. He's building his own harem, so such this are to be expected... But still, I want to be his number one~. However, things made a turn with her next move: She turned Ichijou's face upwards, in a way he was facing her, and placed a French kiss on his lips.

"**WAAAAAAAAH**...?!" I screamed until my lungs were empty, as she proceeded to suck his lips and tongue in a very innocent way. Screw that! Why the hell she's frenching him?! Is this what they call a mouth rape?! "Ryuubi, what the hell?!"

"Kissing a great source of energy is undoubtedly a good way to regain stamina, don't you think, Akabane-dono?" With a face of someone without a worry in the world and a cat smile, she spoke despite the fact that I'm here! Did she lose the sense of danger?!

"What do you mean?!"

"Quiet. Wake up others." Tasha said, placing a hand on my shoulder and making a 'shhh~' sound with her finger. I shut my mouth with both my hands, and suddenly the witch shove me away and sat on the bed by the other side of Ichijou. "My turn."

"...?!"

"Affirmative. I'm sorry, my seniors should have their priorities." And Ryuubi let of of the Sekiryuutei. Those words... My worst fear came when Tasha did the same: pulling Ichijou's face to herself to start frenching him!

"Awawawawaw...!" My face faltered as I saw her pass her tongue into his mouth and caress his brown hair with another hand, while the other was supporting his face. After a while, I returned to my senses, only to again point a finger at both of them! "What the hell?! What... Who... Why... WHAT?! What are you girls doing?!"

"Sharing." Tasha simply said. I went ahead and whacked her on the head. "Ouchie."

"Akabane-dono, if I may, during your absence, we discovered an ability from within Hong Long." The pink little conquestor said, all while finishing her 'turn' and trailing a line of saliva out of Ichijou's mouth. "Maybe it's his powers going overdrive, maybe it's the still unstable power of his Boosted Gear, but if we can maintain physical contact with him, Hong Long can transfer his forces to us."

"And do you really think that excuse will work?!"

"Try." Awaking from her catatonic state since I hit her head with a bit of senjutsu, The purple witch said, touching Ichijou's lips with the tip of her fingers. "Much better, so energy, good stuff. Try."

What to do now? I mean, I swore I would protect him, and of course, this means stop this nonsense. But I must first try to confirm this, after all, the punishment can the lighter. I gulped and blushed, have an opportunity like that right in front of me, not to mention they say it's gonna boost my own energy. Nah, there must be a trick... But better confirm it because maybe I can go easy on them and not just to make... An excuse... To kiss... Ichijou...

"Fine, understood. I mean, I'll just confirm it, so that I might rethink the punishment from you two. Doesn't mean you're safe!" I said in a stern, military voice, but I meeked as I approached the knocked-out boy on the bed and picked both his cheeks to direct his face to me.

Oh~, he's still smelling Okinawa, it's kinda intoxicating... To be honest, ever since the beginning I wanted to kiss him. Maybe it's because it'd be the easiest way to suck energy out of him while still on the casuals, but now... I dunno, should I feel ashamed because I'm technically kissing my godson? Happy because it's finally happening? No, I'm just doing... For a check. Yeah, let's eat... That's It! I mean '**that's it**'!

"Okay... Here I go..." I said, the two simply sitting right next to me as eager as I secretly am. This is the first step to adulthood, right? Granted, I'm not that young, but it has been a while. Okay, okay, the forbidden secret kiss, after that, I won't be talking about it ever. Okay, okay, take a deep breath, concentrate and, and, and...

***Chuu~...***

...

...

...

"Wow, since when Ichijou use Strawberry shortcake lipstick?"

"We're trying to figure this out t-..." WHACK! Before Tasha could finish her own words, I hit both her and Ryuubi on the head! They were lying to me! Little pricks! A throbbing bump in their heads is the least of the problems they'll face! "Ouch! Hurt. Much."

"Believe me, I won't get any easier for you two!" I said, now slapping them across their faces, leaving bruises and hand marks all over their burning pretty faces. After a hour and a half of pure face disfigurement, I stopedC as they are now facing the floor, devastated by my barrage of holy slaps! "Now! I hope you two have learned your lesson."

"Affirmative. You kiss first." Tasha said, Ryuubi nodded with a smile.

"Damn right! No! I mean... Yeah." And lust won over me again. I dunno why, but kissing him kinda makes me feel better. Also, I can't stand them kissing him out of the blue when he's unconscious... Okay, I can't stand them kissing him at all. But... Just for this night. "Okay, okay. Fine, let's share him. But! This is the last time we'll ever do that!"

"Thanks for your approval, Akabane-dono." Ryuubi smiled, as she caressed the face of the current red dragon host and pinched one of his cheeks. "Just remember that we must be back to our room as soon as we finish him."

"Got it."

...

...

I'm the worst caretaker ever...

But... I'm the happiest worst caretaker ever.

_*Chuu~!*_

*Chuu~!*

*Chuu~!*

.

~~X~~

.

Geez, another day, another road to self-destruction with sore lips. Maybe I caught rabies with Kaichou, after all, she was the first whom... Kissed me. It's hurts a lot, but no infection. I wonder why, this is really starting to bug me...

Speaking of bugging me... I feel great now. And not just 'in great pain', I feel ever lighter now. More than the medicine, more than Lady Alice's cuddling, I can actually breath and feel it. Is that... The power of the vampiric massage? Then again, Ryuubi was kinda stomping me yesterday too, and believe it or not, she's actually pretty heavy because of her massive muscles and chest. But whatever it was, this was actually great.

_'Hey, Izuki...'_

"Huh...?" Did someone just call me 'Izuki'? That's new, and none of my girls ever call me that. Wait, did I seriously think 'my girls'? Aaah~, I'm thinking too much into it again, that's really annoying. I turned around and who would have guess, it's a round familiar face. I guess her name was something something... Oh, right, the esper girl, I never picked her name up. But she's different today. Her style is another one two: she's wearing glasses. "Oh, hey... What's your name again?"

_'To be fair, I'm afraid we didn't share enough words to reach those formalities.'_ She mentally sighed. Wait, I can actually hear her own thoughts but without her own snarks. That's new._ 'Allow me to present myself: I'm Kyouka Mizuki, the esper you met the other day and sent you to Okinawa.'_

"Yeah, yeah. Pleased to meet you, Kyouka-San. Tell me, the fact that I can actually hear your mind without the interferences has something to do with your new sense of fashion?" I said touching the bring of invisible glasses on my eyes. She blinked a few times, and did the same as me.

_'Why yes, that is correct, Izuki.'_ She said, thought, again with the 'Izuki'._ 'Madam Shizuka has given me those magical spectacles in order to limit the amount of psychic Powers on me. I no longer can hear your wondering thoughts without either of our consent, meaning I no longer am mentally attached to you.'_

"That's good to hear and all. I don't want people reading my mind either."

'And no one would want to hear your thoughts for what is worth.'

We stared at each other, and frowned, both of us during our mental 'snark-off'. After a while, however, we both gave up and cracked each other a smile. That's good, that's nice. I'm really... Taking my time to build some good relationships... Let's just ignore the fact that she just tried to kill me yesterday...

_'**Kill** is not the correct word, but you can put it like that, Izuki...'_

"Oh, right. You can read my mind. Oops." I sighed again. That one slipped. He stared at each other, and like friends, we started to walk to Kuoh academy, since I was all alone up until now because my broken body wouldn't get up for a while. But I'm not really that late, so no worries. "Today is a good day."

_'It's all cloudy.'_

"Yeah, exactly."

I just hope that... This can last until my everyday life kicks in as usual...

_'By the way, Izuki...'_

"From where did you get that from?" I said, turning to her. But soon dismissed because 1- She has something to say, and; 2- I don't actually dislike my nicknames, in fact, one of the few I've been gaining since my day one as a devil.

_'Glad to hear you appreciate my way to address you.'_ She said. Again, mind-reading, better be careful with that. Anyway, I turned to her, as she began to... Think. _'As I was thinking, you thought the other day that might have another dragon-sacred Gear Users around the transfer candidates, right? The truth is, I might be able to pinpoint their location._'

"Really...?"

_'If their 'mental scent' is similar to yours in a way, It might be possible. Possible, that is, key word.'_

That's great news! We have to inform Nemesis-San about this! Maybe my day can avert my own wave of bad luck after all!

***DIN-DON! DIN-DON!***

'_Attention students. Student Tsukino Ichijou from class 1-B. Please present yourself to the Headmistress's office as soon as possible. That is all. Have a nice day.'_

Of course I'd be wrong...

Shit...

'_Language, young man...'_

"Aaaaagh~..."

* * *

**yep, no much except some exposittionn, jokes and revelations, no action this time. I'll try to keep up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, until next time~.**


	42. The legacy of the Breast dragon Emperor!

**And here it is, as promised, a funny and actionpacked chapter! But not without some service also. **

**As always, dxd doesnt belong to me~.**

* * *

"Good morning headmistress Shizuka. You called?" I said as I opened the door to the said headmistress office, accompanied by the said strawberry blond esper, facing now the said bluenete headmistress, her blond lover and the other black-haired heiress. The said headmistress waved her hand in a hello.

"Yes, I did. Also, as a consolation, I'm sorry for imaginably strangle you yesterday. I thought you simply skipped your duties, and I was really mad. Please forgive me." She said with a sigh and a hand on her tired eyes, drinking a cup of water. I just nodded with that freaky statement since, well, we're talking about Nemesis Gremory. She can pretty much level this school in a nervous attack yet say sorry and reconstruct it. Still, scary...

'You have interesting friends.' Kyouka-San said within our mental link, also sweat-dripping with a pokerface and adjusting the rim of her glasses. Yeah, I do. Friends... And you're one of them. 'Why, thank you. I'm honored.'

"So, Nemesis-San, the elimination test will be holding today, isn't it?" I said, turning back at the actual redhead. She blinked a few times, faced the invisible, and turned back to me.

"To be fair, Tsukino Ichijou, I'm more than willing to simply make you quit either of your assignments today." She said with a hand in the air in a disdainful way. Wait, really? "Since we have one more girl entering our little group of troublemakers, I guess that you can actually quit your duty as the guide of The ninja Ren and pass it to Kyouka-chan. Therefore, today you'll be only supervising the elimination class. Is that okay for you?"

"I'm... I'm okay with it." I said. Oh, this means I can finally lunch alone without nosy interruptions. I can talk with Kamiyama today without any interruptions! "But can Ren accept this? I mean, he can be pretty petty sometimes..."

"..."

"What?"

"You... You're questioning if that guy will be upset about your absence..." She made a face that pretty much shows a certain degree of uncertainty. She's thinking about 'that', isn't she? "I mean... The plan was to help you be at your one hundred percent during the harsher trial this evening... But if you want to stay with your girlfriend that much..."

"He's not my 'boyfriend', Nemesis-san." I said with a huff. What the hell?! Can a lad have a male friend without people assuming things? But again, this is Kuoh academy. The boy-boy ratio of girls is equal if not higher than harem-King-candidates boys. I turned to

Kyouka-San, and like I was expecting, she was so sheepishly smiling at me with that same bedroom eyes.

'_Well, you did mention that your senpai was a harem King. Might as well cross some bonds ties to try to surpass him, ain't I correct?'_

"Screw you, you psycho pedo psychic!" I bursted in front of everyone, as like expected, they were taking back by my sudden moves. Of course, only I can 'talk' with her now. Not cool at all, Kyouka-san. I turned back and sighed. "Sorry... Mental conversation here."

**"And yet again you prove yourself to be as much of a loser as your predecessor, Tsukino Ichijou.**" Since there's no sentence where I'm not insulted, came Lady Bael's chance to offend me as always. I turned to her, and she blinked a few times, only to flick her black Raven hair and sigh in disdain. **"I have to say, self-control is also important to master the sacred gear that lies in your arm. Being emotional like that is not recommended. Or maybe you finally took your resolve and decided to accept that you won't be going anywhere like that."**

"Shut up, Ludger." I simply said. Since that was a simple insult, she just frowned at me, and turned her head away. However, it was now the Esper's turn to say something. Mentally, of course.

**"What? What is it?"** Ludger was awake from her small meditation, and after a quick look around, she laid her eyes onto Kyouka-San. She frowned, the esper laughed. Ludger frowned even more, but Kyouka-san gasped, making the other one sigh. In the end, Kyouka-San cocked her head to a side, and then, something surprised me: Ludger blushed. Still with the ever frown on her, but she blushed anyway, turning away from us. **"I swear, those mongrels..."**

"In short..." Said Nemesis-san, cutting away the tense atmosphere that was now hovering this place. "Tsukino Ichijou, I hereby declare that your services won't be needed today as for the escort of the Ninja from Hanzō village, thus duty will be pass down to Kyouka Mizuki."

"Yes. I guess." I said with a nod. Actually, I'm happy to hear that. School is not that much of a bother for me, but at least I'll have some time to myself. Two of the school mysterious has already been solved, and I've already shown the whole school for Ren, so not much to do, probably. "So... Only the elimination trial, right?"

"Affirmative. You can go now if you want, just one more thing." And with that; Aria-San walked towards me, and then placed a small black bracelet around my left wrist, sharing space with Lady Akeno's ribbon and Kamiyama's present. What's that about?

"Hey Aria-nee, what that?" I said pointing at the said bracelet. She stopped for a second to turn her eyes to me, and after a while, she grinned and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"This is a special bracelet. Today's trial is from the Quarta siblings and Nashiro-chan, so you can expect some violence with it." She said. Wait, violence? Are we going to take the ignorant's path this soon?! "Those bracelets are actually pseudo-runes that will activate once your health reaches a peak. It'll teleport you to safety if you ever get fatally injured."

"Are you saying I might **DIE** today?"

"..."

"...!"

"No, of course not. What gives you that idea?" She said as she turned her nervous wracked face away from me in a clear attempt to hide her sweating mess. Lies! All lies! She clutched the last locks of the said bracelet and tried to stay away from me. "In all honesty, you might not be able to walk anymore after today, but it's no biggie, y'know."

"That's a really big deal, Aria-nee! What the hell!" I said, reaching for her hand and grabbing the white sleeve of her suit in a desperate attempt to get answers?! What?! Will I be in a war today?! That's not even funny! I'm pissed! However...

***ZOOM!***

"Whoa!"

"What?" Both me and Aria-san gasped as a magic circle suddenly appeared on my hand and imprinted itself on her clothes before fainting into nothing. What the hell? Since when I can do this? I didn't even know I can actually do magic without the ones I made mysel**f(Level Zero and the boost I have from CQGD, for example)**. Aria-san moved her arm a little and cracked her bones a little. Nothing happened. "Huh, strange... I feel nothing, really. What was that about, bro?"

"I... I dunno." I said, still looking at my arm with some curiosity. Is that the... Hidden potential and locked powers lord Desmond was talking about? Weird. But that's a matter for another hour! Am I gonna die?! "But don't change the subject! Am I really going to die, Aria-nee?!"

"How annoying... Shut up! You'll give me a headache!" Cutting out little chit-chat, nemesis-san stood up from her chair and said this to us. I gulped down my anxiety and bowed for upsetting her. After a while, she also blinked a few times and slurred on her chair, sighing and shadowing her eyes with her palm. "Look, Tsukino Ichijou, there's no need to panic, okay? How all of your anger for today, because you'll need it... A lot."

"..." I frowned at her. Of course I should, after all, I'm again being thrown to somewhere I've no idea how to deal with. But, sheesh, I got no choice in that, right? Troublesome. Maybe she's right in wanting me to skip my date with Ren and just focus in whatever will happen today. I gave one last death glare at Aria-San, and nodded. "I have... No choice, right? After all, I'm the one who knows how One of the Miyama runaways looks like, right?"

"Unfortunately, it's that same reason why you're in charge of this. To identify the said Miyama guy as always." Headmistress Shizuka said, sitting on her chair to take a spin around and stop on me. "This time, it's mostly definite that We'll find them, and put a stop at their madness."

"If it's the last time, then I have no room to complain." I responded with another sigh. This means the whole chase around the said Miyama four will end. Which reminds me, Matsuoka-san hadn't attend classes almost the whole week, so it means she's probably hiding somewhere else or with the rest of them. Besides, Sarah-san will also be there. "I'll crush them... At least try not to die..."

'_My, oh my. What a leader, we have.'_

Shut up, Kyouka-san...

"Anyway, we'll present Ren-chan to Kyouka-San some other time. Until the elimination trial, you're dismissed." Nemesis-san said. I looked again at the new bracelet around my wrist and nodded back at her. Yes, I'll do my best of best! But... For now, I'm just a high school student, and nothing more.

.

~~X~~

.

Like I was expecting, Matsuoka-san didn't show up today, the only explanation being a meeting with the rest of her runaway siblings. This means they're really planning something for today. Also, the number of transferee candidates dropped a lot, for what I can see. Maybe they gave up midway, since apparently the trial today is about to draw some blood. I'm still kinda scared, but I won't think about it too much. I'm much more concerned about what that rune circle around my hand on Aria-san's sleeve was. I hope it isn't anything serious, giving the strong nature of the red Dragon emperor. Is this the said hidden potential they all talk about it?

***PLEC!***

"Ouch!"

"Tsukino-kun! If you don't mind, could you read the rest of the passage for the class, please?" Sensei said, as a piece of chalk rolled to a side and fell to the ground. Ouch, that hurt a little. Before she could continue with the barrage of white scraps, I stood up from my chair and began to read the assigned English novel, when... "Hey, Tsukino-kun, you're suppose to read it in English. From the start again!"

"..." I gulped. Of course, how could I forget? Everything I say is translated to the common language. This is gonna be a problem for me. However, before I could open my mouth...

'Say it.'

"Uh...?" That same mental voice from before echoed in my head. I gave a quick peripheral view around and spot the esper girl right on the front row. I forgot for a second, she's my classmate. She winked still with the straight face, and repeated.

_'Go ahead, read it. I got nothing better to do, anyway.'_ She mentally spoke. I gulped once more, but noticing the killing intent from sensei's eyes, I sighed and began my lecture. For a while, I thought she was going to scowl me again, but as I finished my speech, she simply smiled and picked her book again. What?

"Very well, Tsukino-kun! Now, Fujiwara-San, your turn...!" I sat back on my chair, and quick as I could, turned my gaze back at the esper girl from across the room. She went back at reading her own novel, but in blink of an eye, she turned around, gave me a quick grin and wink and turned back to face forward. Did she just help me?

_'Yes, I did, devil...'_

Uh... Thanks.

And with my day going smooth after that, lunch came over. Like always, I would stand up from my seat to help Ren around and take him to a quick walk around Kuoh and it's mysteries. But as for today, the one to stand up for him was Kyouka-San, picking her own lunchbox and taking her way outside. This seals it, I'm free for today.

"Say, Kamiyama, do you wanna have lunch together?" I said, turning around and facing my crush while holding my own lunchbox. She ceased her reading by closing her book and looked at me. Oh, was I... Too awkward on that? I hope not. After a while, to my relief, she smiled, the smile that I like.

"Sure." And again with the giant three-store lunchbox. She offered me some, so I picked a big and fat piece of tuna to munch on it. Delicious as ever. In exchange, she picked a piece of omelette from my humble box. "Delicious as always."

"Ah... Ahahah, you don't need to be polite about it. Yours is even better." I said, picking A piece of fried egg from her lunchbox and munching it. No joke, the stuff she calls 'leftovers' are really good, far better than those things I make for my sisters. She turned her eyes to me.

"I'm being serious, Tsukino-kun. Your cooking is really good." She said picking a piece of mine of grilled salmon. "Specially grilled ones. You must love your family pretty much to come up with something so delicious."

"Yeah..." I turned around for her to not see my awkward smile. Yeah, right. So much love I thought in poisoning them sometime back in the days the abuse was way worse. I still cook for them since I'm the only one who stays home the most, but I try to turn it as half-assed as possible. They still think it's good. Maybe I'm a really good chef, or maybe they don't have a clue what good food is. Back on reality. "So... How's your grandmother? Is she better? Summer is coming up, but..."

"Uh-huh. She's better now." Kamiyama faintly smiled at me, the calm and her best smile. It's good to see her so calm one, rather than a grin or a super-stretchy one that I'm so used to. "Since it has been raining a lot lately, she ain't complaining about her usual headache about this time of the year. Maybe she'll get used to it when summer finally comes."

"I see. Summer is always a thing back at home for me." Not exactly the best kind of, per Se. My sisters complaining about the weather as we share and fight for a place next to either the A/C or electric fan. Like Always, I'm the loser one to be locked into a hot room without any form of weather relief. We can always go to the pool at the club or the beach, but unfortunately, sometimes neither mom or Satsuki-nee are around to take us there.

But remembering things a bit more, I still got the inflatable pool at home. It's not much, since it's a child's plaything, but I remember that, without any other option, I used to inflate it and fill with water and ice cubes to escape from the seasonal heat. The last time I use it was last summer for that same reason, and it was in a good condition then, maybe I'll use it again this year if the meeting die short.

Now, I wonder, will I have to share it with my new fellow servants? Sure the mini-pool despite it's original propose it's still big enough to be shared with a few people, but it'll get a little cramped due to the massive number of people on it and the... Exaggerated proportions of some of them, maybe snapping away from me my calm and relaxing moment I usually have.

Ryuubi will probably wear something akin to a sarashi and fundoshi in the waters due to her heritage and sage origin, but I won't mind if she wears a qipao bodysuit. It'll probably feel uncomfortable? A big-breasted girl like her wearing something like that? Yoko's proportions aren't really that big, so she'll probably be wearing that school swimsuit, all tight because of her tails sprouting out. She has a small body, so a typical swimsuit it is. Now Tasha, the pervert. Knowing her, she'll probably just use three bandages and that's it. I'll rather a two-pieces because it's a lot more comfortable and not as near as cringeworthy...

***DRIP! DRIP!***

"Tsukino-kun, your nose is bleeding." I snapped back to reality thanks to Kamiyama. I blinked a few times only to see her handing me a piece of tissue, as I could feel a hot stream coming down my nostrils. I just thought perverted things about my peerage. I'm getting used to it. Damn, am I really a pervert? But it's kinda nice, I'm getting used to them. And I won't deny that every one of them is an eye-candy. They're also good girls, and they'd be good wives...

Ah, what the hell am I thinking! If I want a relationship, I'll choose Kamiyama! She's the girl I'm in love with! Right?! Right! No harems!

"Sorry, Kamiyama. Must be the weather." I said, drying the lust trail from my nose and sighing, giving her an uneasy smile as always. Still, I want this girl to be my number one... No, my only one. "Hey, Kamiyama... You... You have any plans for this weekend?"

"Huhuhuh?" With a piece of crab hanging from her mouth, she turned to me and munched her piece all the way. C'mon Ichijou, you can do it. "Well, I have to take care of my grandmother, but aside from that, no, nothing else. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I was thinking... You said we're friends, right?" I asked, messing with my nails as I tried my best to maintain visual contact with her; but eventually failing. C'mon! Just use that as an excuse! "So... I was thinking... How about a date between friends? I mean, my week has been a trouble after another, so I was thinking that maybe we can go out... And have fun! Like... Like friends do."

"..." She looked at me so curiously, while not moving a muscle for anything. Did I... Did I screw up? Did I move too fast like one of those dramas in which the main character say his feelings to the heroine but it's rejected with a 'just friends'? I hope not, I hope not! However, after a few seconds of tension, she smiled. "Of course."

"Eh...?" My world stopped after that. What?

"I'll go on a date with you. Grandma says that... I should enjoy my life while I can, and leave her be once in a while." She continued with a cute blush on her face. She's smiling and blushing! "So... I guess I can arrange a place in my schedule for a date with you. Who knows, maybe you can meet my grandmother as well!"

"Yeah. I won't butt in your agenda, so when you find a good time, we should hang out!" This is so exciting! I'lol go on a date with Kamiyama Shiori! I hope that it can be as soon as possible! She smiled as well, and extended her pinky towards me. Is that what I think it is?

"Sure. I'll find a hour as soon as possible, maybe this Saturday. I promise." It's a pinky promise! I'm doing a pinky promise with the girl I like! Okay, gotta stay cool! Gotta... Breath normally, so that she doesn't notice your inner self going overdrive. Okay, count down pi for relaxation. 3,14587...

Huh, I'm getting better at this.

"All right, Kamiyama. I believe in you." I said, touching and hooking pinkies with her. A little moment, a small, insignificant moment of nothing, yet I feel like the happiest men alive! I like it. "It's a promise!"

"Definitely."

"..."

"..."

"Sorry, this is... The first time I ask someone on a date." I sincerely said, sighing my uneasiness away. She giggled with a hand covering her mouth. Who could've guess it? Even Kamiyama Shiori can behave like a normal high school girl. Really cute, really normal.

"Well, we're one of the same. This is the first time someone asked me on a date." She said, blushing a little more. "Even as a friend."

"I'm glad. I hope we have fun." I said with a smile. This is great! I have a date with this girl! As a friend, of course, but it's a date nonetheless! Almost makes me forget the fact that I'll probably... Oh, nevermind, it's back.

But... I'm still excited for it! I can't wait!

***BAM!***

"What...?" As we finish our lunches, the door to class 1-B suddenly opened with a bang. By the other side of it, I saw a certain silverette ninja gasping for air. He frenetically took a scan around the room, and when he spotted me, he ran all the way to my side and picked me by the arm, dragging me away from the class! I tried to protest and stop him, but it was only after he tossed me out and closed the door he stopped and gasped for air! "What the hell?! Ren, what happened?!"

"You're friend over here!" He screamed, pointing at Kyouka-San that only now I've noticed she was here the whole time. "She happened! Lady Nemesis didn't say she could read my mind without permission!"

"..." I turned to Kyouka-san, who had a cat smile turned to the ninja. After a while, Ren turned to her in a jump.

"It's not like that! I'm not sad about my sister to totally ignore orders! I'm a ninja, goddamnit!" He answered the probably mental question towards him. I gave him a curved eyebrow as he sighed again and turned to me. "Ichijou, put your friend under a leash! She read my mind, she knows what I know and my secrets!"

"Really? Then, Kyouka-san, please stop with this!" I turned now to the blond esper, as she pouted at me.

_'Why? It's fun to troll people around with my telepathy. Besides, I have some pretty hot secrets out of his head.' S_he said, failing to contain her laughter with her usual stoic face, now trembling in suppressed euphoria. I sighed, and frowned at her.

"I'm serious. He may not look like, but Ren is a all-rights ninja. Not even your telepathy or other abilities might save you from him when the time comes." I said to her, alternating my gaze from him to her. Apparently, she's scanning my memories or something, and found something. Now, you know, right? And he's just entered this high-level shinobi thing. They'll more of him if you mess around too much with the confidential. After a while, she just puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

_'Alright, alright. But there's some hot secrets you might wanna know.'_ She teased returning her grin.

"No, thanks." I said. If you can hear it, I do want to know, but he's my friend, so I must respect his privacy. I heard a last sigh. I guess this wraps things up.

"So? Did you solve things up? You know I'll kill her!" Ren said with a face that pretty much says how unnerved he is. I sighed and turned to him, my arms open to sign honesty.

"Everything solved, you pansy. Geez, what kind of twisted person are you to fear that? I know you're a ninja, but calm down." I said. A hint of curiosity invaded my brain, tossing part of my honor as a friend aside. "What kind of secret? You seem more personally concerned."

"It's... It's a ninja thing. Y'know, secrecy. Nothing personal, just a thing out of the shinobi code." He said, turning his head to a side and blushing all the way. Out of the sudden, he turned back to face us with an angry expression. "Shut up! It's true!"

"Never thought you would be so mischievous, Kyouka-san." I turned my eyes to the troll esper behind me, with her now-exclusive grin on her face. Huh, maybe her personality from before was just an act, or maybe it's because I was causing headache for her. "Look, Ren, this is the only time you'll have to deal with her. Maybe tomorrow I'll back doing my stuff with you. Just for today, 'kay?"

"If this is the last time, then right, I'll endure it." He said with a sigh and crossed arms. After a while, he began screaming again with a blushing face. "Shut up! You mustn't tell anyone! If you can read my mind, then read the things I'll do to you if any of that escape your mouth!"

"You came all the way here to say that?" I questioned.

_'Not actually.'_ I mentally heard, as from nowhere under her skirt, Kyouka-san handed me a folded uniform with a few gadgets on it and a white box. I gave a question mark to that._ 'One is the Uniform you left back in Okinawa. I've retrieved it and wash and iron it just for the lulz. The box is a thing Nemesis-san said to give it to you. It's a present from the Vampire minister or something. It's suit, as I saw with my clairvoyance.'_

"Okay, thanks." I said with a nod for her little favor. After that, after a bit of minutes with more and more bickering around, the two left on semi-good terms, still making faces and sharing insults. That reminds me... Annie is still missing, and Rina... Ah, I'm thinking of them too much. Maybe I'll give it a try and visit Gremory back in the underworld. I turned around back to my class and sat back on my class, putting my uniform and things items aside, while backing up my lunchbox to put the new white box on the table. Kamiyama's eyes glimmered with expectation with the big box in front of her.

"What's that, Tsukino-kun?" She asked. I ripped the adhesive lock away.

"Let's find out." I said, opening it. From within, a shine as bright as the sun came out! And when it died out, it revealed a super-duper-formal-as-all-hell suit! No kidding! The whole set looked like a piece of fine onyx, the shirt looks like made out of pearl and the red tie shine as bright as any Ruby! Not to mention the gold bottoms and the silk napkin on the pocket! What the hell?! What kind of event is necessary for all of that?!

Then I noticed a small note from inside the box. It was signed under 'Desmond Hellsing'. I reached it for it and unfolded it to read it's words.

* * *

**\- Dear Red Dragon emperor.**

**Since you'll also be taking part of the alliance reunion between Vampires and Devils, I shall lend to you the necessary accessories and uniform in order for you to present yourself in front of our Vampire King the greatest and, of course, myself. Be sharp!**

**With love, Desmond Hellsing.**

**P.S.: Is dry-clean.**

* * *

...

Typical, just... Typical.

"What a beautiful suit, Tsukino-kun."

"Yeah, it's very pretty." I sighed. "But I have the impression that I'll hate the occasion I'll be using it."

"How come?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

.

~~X~~

.

And like always, when the time came, classes ended, and I walked towards the place I was assigned to go. Not to mention, as l Aria-san said earlier, I might die today! Well, not die, but something might happen. That's really, really unnerving...

...

No! No, I won't die! I have a date with Kamiyama! Like hell I'll die before doing that! Time to man up and get what I want! Okay, let's do that!

I bumped myself up with all my strength, and ended up in the assigned place, the back reunion class, in a blink of an eye. I gulped, and before having any seconds thoughts, I thought of Kamiyama instead, and then pushed the door to move forward!

***ZING!***

The moment I stepped inside, the bracelet Aria-san gave to me shined in a bright light, and soon, the class wasn't a class anymore, but a deserted wasteland, with nothing but sand, mounty ground and the hot wind. The sky only being the limit there. But there were walls limiting the place, as I turned around and touched it, like some kind of barrier.

"What the... What's that? A stadium?"

***BOOM!***

I heard it from a distance, turning around to face a small mushroom cloud forming away. Is that today's challenge? A deathmatch? The bracelet on my arm shined one more time, and then it spoke in a unknown voice for me.

_'Err... Boosted Gear nii-chan? Do you copy, nyan?'_ It spoke with one of it's blue gems. I was taken back a little, but soon I said a simple 'yeah' in response._ 'Good! Look! The mediators for today will be me, R-Lugder-nyan and the Quarta siblings! Today's is both Asura and preta trials! Try not to be caught by the transferred candidates and when you see one of the Miyama runaways, call us!'_

"Wait, what?! How the hell am I suppose to...!" I tried to talk, but the transmission was cut short. Wait, so was that what Aria-San was talking about? A deathmatch with the supernatural?!

"It's here! He's using the bracelet! After him!" I heard from afar, and without any warning, as soon as I knew it best, I was surrounded by all kinds of supernatural creatures! I saw some nosy tengus, some fat racoondogs youkais, even some phantom figures, harpies and scythe-wielding reapers! Well, time to man up, I still have a date to attend! I can't lose here!

"Okay! You wanna a piece of me?! Be gentle... No, wait! That's the past me! Come at me, freaks!" I said, screaming** [DRAGON BOOSTER!]** and summoning my sacred Gear, which was even brighter and powerful-like now! Wow, maybe that thing about unlocking true potential was true?!

"Die, devil! I'll crush you!" Said one giant golem, as he lifted his fists against me and tried to punch me! I lose no time and summoned Rhongomiant in a blink of an eye, in blank point against that massive fist.** [BOOST!]**, roared my boosted Gear as I clashed blades with that giant!** *BOOOM!***, the result was unexpected: not only I survived the recoil from the explosion we produced, but the said golem was sent flying away on the air until it vanished in a show of lights, probably the emergency spell!

Was that... Was that my doing? I really did that?! That's awes-Ghah!

"There are more of us here, dragon!" One female tengu said to me as she cut my back in the speed of light! Fortunately, my body was strong enough to have only a scratch! [BOOST!], the dragon arm screamed once again, and now, I could really feel the flow of energy around my body! Since the beginning, the only thing I felt during it was simple boosts of adrenaline, but now? I legitimately feel stronger! I feel lighter, not heavier! I sharpened by eyes again, and before another harpy could rip me apart, I dashed away, going myself a handful of space! I'm even faster now! That's awesome! "Shit! Harpies! Sisters! Reapers! After him!"

They all said, attacking me at the same time! But there was no problem, as I could see every move from their claws, blades and nails! Backing step by step and defending myself against the massive barrage of attacks, I could see that those harpies and others are nothing compared to Aria-San, Nero-San or even Annie! There are weaker than them! And therefore, weaker than me!

**[Yoko - what do I keep saying? Too OP~!]**

I swing my sword and created a massive blow of wind against them, which pushed them away altogether, eliminating some of them! However, that wasn't enough, they still continued with their attacks! Well, I'll just have to keep defending!

"Damn dragon! Fall, fall, fall!" They all screamed against me, as I defended myself with Rhongomiant's blade! There are too many of them, so I'll have to be careful with any mistake! This is already driving me tired! For a second, I tripped a little, and that was enough for them to attack and rip part of my shirt and jacket! "Hah! Got you! Done already!"

"Damn it!" I said, as I jumped away, but almost tripped again? Should I use Crimson Queen Gear Drive? No, they're too fast for that! I need a distraction! To prepare myself and regain some energy!

Wait... I need a distraction... And a pause to regain energies. I only noticed this now, but a good portion of those harpies, tengus and reapers were... Very busty females. I mean, not that I notice those things off the bat, but my point IS! I can use that! Yes! Just need that extra speed again! With this new fired-up spirit, I regain control over my sword and continued with the spar between them!

"Die! Die! Kuoh is mine to control!" Some of them shouted, confident in their victory as my signs of tiredness became visible. However! *CLANG!* after a while, all of their attacks clashed together against the blade of my sword at the same time! Then,** *TING!*,** in a swift, quick move, I lifted my sword to the skies, making them all lose control of their weapons and move them upwards! That's my chance! As fast As I could, I leaped towards them, and punched every single one of them with my Boosted Gear, piercing their chests with the golden spike coming from my Crimson knuckles! After that, I backed up, seeing my magic circle appear on their breasts!

They all gasped, seeing the said magic circle on them, trying their hard to understand what was going on! However, it's show time!

"Now, face the power of the Red Dragon Emperor!" I said, lifting my hand up to the skies and with my fingers ready to snap! They all turned their eyes there, mixing both confusion and rage, but before they could do anything, I said it. "Take this!** [LEVEL...!]**

***SNAP!***

***PUF! PUF!***

**[... ZER-...!]**

***RIP! RIP! RIP! RIP!***

"Eh...?"

**""""" KYAAAAAAAAAAH~...!"""""**

.

~~X~~

.

So, he ended up calling me 'Aria-nee'. I wonder if that's shows how much of a person he has grown over those weeks. At first, he called me 'Aria-san', with me calling him bro all the time. Now, even without realizing, he consider me his big sister... I dunno if this means anything good, but it's good to know he cares...

"Did you hear it, Nemesis? He called me 'Aria-nee'. That's really something." I said with a goofy smile on my face, as I helped her with the paperwork. Turns out she accepted my invitation as her secretary. Of course she would. Nemesis, on the other hand, sighed.

"What a thing, right? At least you're a big sister someone loves." And that was enough to melt the good feelings about Ichijou. I love nemesis, I really do, so of course I feel for her. Not only Rina was always resentful about her big sister, but specially now, all bonds connecting the two have been cut, maybe even definitively. All thanks to Lady Beelzebub. I came for her and whacked her head lightly.

"Hey, c'mon, Nemis. You know it's not like that. It's not too late for both of you, even if it looks like. Besides..." Now I hugged her little distressed head, patting her in comfort. "You'll always going to have me, no matter what. I love you."

"Gosh, I know, Aria. Jeez..." She said while dismissing my show of affection, but blushing all the way. Huh, she loves me. She turned around in her chair, and crossed her arms, still blushing. "Why you must do that all the time? Maybe the hyoodou genes are starting to affect you."

"Maybe. I have so much love to give. That's part of his legacy." I said with a smile. Harems... Not only for sex or power, but also by love and care. The sole reason why gramps was so popular and now's the hero of all the underworld despite coming from so low roots. "The other part... Is his sacred Gear now in that boy."

"Tch..."

"He really started to call me his big sister." I sighed with a smile. "Maybe one day, one day, even if it's not by the name of gramps, he'll continue his own legacy based on him."

"Are you sure?" She asked. I smiled.

"Of course. That includes Rina and you! You can bet he'll do his best to bond you together again!"

"Huh... I can believe in him for a while..."

"Of course you can!"

Of course she can... Of course he'll keep it.

***ZING!***

"What the...?" I said, hearing that magic trigger sound around the place. It took me a while to notice that it came from me, and as Soon as I looked for the source, there it was, that crimson magic circle from before, right on my wrist. "Hey, isn't that the one Ichijou cursed me wit-...?"

***RIP! RIP! RIP!***

"Eh...?"

"A-Ah! Aria, what the hell?!" Nemesis stood up like a rocket from her chair, and it took me a minute to realize something. Out of the sudden, the smooth summer breeze became colder and cooler, and I didn't feel so lucky. I looked down, and then it hit me...

... I was naked.

...

"There must be the work of an Enemy **STAND**!"

"What?! Just because we talked about Rina you wanna take her place to cheer me up?!"

Hehe, yeah, it's nice to see Nemesis like that again, but in all seriousness, this spell... There's no mistake. Is definitely...

**[DRESS BREAK!]**

***completely unfitting dramatic soundtrack on***

* * *

**Hey fandom. It has been a while. Maybe I'm all hyper to finally unleash the true power of our little knucklehead protagonist as well as mess with a lore a little much again. "But Houki Minami, the lore is alrrady full, what can you possibly do?", I dunno. I have anything prepared to try to compare to other fics around, so... Absurdress is my forte, so i'll try and have fun while at it. Un til next chapter and stay golden.**

**P.S: As for the reader that keeps talking about Berolina's return, don't worry, she'll have her time to shine in this very arc! I hope it doesnt dissapoint you. Thanks for your interest!**


	43. And I'm not afraid to use them!

**Oh, my. Look at that. longest chapter so far. This might be the longest chapter, period! I don't know if this is the best chaopter, but sure as hell is the longest, and it's just one event. Holy molly, I ws actually itching to write this chapter! But... I'm digress. Here it comes, I hope you all enjoyed the rideuntil here. Good read... I guess.**

**As always, dxd doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

I unleashed hell, I destroyed my own standards, the whole world around me was destroyed the moment I snapped my fingers to unleash my until now inoffensive technique. I was planning to simply absorb their breasts and blast them away with a well charged [DRAGON SHOT!], but this came to ruin as the following happened...

Instead, I used senpai's signature stripping spell, and then hell unfolded in front of me: all of the pretty girls had their clothes ripped off like toilet paper, pulverized into the limbo while their uncovered breasts and nether areas were exposed for the world to see! What happened?! Why did my Boosted Gear chose that curse instead of **[LEVEL ZERO]?!** Why am I enjoying this?!

"Kyaaaaah~! Noooooo~!" They all screamed while landing on their knees on the floor and covering themselves!

"Thanks for the mea-... I mean, I'm sorry!" I said, feeling my face burn as I tried to seal my eyes with my hands, but failing because by some supernatural power was preventing me to fully cover my sight. Nice rack... No, stop! They'll think I'm some nasty creeper!

**[BUST!]**

"What...?" The gauntlet on my left hand suddenly shined, and like the last time I used [LEVEL ZERO], it announced [BUST!]. Boom, a quick surge of energy ran through all of my being, ten times even stronger than last time! My Boosted Gear continued to scream the command, until it finally stopped, as the aura around my body was clear and bright! So, I didn't just rip their clothes off, I've also absorbed the power of their breasts! "This is... The power of the one true Breasts Dragon emperor, the chichiryuutei! Oppai dragon!"

**[HWAAAAAAAAH~! IT'S COMING ALL AGAIN!]**

**[C'mon, Ddraig, you got it worse before...]**

This again? Sorry, Red Dragon...

"You'll pay, you creepy pervert!" I snapped back from my monologues as I lifted my head to see a bunch of naked ladies coming for me! Still covering their shames and trembling in either fear or anger, they charged with their weapons and claws alike against me! "We'll gorge your eyes out! PREPARE TO DIE!"

"Shoot!" I said, backing up a little as concentrating some energy on my gauntlet. Let's try this again! I formed a ball of demonic energy on my left arm, and when it was big enough, I punched with all of my might, as the Gauntlet announced [EXPLOSION!]. "[DRAGON SHOT!]"

"G-...!"

***DOOOOOOON!***

"Whoa!" The recoil itself was what caused me to be launched backwards as the explosion was even bigger than I was anticipating, the sheer force of that blast enough to jet me away as it engulfed those monsters away and make them be disqualified! I rolled in the sand for a while until I stopped, only to look upwards and see the massive destruction I've caused: there was a great rip on the edge of the arena! "Wow... Was that... My fault?"

I stood up and stretched myself a little. Wasn't that intense? This is probably from Lord Desmond's massage yesterday, and indeed, something feels great about me and my boosted Gear. The last time I used [LEVEL ZERO], I felt tired despite the energy boost, that's how Yagura took control over me that time(Yagura - Sowwy, I did it with good intentions...). Now, that bust energy is giving me a good chunk of power! That is probably because of that 'lock' he was talking about earlier! Maybe if I continue to pick breast energy, I might be able to finally reach Balance Breaker!

I'm so glad that I'm in a world those words make goddamn sense!

"Incoming message: Get down, Ichijou!" I couldn't resume my battles as suddenly I felt a two presences coming towards me! The first one tackled me to the ground, pushing me further there into a protective and jiggly embrace, while the second one came into a close shave, in a cutting flight! When I regained my balance, I've noticed that the first one was Sarah-san!

"Not bad, for a traitor, that is." I heard a familiar voice coming closer. A very familiar voice that destroyed the poor 1-D class and acted like it wasn't a big deal. I turned around, and as expected, a golden dragon armor was floating on the place, soon landing on the ground. The helmet then opened, revealing a too familiar face. "Long time no see also, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou."

"The Golden Dragon King, Miyama Rei." I said back, picking Rhongomiant once again and pointing it at him. Is he a foe or an ally, now? It'd be better if he doesn't do anything funny this time around. He was also carrying a neon-blue grandsword, supported on his left shoulder. "Wanting to part of Kuoh academy, I can see."

"The school seems nice enough. However, like we've discussed before, those external matters don't concern me in the slightest." He said, as his helmet was put back on, and shiny blue eyes turned to face me in a flash. "I'm here to find the one able to defeat the Ultimate Evil that lies inside the entrails of this school, born from the carcass of this new world, and Then discover the place where my father lies, for me to prepare a grave for him myself!"

"..." So, he knows. He knows that this world isn't the original one, before 666(Trihexa) destroy and The Dragon Deities reconstruct it with their powers. I gulped, he must have taken a shock for that. However, I entered [CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE] to face the dragon armor.

"However, never thought that my dear sister Sarah, the oldest of us all, would betray us like that." He said, as he turned his eyes from me to the bluenette behind me. She also summoned her own sacred gear, that blue half-helmet thing, and was looking so concerned about his 'brother'.

"Emergency message: you can stop now, Rei-chan! The Devils from Kuoh are good! They'll help us!" She said, gulping down as a bright light was emanating from her own Dragon Gear. I gotta keep quiet, because apparently, that dragon inside her own Hate Ddraig's guts. Miyama, on the other hand, simply dismissed those pleas with a disdainful glare. That one... Pissed me off. "I know what we did is unforgivable, but please! Maybe if we stop and help them as well, we can repay them and receive a pardon! End of message."

"Sister, as much as you know I'd take any kind of help without thinking twice... The supernatural is the only faction I refuse any kind of help." He spoke, taking a step towards us, as I shielded Sarah-san and myself with my massive blade. "The sins we've committed to reach so far are unforgivable as you said. Giving up now would not only throw our hope into the mud, It'll also disrespect those who lost their lives and loved ones in our journey. You wouldn't like that, am I right?"

"What... What? Lives claimed? Sarah-san..." I slowly turned my shocked face to the transferred candidate by my side. She was with a disturbed expression printed on her pretty face, and trembling worst that I could ever imagine. Not just that, even her sacred gear began to malfunction, crumbling back to the nothingness of the hammer space.

"I... I know, brother..." She said, drying her tears away as she again adopted a more mature and determinate face, summoning again her sacred Gear. "But you... You know me! I'll avoid any more blood and tears in our hands! The least, the better! And I'll fight with those that, Unlike you, can discern justice from simple revenge!"

"I see. You're still dreaming in your wonderland, even though one of your possibilities was to come back to us again." He sighed, and I could see that he was genuinely upset about it. However, a second later, his glare became more ferocious, as he lifted his sword upwards. "No matter. If I have to destroy you in order to find the one that can destroy the ultimate evil, so be it! Kurumi, rip them apart!"

And so, with a swift swing from his blade, a massive slash of energy came from the tip of it's edge, destroying everything within it's way. I stepped back into the frontline and used Rhongomiant to summon a **[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRIES]** slash! The two beams of energy collided and cancelled themselves. However, it was not over! In a second, we dashed towards each other and our blades clashed!

"You said that you want to protect this school, isn't that right, Sekiryuutei?" While we struggled with each other, he said under that golden helmet. I pushed him away and again tried to cut him down, but our swords again locked in a edge battle. "You think of me as your enemy, your rival and nemesis, ain't I right? Well, for me, YOU are the one in the way for me to put an end in all of that. If you can simply back off and let me do my job, maybe less corpses will be left when we leave!"

"But like Sarah-san said, your ways are the one which are harming the most!" I screamed back. Suddenly, a pair of angelic wings sprouted from his backs, and he backed off in a swing of them, taking a higher ground.

"Sacrifices are needed in order to come to an end! In order for one to succeed, others must fail! In order for one to be happy, others must be miserable!" He then snapped his fingers and summoned countless others golden runes, several swords and magical armaments coming from them. "In our case, in order to defeat the Ultimate Evil and our father, the ones who stayed and died in our way are nothing compared to what the death of those two will cause in the world!"

"What did you say?!"

**[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]**

***ZOOOM ZOOOM ZOOOM ZOOM!***

"Incoming message: But, brother, we can stop this now!" I was about to defend myself against that shower of holy and demonic armaments, but an azure armor with dragon wings and chilly aura stayed in our way and kicked all of those away. The voice from inside was from Sarah-san. He landed right in front of me, and extended a hand for him, as her voice was now a lot less robotic and more emotional. "It's true that we claimed lives and places, but maybe those were for us to find this place! Those people will help us, so we don't need to dirt our hands ever again! End of message."

"..." He simply went quiet, as the shower of treasures ceased, and the golden angelic dragon picked his again his Kurumi neon sword and charged against us. I pushed Sarah-san away from harm's way, and clashed again with him! We landed in one place and opened a crater there. "I understand. You rather walk the easier way and live with others judging your past actions instead of walking straight the way we choose despite the obvious consequences."

"People can Change, Miyama!" I said back, as he backed up and clashed again, now covering each other with a barrage of clashing slashes! "I really wanted to change you! Your sister is right! You can stop this madness and work with us!"

"..." We went quiet again, and in another loose cut, our blades clashed again. However, this time, it was too much for me, and so he launched me to the air, Rhongomiant escaping my hands as he continued. I changed my form to [SMASHER QUEEN], and countered his blows with my heavy-armored hand. Still, the armor there was already giving up, and the bruises were becoming more and more unbearable! In the end, he simply went kendo and hit me away with his blade. I landed on my feet for a nail. "I remember those words. I also remember that you said that the one who wins is the right, good and Correct one. I follow you into this one: the truth not always are in one same person. For one to keep being the truthful one, he must keep winning. But if this one is overcome, this means the one who stands tall is the right one. Isn't that right?"

"Tch...!" I tried to stand tall, but the sheer amount of pressure in my legs made me tremble a little. Crap.

"This means, this time, I'm the right on-..."

***DON!***

"Incoming message; no, you're not!" However, before he could finish his speech, my sword came down flying towards him, smashing part of his helmet and making the Miyama guy take space from the affected area. Jumping towards him, it was Sarah-san again, resuming her kick barrage against him. His armor soon was crumbling into pieces as each kick of her had the force of a earthquake! "You remember, don't you? My kicks have the force of a meteorite! Even with that armor, there's no way for you to defeat me! Therefore, I must be the righteous one, ain't I right?! End of message."

"Tch, what a joke. But apparently I still believe in your make-believe. You're despicable, sister." He said, as Kurumi went flying away from his hands and he could only defend with his armor like me. Soon, she crashed his gauntlets and footwear armor. But she couldn't finish, as then he picked one of her legs and pulled her to him, as from his hammer space he picked a golden massive gauntlet with some ancient words carved on it and punched her in the middle of the jewels in her Dragon Armor! That 'balance breaker' soon disappeared, and a bloody Sarah-san revealed herself! "Despicable, I say!"

"Sarah-San...!"

"Message for you, Ichijou-kun!" Sarah-san said, as she kicked my sword back for me. A flame burned inside of me seeing that last attempt of victory, so I picked that sword and leaped towards the golden dragon! Miyama was so concentrated about his sister, it was only too late for him to notice me! I clashed Rhongomiant against his chest armor, and then my Boosted Gear announced [EXPLOSION]. *BAM!*, the shock between the two forces launched him away, destroying the rest of his armor! He screamed in pain, as his body clashed on the floor, and his sacred gear, that golden knife known as [DOWN FALL DRAGON SPEAR], landed right by his side, indicating that he no longer is in his balance breaker form!

"Huh, so... The hero loses again. Well, at least I'm stronger now. What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. That's the law, anyway." He mumbled, picking his sacred Gear back and pointing at me. He... He really changed. Not only he's a lot more concentrated, his fighting style and personality also are shaper and darker. He indeed changed, but for the wors-... No, he changed, just that. "You're right, Sekiryuutei. The winner is the righteous, the loser is the unlawful. But in the world in which evil reigns, the wrong is right, and right is wrong. Maybe, in the end, I'm just the right one fighting against the Wrong one that dominates and distorts this world. A lone rogue, Like Kenshirou from Fist of the North Star, or the Night Raid from Akame Ga Kill. Ever wondered that?"

"..." I clenched the grip on my sword, as my boosted Gear announced **[BOOST]** again. He had change, yes, but his mentality of his... Hasn't. I really wanted him to change that and stop this, but apparently, this is impossible. Even if he's a human, he's a threat to the balance in this world. He must be stopped! "So... Until one of you prove me wrong, until one of you defeat me and show the 'true truth' that you so speak of, you'll be the evil one!"

"I'll be waiting."

"No, you won't. [DRAGON SLASH]!" I picked Rhongomiant and lifted it, only to make it come down and unleash a powerful red blast against him! As it came in his direction, the grow and grow, until it finally reached it's peak! A massive slash of demonic energy coming for him! Even with his power, without his armor, there's no way for him to defend himself against that! However, without even changing expressions, he simply lifted both his hands in a surrender gesture, and spoke.

"I, Miyama Rei, hereby forfeit this match against My mediator!"

Wait, what?

***BAAAAAM!***

***SHING!***

***BOOOOOM!***

"...!" Like I was expecting, that massive energy beam caused a great explosion when it hit it's target, lifting a dense curtain of smoke and dust as the shockwave resumed it's way towards everything around! In the end, however, when everything cleaned up, I looked back where Miyama originally was and, shock, he was completely unharmed! Worse: a golden light was protecting him! How's that possible?! "H-How...?"

"I've learned, Sekiryuutei." He said, as his body slowly was turning into light particles and disappearing. "This eliminatory trials... Are for us to know our place here and break our spirits. Today's trial wasn't about defeating you... But to know we can't defeat you."

"...?!" Was that the trial?! But Nemesis-san said that today someone might die. I even had this bracelet to keep me in touch and summon me back in case things turn for the worse! "What?!"

"This is... Today's trials. Asura and Animal trials, the trials that should teach us that we are simply part of an order of weak-strong, and even if we fight, there's no way for us to defeat the strong. Mind-breaking, like the others, but predictable, so easy even I could unfold it." He said, as his body disappeared, but his voice still echoed around. " as people would say, 'know your place'. Since I learned and accepted it, I can go to the next trial. So, so long, Sekiryuutei."

"Wait! This is cheating! Miyama! **MIYAMAAAAAAAH**...!" I was so close! That slash should be the one who would make him lose, and maybe be capture by nemesis-San, but instead... He discovered the secret of this trial even before me, and took this into advantage. Shit, he has grown, indeed. Why do I feel this sense of inferiority and despair? After all, even with that escape, I'm still stronger than him, right? Next time, there's no way for me to...

...

...

I am... I'm thinking like a villain. He escaped, and I'm crumbling little by little, doubting my forces and forcing myself to assure my own superiority. Knowing him, as little as it is, that's probably his plan. Crumble my spirit, let my guard down. I sighed. No, this isn't going to work on me. I just have to... Adapt.

"Oh, right. I need to check on Sarah-san!" I realized, leaving my monologue to another time while walking toward where Sarah-san landed. Fortunately, despite the crater she was in, she was actually alright, all of her limbs on place and chest not rip open. I'm glad. I reached for her and offered her an arm. "Hey, Sarah-San, are you okay?"

"Processing, damaged not really lasting. Lastly, I'm okay of a sorts. Thanks for asking, Ichijou-kun, end of message." If she can speak like that, it means she's alright. She stood up with my help, and dusted away the dirt in her uniform. We walked away from the crater, as I retrieved my Rhongomiant and looked around one more time. After all, the trial is still going.

"So... You all are really siblings. You may not look like, but I'm not the one to talk about it." I laugh-sighed, trying and failing in pinpointing a common trace between her, Miyama and Matsuoka-san. "Five siblings, eh?"

"Tururu~, yes, that is correct." She said. "We actually were adopted by our father, Miyama Enma, in order to become his experiments on Sacred Gears and other divine/demonic apparatus. Since brother Rei is the biological son of his, and thus knowing his since birth, it is possible that he was subject of the same treatments way earlier than us. End of message."

"..." This kind of information sent a chill down my spine. 'Experiments'... I never liked that word, and since she's speaking about the supernatural, I have a pretty decent idea of kinds of atrocities might have happened to them. Gremory told me about such, like the Holy Sword Project, the artificial innocence implants, and the several researches underground researches from the worst roots of the Grigoire institute. So... He's only of those. Yet... "Sorry, Sarah-san, but that doesn't excuse the things he had done."

"Tururu~, I know that pretty well, Ichijou-kun. An eye for an Eye leave the world blind, that's the philosophy I've adopted that ceased my craving for revenge." She sighed again, as she turned to me and looked at me deep in the eyes. "The things we caused for it... Are unspeakable. Serena-san was kind enough to accept me, but if she ever discovers it... She might want to kill me. But I'm willing to accept that, if this means stop them AND reach my goal without any more bodies. End of message."

"Don't be stupid, Sarah-san. Kaichou is the kind that rather have a cake and a chat with you even if she knows everything." I said to her, as she turned her curious look at me again. "I mean... She's not like that at all. I know her for only a while, but I'm sure that she's not that kind of extreme. Don't worries. I'm sure that she already told you she loves you, am I right?"

"..." And the bluenette blushed a little and turned around to avoid my eyes, smiling a little. Another precious smile. "Yes, she already did."

"There you have it." I said. "Still, I don't think that I can forgive Miyama just as easily. Until he learns his lesson, he's my enemy. And if he doesn't change his mind..."

"Tururu~, Ichijou-kun, can I request something from you?" She said out of the sudden, as I again snapped back to reality and turned to her. "Can I?"

"Huh... Sure, shoot."

"No matter what happens, no matter what he does to you... Rei is a good boy." She said with a final sigh of placed both of her hands on my shoulders, looking me deep in the eyes. Again, too close. I wonder if people from the supernatural are this clingy. This is really uncomfortable. Before I could do something about it, she finally spoke: "So... Even if you need to kill him... Just don't hate him. He's a good boy. A good boy. Please, Ichijou-kun."

"..."

"...?"

"Sigh." People change, right? I wonder if I'd be so merciful back when I first met Gremory. I don't know why, but I can't deny that I can't really hate Miyama. He's just as lost as me, at least for now, and maybe are those which are leading him stray from others. He's like Gremory, he's like... Me. I can't bring me to hate him, but seeing him does enrage me. My final answer was... "Okay. I won't hate on him. I can't, actually."

"I'm glad. This message will be forever stored. End of message." She smiled again, and touched foreheads with me, hugging me, making me blush a little. I'm a little uncomfortable, but yet again, this feels really nice. Finally, she let go of me, and so, we resumed our walk towards the next trials.

"Still, I can't believe he discovered the secret of today's trial." I sighed, annoyed. He discovered the true intention of the trials, but instead of fleeing, he's playing along. To think he threw a tantrum when we first met. Like me, he's adapting to the situation, and that might spam Nemesis-san's plan. "I wonder if the others Dragon Kings know it too by now. If so, this trial might have been a waste of time."

"Tururu~, Maybe, maybe not. Rei was always the second smartest of us all. He knows a lot of things." She spoke with a hint of pride in herself. Another cool big sister, how envious. "Besides, like I've said, the rest of us lost contact when we were adopted away from each other. He might or might not know about me and the others. End of message."

"Well, that part of the story is also kinda confusing for me, Sarah-san."

"Tururu~, what do you mean? End of message."

"I mean... Your story doesn't match with his. He said that you were indeed adopted by different families, but you keep talking about how you didn't know about him until now, while he..." I stopped mid-sentence as a shadow was casted upon me. I turned around, and from behind Sarah-san, I saw a massive green goo taking form of a massive claw with sharp and distorted nails! "Sarah-san, watch out!"

"Eh...? Doesn't compute that, Ichijou-k-...?" I tried to save her, but it was too late: that massive claw reached and clawed her down, five deep and violent slashes cutting her from behind! The power in there was enough to push her away, but before she could hit the floor, I picked her in my arms, and jumped away from that thing!

"Sarah-San! Sarah-San! Speak to me!"

"Defective... Interns. System shutting down." Was all she could say until the emergency rune activated and sent her away from here, turning her body in light particles in the air. I looked again to that formless blob of sick green light, as it soon took a more humanoid shape. Legs, arms, feminine body and metal feet, gauntlets and a helmet shaped like a dragon! Is that... Another one of the runaways!

"Yes! Mission complete!" It spoke in a feminine voice, as the now humanoid-shaped light with metal feet, gauntlets and helmet shined ever brighter, only to reveal underneath it a human girl with short and spiky dirt-green hair with a baseball back, fair skin with a few bandages all over, curvilious and well-endowed body and wearing the blue sailor uniform of Hijirigasaki high school! No doubt about it: she's one of the transferred candidates! She smiled innocently at me, giving a double thumb up! "Last bother eliminated! Commence operation Ragnarok!"

"How dare you! You're a Miyama runaway, right?!" I said to her, standing up and pointing her with my sword. She simply gave me a sweet smile with her tongue sticking out and a nod. So she's really one of the said runaways! How could she attack her own sister?! (I can't say a thing, but still.). Even Miyama was a little hesitant about it! Who's she to do that?! "How dare to attack your own sister?! Who are you?!"

"Gyaheheh~, the name's **Kurisu Kurumi**, and I'm the hostess of the **Jade morphing dragon King, Yu-long**. Pleased to meet you, Sekiryuutei." She said, still smiling and dancing on the place. Wait, Kurumi... And she said that she's the hostess of the morphing dragon... Don't tell me...

"Kurumi... Kurumi... You... You're that sword from before, aren't you?!"

"Pin-Pon-piiiin~! We have a winner!" She said, as suddenly a massive Jade axe appeared on her hand. However, a second after, it turned into a light-green blob to then take a shape of a shield. It shined again and turned again into a blob only to again take shape now of a sword, then a gun, then a arrow, until it stopped in a gauntlet shaped like a dragon claw. "Yep! This is my ability! To turn my sacred Gear based on Yu-long, [Meta-Morphing], into anything that I want. This goes for my body during balance Breaker as well. But enough of that, with Sarah out of here, we can finish this at last!"

"As if! I won't let you!" And without losing any momentum, I used my fastest form to reach for the greenette in a span of a few seconds. But before the contact could be made, she lifted both her hands and said.

"I, Kurisu Kurumi, hereby forfeit this match against my Mediator... Or something." And like before, a yellow shield covered her entire being, and when I clashed against it, an electric shock ran through my body, and finally pushed me away, also making Rhongomiant fly away from my hand.

Shit! Not this again! Still in midair, I made a turn and concentrated energy on my hand to blast one last [DRAGON SHOT]! I fired two, causing the recoil to pull me away from her, but in the end, it ultimately fail to harm her, as her body was turning into light particles inside the shield! Damn it! Don't tell me nemesis-San didn't think this through! I landed on my ass, as That Kurisu girl vanished from here, but not before look at her watch and say...

'All clear, Eiko. You can blast this place away.'

***ZING!***

And then, in a quick show of lights, she disappeared.

...

...

"**WHOAAAAAAAH**...!" I roared to the skies! Damn it! What the hell?! Who are those Miyama runaways?! Did they plan this from the start?! Or are they geniuses?! Still, there's no way for them to predict everything! What the hell?! What IN THE ACTUAL HELL?! I slammed my fist into the ground, causing a mini-crater to appear there, and roared once again. "Damn it... Damn it..."

This is... Frustrating! But, stop! Calm... Down. Calm down, Ichijou. This is... Not the end. You finally picked the image of Miyama Reinin your mind, and despite being defeated on the operation, Sarah-San still has his face on her memories. It wasn't all lost... You didn't win, but didn't lose all, at least. Calm down... Everything's gonna be... Everything's gonna be... Alright.

***BOOOM!***

"Eh...?" But as I finish my monologue, something caught me by surprise: the air became heavier, and the sky became ever darker. Is that a barrier?! But before I could extract more information out of it, a massive explosion resumed right on my back, and before I could turn around to see what was going on, a enormous sandstorm caught me by surprise and blew me away! I got lost in the merciless and uncontrollable force of that, and soon, everything turned black. I just remember that... It was hot, really hot.

...

...

...

"Gh... What happened?" When the wind finally stopped dead, I finally had forces to try to stand up again. Fortunately I still had energy to receive that much damage without giving up, which is a good sign. However, what was that about? I remember the explosion and the aftermath, but that in the world was that? Probably another Miyama, since that Kurisu chick gave an order right before that all happened. There must be it.

When I had my forces back to stand up, I looked around, only to find a bigger wasteland than before. No joke, the whole place was burned to the ground, the soil became burned and flat, and some of the edge of the arena burned down to a ashy black. This is something.

At a distance, I could see now five shadows, four against a fifth one, all looking tired and completely still. It took me a while to recognize one as Ludger, while the others were a pair of blue-haired swordsmen, a white-haired nekomata and a girl with midback-sized Grey hair and wearing Gekkoukan High's uniform of black jacket and skirt with white shirt and a blue bow tie, wearing some kind of bodysuit underneath it. Another candidate?!

"So... The little girl is full of tricks." The blue-haired male said under his breath, lifting his black rapier against the only suspicious looking girl there. She turned her head towards him, with a vibrating sound with it, and blinked once, twice. "But I'll tell you what, sister..."

"What?" The other bluenette asked, turning to him in confusion. He sighed. "Basara?"

"No, not you Xion. The girl over there." The young man named Basara said, turning back to the girl by the other side, who was looking around while making freaky gear sounds. "Anyway! Just because you think you're special, doesn't mean it'll be easy for you! I like pretty girls, but I like to fight more!"

_"Data. A dragon-nekomata-devil hybrid, two devil-dragon hybrids. Unidentified devil."_ The girl from Gekkoukan said. However, she disappeared right in front of every one, and then, ***VOOSH*,** in another flash, she teleported right in front of me! Her bright Aqua-blue eyes shining at me in a rather supernatural way. _"Subject of interest. Devil, dragon sacred gear. Quite handsome, too."_

"What...?"

***BAM!***

_"Attack avoided. Please, face me when you do anything harsh."_ She said as Xion-san tried to attack him from behind, using her own arm to defend herself from her own grandsword. The blue-haired swordswoman gasped in surprise. However, things went for the worse as that new girl turned her head a full 360° to face the other one._ "Better."_

"What is that?!"

_"Dragon blast: activate."_ The grey-haired transferee said, as suddenly the palm of her hand began to emit a glow of energy. Instinctively I backed up, but Xion-San was stuck with her blade on that dragon.

***VOOSH!***

And then, from her palms, that girl blasted a massive beam of energy, that not only momentarily blinded me, but when my sight came back, I saw she vaporized a good chunk of ground! Such good and perfect cut it didn't even look like there was any earth there to begin with. Fortunately, Basara-San appeared right next to me with his... Sister? Nemesis-San said Quarta siblings, anyway.

"Phew, close shave, eh sister?" He panted, putting her down to pick his rapier again. That girl turned her body, not head, her body to our direction, and then her dislocated head to match with the direction. Only now the bluenettes noticed me. "Oh, hey. Ikkun, right? S'up. My name is Basara Quarta and I'm technically your great-grandnephew."

"Err... Tsukino Ichijou, but Ikkun is also acceptable." I said, now turning my attention to the other girl, my sword at hand. "Pleased to meet you, Basara-san and... Err..."

"Xion. Xion Quarta. I hope we get along." She said in a cutesy voice and a cutesy smile, which were, despite cute, unfitting for the situation. Uh, but that was cute, anyway. Soon, the said nekomata and Ludger joined us to face the new threat.

"You're late, Sekiryuutei." The Bael said, summoning a pair of spheres of power of destruction in her hands. "That girl... Something with the kinds of Onizuka Eiko, simply vanished the rest of the other participants in a flash, and since the beginning, we're fighting her."

"She's really strong, Nii-chan. Be careful, nyan!" And now, this nekomata with loli body but big boobs said next to me, adopting a defensive pose and hiding behind me. "Worst of all, she can negate my senjutsu like it was nothing, nyan! She's dangerous!"

"Indeed, Nashiro-chan." Xion-San said, tightening the grip on her grandsword. "It looks she can see anything around her. This is freaking me out."

"Sekiryuutei." Basara-San called for me, and like always, I turned to him and listened. "Don't you blink, don't you lose your focus against her. Don't even breath without looking at her a last time. That girl... She's not normal. She wiped the whole others without blinking an eye, and even with us... It's almost impossible to defeat her. That big explosion? It was her. And her alone."

No way. What... What kind of monster is she?! She looks just like a normal girl from here, but to cause so much destruction. If Miyama have the Golden dragon Fafnir, Matsuoka-San have the Prison Dragon Vritra, Sarah-san have the chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat and that Kurisu girl have the Jade Dragon Yu-long. So this means that girl... She have... The sleeping Dragon King of the end **Midgardsormr**. The dragon that suppose to announce the Ragnarok and the largest dragon in existence. So... She have a sacred gear with that within. No wonder she has been a formidable opponent.

All we can do is wait. She's not even moving, only observing us. Was is she planning now? Probably in a way to blast us away in one blow, while we're here just posing and waiting for... Something. Not a single sound, word, or step. If senjutsu doesn't work on her, we can only rely on brute force, but... Can we take on her?

...

...

...

***VOOP!***

"What?!" We all exclaimed, as she simply disappeared right in front of us in a flash. It was for just a second, less than that, it didn't even move a grain of sand, but startled everyone to no end! "She disappeared!"

"Gasp! Everynyan! Behind u-...!"

_**"[HYDRA GATLING GUN]!**_" Nashiro's warning came too late, as suddenly we turned around to receive a full barrage of fireballs coming from her fists. They were so hot, I had to back away to escape the burning sensation!

"Tch! What's that?! It's hot! How's that even possible!" Basara-San said, as red dragon wings emerged from his back for him and his sister to take flight, as Ludger, Nashiro and myself stayed on grounds. Eiko-san stopped and landed on the ground, now looking upwards against the Quarta siblings. She lifted both her hands and two massive blasts again emerged From her palms. "Little persistent, eh?"

**_"[D-BLAST: INCINARATE!]"_** announced the runaway, as she tried to take a piece away from the flying the Devils. Ludger soon called for my attention, as she prepared a blast of power of destruction!

**"Ichijou-kun, with me."** She said, pointing at Onizuka-san again. First she shot her own beam of power of destruction, and then I launched my own [DRAGON SHOT]. The two attacks merged together, and then an even bigger ball of destruction was coming for the said transferred candidate! She turned to us, but the blast was already too close of her-...!

***ZING!***

***BOOM!***

"What the...?!" Was I could say, as suddenly Onizuka blasted to a random direction and used to recoil of it to dodge our attack! Soon, she launched another blast against us! "Crap!"

**"Don't underestimate the Bael name, lowly human."** the Bael girl simply said, as she pointed both of her hands against that incoming blast and from them launched another ball of black energy. The two blasts collided, and after some struggle, she finally won. However, it cost her the palms of her hands, which ended up burned up. **"Curses..."**

"Hey, Ludger..." I tried to reach for her, but she just slapped my hand away from her.

**"If you have energy to waste your time worrying about me, then attack her instead."** She announced. That was something really rude to say, but she's right. After a while charging, I created another ball of demonic energy and then blasted it against the Miyama runaway. She launched her own attack, and the two nullified themselves in a second. She soon resumed her attacks against the Quarta siblings, which were too busy avoiding the several blasts to do anything.

When suddenly, ***BAM!***, in another flash, the place became darker, and after a while, my vision began to blur. The only thing I could see now was a white flash passing right next to me, to the fighting girl on the ground. It happened so fast, the moment I blinked, I saw Nashiro now poking a specific spot on Onizuka's neck, more like somewhere in her nape. And after that, she stopped dead. No, she didn't even fall. She just stopped, standing tall on place.

Is it over? Nashiro smiled at us, giving the thumb up, while the pair on the air landed right next to the girl in the middle of the ground zero. Huh... Maybe it was really over? I shared some glares with Ludger, and she sighed. Maybe it's really over. Nashiro kept saying about chakra points, and that she just hit the right spot this time, even without her senjutsu.

Eh, I think this is the end for now. We found another of the Miyama runaways...

...

...

***Ziiiim~...***

_"Emergency supply activate. Continue current mission._" However, when I was about to take the first step to congratulate the little nekomata, that same shine again appeared in Onizuka's eyes, while even more power now! Before Nashiro could even turn around to say something, ***BOOOM!***, she was blasted away with a single beam without any ceremony, transforming her into light dust. Seeing that freaky scene, everyone backed away from her. But she locked with the Quarta siblings, and a battle between them resumed.

What was that all about?! I thought that a master in senjutsu such as a descendant of Lady Koneko and senpai would have enough power to end this quick! No matter if she have the power of one of the dragon kings, she's still human! There's no way for them to lose!

"I can't stand this! Ludger, let's go!" I said, as for the nth time today, I gathered enough energy on my hand and blasted away with a [DRAGON SHOT] maximized with an** [EXPLOSION]** boost, making the wasteland even worse! Ludger accompanied we with it, shooting away Power of destruction! But it was proved in vain as Onizuka extended both arms against us and shot two pillars of grey flames out of her hands, completely cancelling both of our attacks.

"Brother, now!" I heard from somewhere into the air, as suddenly, *SLASH! SLASH!*, a gust of wind cut around her, and in a blink, both her exposed arms got slashed away. Not just that, several cuts appeared on her skin as well, and ripped a good chunk of her clothes! So fast! I took a scan around, and yes, the Quarta siblings were responsible for that, as both of them had an arm stuck on their blades.

"I'll be taking this, Girl." Basara-San said with a grin, balancing the arm stuck on his rapier as song-singing like a child.

"The next one shall be your head, Onizuka. Kidding." Xion-san said following, as the arm was stuck in half on her grandsword, completing her joke with a small smile of satisfaction. However, she turned sour later. "But no, seriously, we will destroy you."

_"..."_ She said nothing, but a strange** *BUZZ!*** sound was echoing during our silent space of time. It took me a while to figure from where it was coming from: her arms. Or at least what was left of them. No blood or bones from there, but instead sparkles and wires coming out. Not just that, her bodiless arms were twitching in a abnormal way, also showering the place with lights and electricity. The grin on the Twins' faces faulted as they looked horrified by their catch.

"What the...?!"

_"Activating partial self-destruction system."_

"Huh...?"

***ZIIIIIM~!***

***BOOOOM!***

And now, the two arms lighted up in a flash, and after that, a massive explosion covered both of the Quarta twins. Onizuka didn't even blink, as the two suddenly fell to the ground, their bodies burned down, unconscious. The lights of the emergency rune taking them away and leaving us alone with that... Thing. From the fumes of that burning inferno, I saw two rockets flying all the way to her arms and attach them back to the rest of her arms. Don't tell me...

"Are you... Are you an android?" I asked, summoning again my boosted Gear against her. She blinked a few times.

_"Incorrect. Correcting... The term should be 'cyborg'. Part human, part robot."_ She spoke. As the ripped parts of her uniform fell off to reveal her body.

She wasn't wearing a leotard at all! Her whole body was like that: a black-colored 'skin' that hides some mechanical-looking limbs and body. Her body was smooth and detailed in neon lights, as only things that were skin colored were her face and hands, as the shoes she was wearing were just to hide the fact that she has no feet! And in the middle of her artificial bust, there was a core jewel shaped like a heart, emitting a green light through all the neon linings on her body! I can't believe it, she's really a cyborg!

_"Project demon-buster A-ko, model 666. A.K.A. **Onizuka Eiko**."_

"What...?! What the hell?!" I screamed, confused as all hell. In a flash, she disappeared again, and soon, reappeared right in front of us! I tried to defend myself, but her Gatling punches were too much for me to handle! I was blown away by sheer force of the shockwave, and when Ludger tried to attack her from behind, the cyborg turned around and blaster her away with another light beam! "Damn you!"

"_Recalculating."_ She spoke, her eyes shining again. I gripped my sword even tighter and again unleashed a demonic slash against her. And I didn't stop there: one after another, I tried my best to hit her with countless attacks of demonic energy, but to no use. She was even faster now, and dodged every since one of them effortlessly. _"Power levels at medium-high peril. Proceed with caution. Boosted Gear user. Ten seconds until next boost-up._"

**[BOOST!]**

My sacred gear announced yet again another boost of power, and again she vanished from my sight. The moment I blinked, the world went dark, but a force was pushing my face with the force of a truck! Before I knew it, she pushed me away with only one hand, and to complete it, she launched a blast against me in midair! *BOOM!*, I eased the impact with Rhongomiant, but the explosion was strong enough to still deal some serious damage and make me let go of my sword and destroy my bracelet away! I fell on my ass, and jumped on the ground like a ball until I kissed it again.

"D-Damn it... One after another... Getting stronger and stronger..." I said, standing up despite some burnmarks and scorched jacket. This girl... That cyborg is no joke. I still have energy to go on, but I don't know for how much I can stand against her. Even the bracelet is broken, this means I can't use the emergency rune, and I might die if I'm not careful. Shit... I put myself straight while looking at Onizuka, and without Rhongomiant, I can only make a battle pose. It took me a while to realize that Ludger was just beside me, sitting on her knees. Immobile. "Hey, Ludger, stand up. I'll not protect you if she blasts us again! Hey, Ludg-...!"

***DRIP! DRIP!***

"Eh...?" Now, I'm facing a deadly cyborg with the power of a nuclear reactor, I stripped naked a whole bunch of girls, and everything so far has been exploding into my face. However, even those don't top the shock from my current vision: Ludger Bael, the arrogant girl from the greatest clan in the underworld...

Was now crying, her face in a expression of utter hopelessness, and trembling all the way while looking horrified by the simple sight of the girl in front of her.

"O-Oe, Ludger...!" I tried to snap her out of it, but intead she stood up from the ground in a flash, her black bangs covering her ready eyes as her trembling became worse. "Oe!"

**"This isn't happening..."** I heard her mutter. Onizuka blinked a few times, still standing still in front of us, only to cock her head to a side in curiosity, making a gear sound as she did it.

_"What isn't happening. [Question mark]"_ As stoic as a robot can be, she spoke, her first attempt of a conversation, her blue-digital-shower eyes(is that even a thing?) probably scanning us. _"Fear. Despair. Confusion. My scanning sense the following within you, child of Bael. Not just that. Your body temperature suddenly rose, and the trembling from your systems indicates that-..."_

**"Shut up... SHUT UP!"** She suddenly screamed. From there, Ludger covered herself in a miasma of black, heavy and nasty demonic power, as she face up to stare her teary, but vicious eyes back against the cyborg girl. This can't be good! **"Shut up! I'm a Bael now! A BAEL! There's no way for me to simply be defeated like that! There isn't! I gave up on everything! My name, my personality, my friends and family only to follow the strongest root! After all of that, there no way a simple Human Machine can defeat! And I'll show you! I'LL SHOW EVERYONE THE POWER OF THE BAEL NAME!"**

And then, she gathered all of that energy on both of her hands, only for her to mash it into a single, massive ball of power of destruction! Without a second trought, **BOOM**!, she launched it at high speed against the robot girl, leaving a path of destruction all the way!

_"Danger levels at critical. Launch counterattack accordingly."_ The cyborg by the other side simply said, sharpening her once stoic eyes and bending her body for the imminent clash! She mashed her hands together, and from her knuckles, lights appeared and shined in a menacing way! BOOM!, her response was four beams of energy that merged midway into a single massive light missile!_** "[HEL BURNER!]"**_

**(A/N: 'HEL' as in 'Hel, the Nordic underworld'. Pretty crazy, right? Now back to the scheduled program.)**

And then, the two powers clashed! BAM! The two merged together, engulfed each other into a single ball of light, and then exploded right there! The shockwave it created was enough to cause a small earthquake, while the resulting lights blinded me for a few seconds, dying out right after it. While the shock blew us away, Ludger being launched away as well, but I was fast enough to run for her and catch her in midair as we both landed hard on the floor.

In the end, there was nothing there. Only me, Ludger and Onizuka. On my arms, Ludger was heavily painting, crying as her angry face was showing how frustrated she was. She tried to look tough, but I could feel that she was trembling a lot. By the other side, however, the robot lass was also faulting a little, as her ears were expelling smoke and some of her neon lights were blinking uncontrollably. However, after a while, her shine came back, and after a few stretches with gear sounds, she went back to normal.

_"Systems turning on again. Senses returning, data updated. Program Onizuka Eiko is back_." And then, she was back, her body no longer exhaling smoke and as good as before. This is bad, she still has energy for more. How's that possible?! What powers her?! Could it be the sleeping dragon of the End?! She lifted her hand again, and then pointed her palm blasted against Ludger._ "Eliminate possible threat, now."_

**"Curse... Curse the Miyama runaways... Curse you!"** The heiress on my arms screamed under her breath, trying her hard to stand, only to fault on her first step, while I supported her with my shoulder. She tried to do the same, but her hand was so weak and burned due to her massive shot she didn't have the forces to lift it up enough. In the end, she was left in a mess of crying slob, cursing under her breath. **"Damn it.. Why... Why I'm still so weak even after I gave up everything..."**

_"Elimination beginning now._" And by the other side, the cyborg spoke, as the lights returned to her palm, blinking a dangerous and ominous light little by little! _"Final blast. This is the..."_

"Wait a minute!"

_"Eh. [question mark]"_ I lifted a hand. Before she could do anything harsh, I lifted a hand in a stop motion. Suddenly, the light on her palm blast stopped, as her stoic face changed again to a curious expression._ "Do you have any last words to share, [Question mark]."_

"Err... Yes, indeed I have!" I said. I'm lying, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I have an idea that might or might not work! "Don't move, Onizuka-san! I have... I have a secret weapon, that shall destroy you! If you don't want me to use it and destroy you, I suggest you to stand back and retreat!"

**"Sekiryuutei, what are you doing?!**" Screamed the Bael girl. I simply signed her to stay quiet, and back to the yellow grin, I turned back to the cyborg by the other side.

_"A secret weapon, [question mark.]. Unthinkable. If you really had any of it hidden, you should have used it during any moment of our fight."_ Crap! She's recollecting events! I just forgot that she could so that! Her eyes shined again in data lights, and she blinked again._ "My scans says that your body movements and levels of sweat and unquiet muscles, hinting that you're lying."_

"Ahah... Ahahahahah! Don't doubt me! I have... I really have my ultimate, secret weapon right...!"

***BOING BOING!***

**"Hyah...!"**

"... Here!" And I did it! I lifted Ludger's shirt to reveal from within her bouncy, massive jugs(1) covered by a stripped bra(really? What's with Devils and childish undergarments?!). Again, the robot expression something from her usually stoic face, showing me surprise for my bold move. "That's right! So don't come near me! I have a pair of tits(2) with me and I'm not afraid to use them! So back off before I do it!"

"..."

"..."

...

"Really...?" And now she's looking at me with total disgust, as even an emotionless robot can't hide the fact that she's utterly disappointed at me. This is probably the second worst moment of my life, my hands on a girl's breasts(3) while I'm facing a devil-killing cyborg. Again, I'm glad that I'm in world where this shit can make sense.

**"Sekiryuutei, dress me up this instant!"** The Bael girl said with her face as red as tomato, trying but failing to cover herself again with her burned hand.

_"This is a joke. Executing Eff-You-See-Kay-why-oh-you protocol. Open fire."_ And the cyborg blasted her palm beams against us! With my remaining forces, I forced myself to dodge that and land on another place!

"Okay, you asked for it!** [LEVEL ZERO!]**" and I really did it. I squeezed Ludger's milk-tanks(4) and sucked the energy out of them! My boosted gear Screamed [BUST!], as her knockers(5, how many breast names there are?!) shrank to give power to myself, all while her own clothes inexplicably also rip apart, leaving her with just smalls junks of cloth on herself! This is the plan, at least! Give me enough energy until somethings happen or someone come to rescue us. The burst of energy ran over my body again, and so I was ready to at least contain that robotic monster! "Okay, this is my trump card! Let's go, Boosted Gear!"

***Ziiiiiin~***

"Eh...?" Suddenly, all the lights coming from me and my sacred Gear vanished, and the only thing that was left was a dull-colored Crimson gauntlet in my arm. What the hell?! This is not the time to shut down! C'mon! "Oe! Hey, Ddraig, Yagura! You can't do this to me! What's happening?! Oe! This isn't funny! Oe!"

_"It seems that you and your sacred gear reached it's limit._" Before I could completely turn around to face her, *DOON!*, an energy blast was shot against us, missing me for a nail but separating me from Ludger and creating a crater there that could've been us If I didn't jump away from it. But it did make a mark on my leg, making me knee down in pain! Shit! Can't move like that, and if she do that again! ***CLICK!*** I heard a noise, and when I lifted my face, I came to face Onizuka and her hand blaster. _"Any last words, [question mark.]"_

"..." Damn it! Where are you, dragon?! Just when I need you the most! At least some energy to defeat her! I'll die! I know accepting this fate means I could've died several times, but at least not today, not now! I still have so much to do with the my friends now! I have so much to live for now!

I didn't even have my date with Kamiyama yet!

_"Nothing[question mark.]. Then vanish."_

Damn it!

...

***DOOOOON!***

I closed my eyes as tight as possible, waiting for the worst, but when I thought I was already dead, a blow of pure energy emerged from my left hand! Not just that, it blew the ground and Onizuka away, while I was engulfed in a pillar of pure Emerald energy! The lights from the jewels of my Boosted Gear came back, bright as never before, and soon, my whole body began to glow?! This energy... I have the impression I've already felt it... Could it be?!

**[YOU DID IT, PARTNER!]** I heard my Boosted Gear talk in that hoarse, powerful voice. **[THAT RIDICULOUS LAST RESORT OF YOURS GAVE YOU THE NECESSARY ENERGY FOR THIS! I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD CRY IN PRIDE OR SHAME, BUT YOU FINALLY MANAGE IT! NOW, SHOW THIS ABOMINATION OF METAL AND FLESH THE TRUE POWER OF THE BOOBY... I MEAN, RED DRAGON EMPEROR!]**

"This means... I finally..." I gasped. This can only mean one thing! I did it! I finally reached it! But I should put my congrats for later, I have a battle to win! "Hell yeah! let's do this, Ddraig!"

**[WELSH DRAGON, OVER BOOSTER!]**, My gauntlet announced for the last time, and the armor in it began to run all over my arm, then form a chest armor with several emerald jeweled encrusted on it! My feet and hands became dragonic claws, Crimson armor covered every part of my body, and two scaled wings sprouted from my back!

In the end, I was fully protected by a dragon armor that shined in a powerful Shade of Crimson and green, emanating the power and pressure only the most powerful of supernatural creatures, the dragon, could produce! This is it! I finally did it! I've reached the ultimate form of my Boosted Gear!

"**[BOOSTED GEAR, BALANCE BREAKER: SCALE MAIL!], I'VE REACHED THE PEAK OF MY SACRED GEAR'S POTENTIAL BY RIPPING GIRL'S CLOTHES AND SUCKING ON THEIR TITTIES!"**

_"What the hell, [countless question and exclamation marks.]."_

.

~~X~~

.

"How many you're gonna makes us wait?! A hour already passed!" Nemesis said to a bunch of devils as we all gathered around the classroom where the trial should be taking on, trying to unseal it for us to enter the arena.

Basara and Xion-chan were barely conscious, but according to them, only Rudger and Ichijou were there, facing an enemy that they couldn't defeat. Worse of all, they had their bracelets broken, and due to the barrier there, we can't reach them fast enough!

"According to the runes in there, it's probably Nordic magic. It'll take a bigger while for us to reach them." Serena-chan said, as she also was trying to unlock every magic seal on the arena. For her eyes, she's extremely worried. Who wouldn't? Is her childhood friend and crush(?) in there. I was also ripping my skin off in nervousness, but Nemis was the one taking it worse: she was blasting her rage on the poor Devils trying to figure things out.

Rudger... Ichijou... Please be safe! I'm also trying my best.

***ZING!***

"Hyah...!" Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. What was that? It was... Familiar, yet strange at the same time? From where I felt that before? And it's coming... From inside of the arena, despite the seal on it? What is that? "Hey, Nemesis, did you feel that? I guess... I can feel something, but I don't know why."

"Maybe it's because you haven't cover yourself since morning, damn it!" She said, hitting me with a paper fan. Oh, right, I forgot to put clothes since the freaky accident this morning. Oops. "Put on some goddamn clothes, Aria!"

"First we save them, then I'll put some clothes!"

"You won't be seeing anyone if you don't cover yourself!"

.

~~X~~

.

_"Data. The infamous Balance Breaker of the Longinus Boosted Gear, the scale Mail armor."_ As I landed on the ground with my new Power, the Scale Mail armor, The cyborg in front of me began to blink nonstop, all while her eyes were shining bright blue. _"Not only protects it's user against heavier attacks, it can also doubles his or her powers without the ten-seconds countdown. [interested gasp], compared to the armors of the other five Dragon Kings, this one's really nasty."_

"..." I said nothing. I might have the power to wield my sacred gear in this form, but it's still weighting on me like a true armor, not to mention, I can feel something clutching my heart really tightly. It reminds me the first time I used my Boosted Gear.

**[PARTNER, YOU MIGHT HAVE THE POWER NOW, BUT EVEN WITH THE STOLEN ENERGY, YOU'RE NOT YET STRONG ENOUGH TO USE THE BALANCE BREAKER FORM FOR TOO LONG. MAKE IT QUICK BEFORE THE TIMES RUN OUT.]**

I figured this feeling, already. Okay, here we go. I bend my body to try to leap towards her, and in a second, Onizuka indeed lifted one of her palms and was about to blast one of her laser beams, her neon lights shining even brighter than before!

However...

***ZOOM!***

***CRASH!***

"[Audible gasp]" even with her stoic expression, I could sense her surprise as I leaped towards her and, in a second, smashed her palm and arm together with a punch right into the barrel! Wow, even I wasn't expecting to become so fast! _"Indeed, what a tough opponent."_

"Take this...!" I tried to punch her once again, but she quickly blasted herself away with her other hand. But it wasn't to run away: when she had enough space, she resumed a barrage of punches with both her arms!

_**"[HYDRA GATLING GUN!]"** _She screamed. Instinctually, I crossed my arms in a 'X' to protect myself, but when it came down it, I noticed that those punches didn't have any effect on me now! Feeling confident, I pulled one arm away and then reached for one of her one fists!

***CRASH!*** the two punches collided, but it was hers that broke with the impact, launching her away due to the shockwave it caused! She landed on her feet, with now two fists damaged beyond repair, the uncanny valley resemblance to real hands making me shiver a little. I'm still a bit human on those regards.

_"I'm not done yet."_ She exclaimed, shaking her hands so that her hands were thrown away, and pointing her now laser barrel hands against me. From inside, a light came, and then, ***DOOON!***, another flash of pure energy came towards me!_** "[HEL BURNER!]"**_

"Gah! Hot! Too hot!" I said as the flames reached me in a flash and made me back a few steps away! Crap! Even with armor, it doesn't mean I'm invulnerable to everything! Well, might as well strengthen things up! Boosted Gear!

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

"And now...!" And again another flame ablaze came for my direction, but this time, it didn't even itch! Hell yeah! This power is amazing! Again I pulled my arm out in a swift move, and then launched a **[DRAGON SHOT!]** against that wave of power! That blast overcame all the way to Onizuka, and then** *BOOM!***, exploded her arms and part of her robotic torso, also blowing her away!

This power... Is even greater than I had imagine! So this is what Gremory wanted so bad! I can imagine why! I feel amazing! Even with the limits on it, I can feel the true power of my boosted gear on it! This is indeed the power of the Red Dragon emperor of Domination! This is Hyoodou Issei's legacy!

...

...still, for some reason...

_'Ichijou-kun~!'_

I'm not completely happy. Wonder why.

_"Systems... Shutting down. Cannons... Unable to fire. Does not compute, does not compute._" I snapped back to reality as the robot ground stood once again from the floor. However, even from here I can see the damages on her body: two missing arms, a damaged chest plate, sparkles coming out of her elbows and knees and her head twitching a fulminating. She's not... Okay. I wonder if she can feel pain, even with all those mechanical things on her. I'm pitying her.

"Hey, Onizuka-san." I called for her. Like an old machine, she twitched her head to lift it and face me. Wow, even her face is cracked open, where I can see some circuits from within. This is a mistake, but... I can't stand seeing her like that. "Please, withdraw."

_"[surorised and curious hum.]. What are you planning, Sekiryuutei, [question mark]"_ She asked, blinking one of her eyes since the other one, also robotic, was hanging from a thing wire coming from inside her eye socket.

"I'm not planning anything." I said. "Just give up, please. The way you currently are, I might end up killing you. Please, don't force me so that. Your brother Miyama is already on my mark, don't make me do the same to you.

"..." Suddenly, all of her noises and sparks ceased, as she audibly gasped in surprise and wilded her eyes. And again, she managed to make an expression. And soon after, downed her head.

"I don't want to kill you. I really don't. Sure, there are sins that you can't escape of grief that you can't overcome... But I have you know that there are others ways to deal with those! Your sister and even him knows that! We can help you despite everything!"

"..." And she still quiet about it. I can't read minds, so I'm ready to whatever it comes. I wanted to dismiss my armor, but I must be prepared to face everything that it comes wth her final decision. After a while, she lifted her head, took a deep breath, and cleaning her voice to sound as human as possible, she finally said. "I refuse."

"I see." So, she's right. She rather stay and fights her own way instead of taking someone's help. I... Can't be mad at her. I can't. She's... Just like me. She may not know, but maybe me and the others Miyama runaways are not so different. I sighed under my armor, and gulping down my last drop of regret, put myself on a battle stance. "I can't hate you, Onizuka-san. I really can't. But be prepared, I won't show any mercy!"

"Challenge accepted." And then, all of the neon lights on the linings on her body began to blink, going faster each time. Apparently, she also has a trump card. Well, let's see how she can handle the power of the Sekiryuutei! "A piece of information, Sekiryuutei. You may or may not know, but we from the Miyama house are the hosts of artificial sacred Gears created by Miyama Enma, the scientist that earned our hate and transformed me into this mechanical abomination..."

"..."

"Well then, want to know what I host inside of this body, that is considered an artificial sacred gear by itself?" She said, her voice becoming more and more human, as suddenly her chest plate bursted open, revealing a even larger core globe, from where I could see a silhouette of a dragon biting it's own tail inside, glowing a right green. "I host the Sleeping Dragon of the End, Midgardsormr, the harbinger of the Nordic apocalypse. And now, I shall show you the power from within!"

"Huh..." I put myself again in a battle stance, my Boosted Gear ready for everything. "Bring it on!"

"Proceeding to perform Desperate maneuver." The grey-haired robot-girl said. Suddenly, her neon-lights became more intense, while her whole being was engulfed by a even brighter light. Not only that, but suddenly, all of the lights in her body died out while the one in her chest core grew brighter and brighter**! "[INFINITE OUROBOROS LASER: RAGNAROK BLASTER!]"**

And in the end, in a split second, her chest then blasted a gigantic laser beam against me! The shock was enough to cause an earthquake, and in it's way, everything was turned into dust! However, even with that, I stood strong and in place! This is it! Let's do this, Ddraig!

**[UNDERSTOOD! CRUSH THEM, PARTNER!]**

"**HAAAAAAAAAAH...!"** And then, gathering all the power I could muster at the time, I launched my fist forward, and clashed it with that beam of energy, punching the daylight out of It!

***DOOOOON!***, even with the power of the Scale Mail and the Boost-ups, I was taken a little back by the enormous power of it, as soon it almost engulfed me to destruction. But I stayed strong, pushing it a little! C'mon, Boosted Gear!

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

**"WOOOOOOOOOH...!"** Still not giving up, I stepped further into her blast, my fist standing tall as my heart was on the verge of being crush it! Not yet! Not yet!

**"FEEL IT, SEKIRYUUTEI! FEEL THE POWER THAT SHOULD WITHSTAND THE END OF THE WAR-LOVING MYTHOLOGY! FEEL IT AND PERISH FOREVER FROM THIS REALM!"**

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

**"WOOOOOOOOH...!"** And with the boost-ups, further and further I stepped inside the vortex of energy! I walked and walked, pushing even deeper into it.

"**IN THE NAME OF THOSE WHO DIED BY THE WICKED HANDS OF MIYAMA ENMA, LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH TO ENDURANCE THIS TRIAL! GIVE ME POWEEEEER...!"**

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

"I WILL... DEFEAT YOU! And destroy... Miyama Enma myself!" I said, my body finally crumbling down as even the armor was in the brink of destruction. However, before it could happen, I pulled my arm again, and gathering all of my remaining forces, I launched my fist forward and punched the HELL out of that blast. "But for now...!"

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

**"OUT OF MY WAAAAAAAAAAAY...!"**

***PUNCH!***

***DOOOOOOOOOOON!***

***BOOOM!***

And then, it happened: I punched that blast of dragonic energy with all of my forces, all of the builded up boosts inside of me and my sacred Gear, and not only I vanished it away from existence, the shockwave was enough to reach Onizuka-san, and as expected, her body couldn't withstand all of that force, being completely destroyed. However, her head ejected itself away from the body before it could become dust like it, falling to the ground right next to me. The only thing that was left from the main boy was a small glass globe emanating a green light, probably where the dragon is stored.

And now, it's over.

And I won.

"I... I lost." She said. She didn't seem ashamed, or scared, or depressed, even with that and the fact that she no longer has a body. But then, something happened: a small tear escaped her good eye. "I'm sorry, Rei-kun. I couldn't... Maintain our promise."

"Onizuka..." I called for her. She quickly turned her eyes to me in surprise. "No, you didn't. Like I said, if you're willing to cooperate with us, maybe we can help you. You don't need to shred blood or do things that you're not proud of ever again. And if you need any help... Well, I can always give you a Han-... Nevermind."

"..." She gasped in surprise, wilding her eye in disbelief. Man, how come I turn to be so awkward at times like this. Maybe it's because she's a girl. But... I'll try. If she join us, I'll help her with her issues. After all, we share this common trail: we hate our old men. "Thank you... Thank you. Ichijou Tsukino."

"N-No problem, I guess."

**[BURST!],** and as soon as I finished, the armor around my body broke away and left me with pain all over it! Holy shit! What's that?! What is happening?! It's like a thousand Hwan Jin-Youngs punching me from all directions at the same time! It didn't take for my body to finally give up, so I landed on my back, immobile, still feeling that tingling sensation every time I breathed. This sucks!

**[PARTNER, IT SEEMS THAT YOUR BODY CAN'T STAND THE PRESSURE FROM IT'S BALANCE BREAKER JUST YET.]** A voice came from my Gauntlet. It was Ddraig, indeed.** [THE BREAST ENERGY... Sigh, THAT YOU HAVE COLLECTED BEFOREHAND CAN HELP YOU REACH BALANCE BREAKER, BUT YOUR BODY IS NOT READY TO TAKE THE PRESSURE ON IT FOR TOO LONG. IT MIGHT HELP YOU BREAK THE BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS, BUT AS YOU CAN FEEL, IT ALL COMES BACK LATER.]**

"Yeah... I noticed." I didn't catch half of the things he said, but the basic idea is: much bust, easy balance breaker, weak body, nerfed later. But still, as long as I continue to train, maybe I can withstand it all by the end of it.

[**EXACTLY! HOWEVER, THERE'S STILL A long way to go.]** His transmission began to bug, and soon his voice vanish from my head. Maybe he still needs some sleep after all of that. After all, working all this way after a coma? He deserves it.** [You're looking... Like him... But... Yourself.**]

"Thanks, Ddraig." I had an idea what he meant by the end, and maybe even a smile was drawn in my face as a result. Wow, what a day. A date with Kamiyama, and I finally reached balance breaker on my own... Okay, not much but the idea was all mine. It still counts! Somehow. But yeah, a good day for me, something I've been wishing for a long time. I turned my head to a side to have some rest, only to face the back of Ludger's head. Oh, I wonder if she's conscious by now. "Hey, Ludger..."

**"Don't... Talk to me."** He muttered, his voice giving that she feels really miserable right now. No surprise, after all, the Great Bael, the grand King, the ruler of all Devils, was defeated like a bitch, and then, Poof, the Sekiryuutei that she said it would never come to be came to save the day! I swear, I just want to poke her with this stick.

"What? Just because you great power of destruction didn't work this time? maybe Onizuka-san didn't know that the Bael were so great. Fortunately, the Sekiryuutei on the scale mail armor came to save you." I snickered, feeling like an ass for that, as I could hear a grunt by the other side. She's mad, isn't she? Huh, serves her right. "Nice stripped underwear, by the way. Maybe even a king wants to feel like a child once in a while."

**"I said shut up. Don't you dare talk to me like that."** She said again, more like whined, still not looking at me. This is... This is gold! I think... I can't hold myself any longer...!

"Pff... Ahah... Ahahahahah! Ahahahahahha! Ahahahahah!" Even I can't believe it! I'm laughing! And not in a sarcastic or awkward way! I'm genuinely having a good time. It might sound strange after all that happened, but... I'm proud of myself! I dunno why, I'm so... I could explode! My lungs even began to hurt, I dunno if it's because of my broken bones or just for the fact It has been a while since I last laughed like that, but I'm... Apparently, Ludger was surprised as well, as she turned to me with a surprised expression. "Ahahahah! I'm sorry! I'm just... I'm really...! I dunno why, I just am!"

**"..."** She was still surprised by my sudden show of positive emotions, and like always, for some reason, tears began to run down her pretty face, as she sighed and shifted her eyes to the black barrier skies. **"Idiot... Shut up, Tsukino."**

"Sorry, sorry." My laughter finally ceased, and like always, I painted a satisfied sigh. I can't move, my body still hurts like crap, but I'm really looking forward for other days. I'm... Relieved. How... Strange. "Yet... I think that I'm still dissatisfied."

**"How so? Not that I mind much, of course."** She managed to say, still looking at the sky, just like myself. I chuckled, even so I'm still a little sad.

"It's because... There's one person that I want to show my Balance Breaker." I gave myself a sad smile. Ludger turned to me and the asked.

**"Who?"**

"..." I turned to her, and making one last faint smile, I said: "Berolina Gremory. She wanted to see the most, I guess. One day, if, no, when she wakes up from her coma, I'll show her the full glory she always wanted to see. Even... Even if she doesn't see me as anything but a living relic of senpai."

"...!" Ludger then gave a surprised gasp.

"I'll show her... Then I'll show her how much She can trust me... As Tsukino Ichijou. As the heir of the Sekiryuutei." I said, only to give myself a faint laugh. Yeah, right. Wasn't that cheesy? Maybe it's not just senpai's pervertness that's rubbing on me. "Sorry about this. I don't think that you deserve to hear my outdated stuff, anywa-..."

"Sekiryuutei." And it was my time to look surprised: she wasn't laughing, she wasn't frowning, instead, she reached her hand for my own, and locked her fingers with my own, from my right hand. I wasn't understanding a thing, but I liked it. It's nice. Her teary face was now looking up the skies, just like me, as we shared warmth with that small touch. "I'm sorry."

"Huh... For what?"

"..." She went quiet, sighed, and repeated. "Just... I'm sorry."

"Okay... You're forgiven."

And we stayed like that until the rescue broke the barrier around and helped us get better. Today was... Something else, I must say.

For the first time in a long time, I'm...

**Happy**.

* * *

Y**eah, it took him more than 40 chapter, but ichijou finally reACHED BALANCE BREAKER!Yeah, It won't be a recurrent thing for now, but But I'll promise that he'll reach the perfect form in no time! So... How was trhe chapter for you guys? Too rushed, too complicated and convoluted? Or maybe epic in a good way? Your feedback is important for my grown as an author ficwriter! Again, thanks for your read and stay golden. Have a nice day.**

**Also, next chapter... It shall be lemon. :3**

**P.S.: For the guest by the nickname of Dragon Rider asking about Berolina relationship with rias... Since Rina is Millicas' granddaughter, she's by all means Rias great-grandniece, or something. I hope it helped with your questions. Stay golden,**


	44. Welcome gift(Lemon)

**Hey, there fanon. This chapter is nothing special, only some plot developmen, action sequences...**

**Nah, just kidding, there is an action sequence, but not the mundane-type. I'm talking about another lemon chapter~!**

**So, as a warning, if you're not confortable with this kind of chapter, then just scroll down util bold letters areot longer visible. and you're all smart people, you'll all know when things will get smutty. nothing else to say, just I hope you like the chapter despite it's content.**

**as always, dxd doesnt belong to me.**

* * *

"To be, or not to be. Alas, Poor Yorick, we knew thou."

_"If you do not mind, Aria Argento, I'd deeply appreciate if you put me down and cease your ironically comical display."_

"Huuuh~, nope. You not only did a number on my cousins, you also tried to kill Rudger and Ichijou. I thinks is fair for me to do whatever Pleases me with you."

_"[Audible gasp]"_

"Aria, put that head down, now." And I scowled my Queen with a fierce glare, as she nodded with a sigh and dropped the head of the... Cyborg-girl Onizuka Eiko from Gekkoukan high school, and one of the Miyama runaways. Today's trial hadn't the greatest results, but the things that came with it was worthy. A good chunk of the transferee candidates vanished thanks to the combined efforts of the DxD children and their targets alike, no one died, and we got another ally in our battle against the former group. Not to mention, we retrieved the missing sleeping dragon of the End Midgards-...

...

I bit my tongue. Damned name...

"Sleeping dragon, can you hear me?" I said with a hand over my mouth as I tried to ease the pain in my tongue, the other poking the crystal misty ball on my table, where the dragon supposedly is. No response. I poked it harder now. "Sleeping dragon King of the end Midgardsormr(oh, I did it.), please respond."

**[...]**

_"He doesn't talk too much, Lady Nemesis Gremory."_ And spinning on Aria's finger, Onizuka said without a major change on her tone of voice despite being turned into a plaything. _"When I finally had the chance to talk to him, he only said that I could extract as much power as I want from him as long as I don't have to directly contact him."_

"You don't say." I said again, lightly whacking that piece of ball with a hand. Stupid apocalyptical dragon. Just because Ragnarok almost came to be, doesn't mean that your job is done! I turned to Onizuka that was now upside down and with a flower stuck on her empty eye socket. "Aria!"

"Okay, okay, fine." She said finally retrieving the plant.

"Good. Now, Onizuka-san." I turned now my attention to the cyborg head, which blinked a few times to adjust her eye back to normal, and then turned it to me. "You said you contacted the Sleeping Dragon, am I correct? So this means that he still has a portion of self-awareness. Does this count for the other dragons that are sealed in the sacred gears on your siblings?"

"I do not have a choice but to answer, right, [question mark]." She said... Asked, I think. Her robot voice is stoic as ever, but I guess she's either struggling with her current situation or deep in thoughts. The most human thing she did was to sigh, as she did just now_. "However, I'm afraid to say the following: Insufficient data. The dragon Midgardsormr has not been turned into a sacred gear. Instead, he was sealed inside of my robotic body and served as a power source."_

"You're saying you can only talk to him because you're using his powers rawly?" And with only human technology and gadgets? This is not only impressive, but also really, really frightening. I don't think even the supernatural could survive if those semi-perfect artificial sacred gears were to be mass-produced. To create copies like the **[DOWN FALL DRAGON SPEAR]** or to use existent ones like the Vritra's set are a thing, but to create two others out of nothing and a machine to extract and use a dragon as a battery? Is a totally different thing, in a bad way. "Vritra? How about Vritra? Can he talk? Can he communicate with you all?"

_"The Evil Black prison dragon King Vritra, whose sacred gears were artificially implanted in my sister Kiruko, can normally communicate with us due the fact that he was previously sealed in them by the heavenly God Indra."_ She informed us, her eyes shinning a blue digital shower as she spoke_. "However, the situation befell upon The Gigantiss Golden Dragon King Fafnir, the Karma Chaos Azure Dragon King Tiamat and the mischievous Jade Dragon King Yu-long remains unknown, other than the fact they are sealed inside my own siblings at that."_

"Well, their numbers fell to three today, so we can assume none of them will either attack or threaten us." I thought out loud, still tapping my fingers on the crystal ball holding Midgard-... The sleeping dragon's soul and looking at the cloudy sky. No response from the other side, which made me assume I was correct. They might be terrorists, but they're not stupid nor careless as I could see today. They're still a threat even at low numbers. "Aria, can you take Onizuka for a walk? Maybe something on her circuits can help us if we talk instead of going straight to torture."

"Okay, okay." My queen said oh so cheerfully, picking the head of the dragon girl by her grey-colored locks and lifting her to her eyes's level. "Let's ride, Onizuka. Maybe if you help me, I can pardon you for all the atrocities you have committed."

_"Jokes on you, Aria Argento. My database indicates that my criminal file is clean._" The robot girl said, flashing her data eyes one more time before focusing her only eye to the blonde.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, my king is too much of a bomb for us to slack off too much." I can hear you from here, Aria.

_"Understood."_

"Well then! Away! Zoom zoom hyaaan~!"

And so my King left the place with a cyborg head by her shoulder. Fortunately, classes are already over, so I don't need to worry about anything for a while as she scan around. Still, to create a machine that can use a dragon as a power source and defense system, and not only that, but recreated a self-serving battery on her head stronger than a supercomputer and maintain her human conscience... What kind of genius Monster is Miyama Enma. And moreover, what does he know about that can simply recreate and even sacred gears of his own? Maybe the destruction of the Grigori institute and Lord Azazel's disappearance has something to do with it, I dunno.

Too much thinking, and with so little time, no wonder Grandfather Lord Millicas lives in his own dimension in order to administrate hell itself. My own little world can sometimes be too much to bear. There are also those things that don't make sense: how come only now we're getting information about those five dragon-users? If they say they've been doing this for a while, even worse, those news would easily have reached me and the others. Kunou and that asshole angel in particular, but why just now? This is just so confusing...

I hope I don't actually have to use that key...

*KNOCK-KNOCK!*

"Shut up, door!" I screamed to... The door for it to... Shut up. This is embarrassing, I'm losing control of my temper again. I sighed one more time, and sitting on my chair to blow some steam out of my mouth, I soon turned my head towards that direction. "Come in."

"Pardon my entrance." And what do you know, it was R-Ludger who passed by, entering the room with only Kuoh's male pants and jacket. Ichijou lend them to her since, well, he used both [DRESS BREAK] and [LEVEL ZERO](br~...) on her, and since it was a bad idea to use a skirt while in commando, he let her use the pants of his spare set. I digress, here she is, eyes lowered in a way It was new to me, and her hands together in a defense way in front of her waistline.

"Ah, Ludger. Something's wrong?" I asked, sighing and trying to look as distant as possible. After all, that's the way she wanted, anyway. I turned to the table behind me and scanned around some papers, finding a small files for me to pass the time while taking to her. I returned to my own and began to look on some papers around. "Don't mind me, go ahead and attest your problems. Don't worry, my words will be brief and in a way you can understand. Also, if Tsukino-kun is being a bother for you, we can always..."

"Nemesis..." She spoke in a weak, trembling voice, something alarming enough for me to look up and stare directly on her eyes. What was that? No honorifics? No titles? No whole names? Did she just call me 'Nemesis'? That's new. I dismissed my paperwork on my table and lifted myself to support my back on the chair and turn my glare directly at her. "Err... If you don't mind... Can you answer me something?"

"...?" I tilted my head forward in total confusion. Wow, where's that higher-than-thou lady that she is now? The girl who killed all of her emotions in order to inherit the Bael name? Instead, she's now a messy and confused little girl knocking on my door. I wonder what happened. "Uhh~, of course. Anything for the now Heiress of the Great Bael King. If it's something I can respond, I'll gladly do it for you."

"You don't need to... Say all of that." She blushed a little and turned her gaze to another way in order to avoid direct eye contact. This is spiraling to a even worst twisted scenario. "Neme-... Sis, As you know, during today's trial, me and the Sekiryuutei were trapped inside the arena with that Miyama runaway. We could've been killed in a worst case scenario if he didn't have use... Well..."

"Tch..." I grunted under my breath, remembering her state when we finally freed them from the runes, and when I almost choked a bitch because I thought someone violated her.

"Tsukino... Tsukino Ichijou used his balance breaker and save us both... And then, he smiled. He smiled and laughed." I wilded my eyes in surprise. What? Tsukino Ichijou smiled? This is even worse than I thought. Not that I can say something myself, but for him to be like that even after such traumatic experience. Maybe he's really losing it. "He said he was happy... He simply was. And then we held hands. Even with my burns, I felt it. His warmth, his heart... He was really, really happy."

"..." Huh, I'm glad to hear that. That lad has emotions besides 'pissed' and 'indifferent'. He has all the rights to be angry at everything after what's happening to him, Rina and those trials mainly, but to think he was able to perform a comeback like that.

"But then... He said that it was not enough." She said, lifting her bandaged, gloved left hand to hug it and put it closer to her heart. She turned her usual stoic face to me and sighed. "He said that there is someone that he wants to show his Balance Breaker the most. Someone... Someone who is... Who is..."

"..." So, we finally came to this. Aria was right, wasn't she? She knew that Tsukino Ichijou would do something like that. To change... Someone's mind like that and help others with their problems his own way. Still, I never ceased to believe in this, even when the chances were minimal. I sighed, and blinked a few times. "And that someone... Is Rina, isn't that right, Ludger?"

"..." She said nothing, only nodded, turning her stoic, but teary eyes to me, holding even tighter her left hand. "Yes, yes it is... Nemesis, what... What should I do? This is my question: what should I do? Tell him that... Berolina Gremory... Rina is..."

"You know what, Ludger? I have the impression my answer or opinion will change nothing regarding this." I said, standing up from my chair and stopping right in front of her to look at her deep in the eyes. She tried to avoid my gaze, but I turned her back with both my hands on her cheeks. She's gonna listen now. Of all the times she tried to ignore me, she'll listen everything right now. "Ludger, I loved my sister, so so very much. I just wanted her to see that the world was bigger than her little mind could think of, and that she could be so much more than Rias Gremory, and the Sekiryuutei could be so much more than Hyoodou Issei, much more than a pawn on her hand to play with. Her decisions, what she did, what she made others do and the ultimate price for this... Even if they're not pretty, were all her decisions. And even after that... I'm so sad that she might not come back."

"..." I could feel my heart clenching, as my vision of the Bael girl was blurring a little. Yeah, Rina might not ever come back. Lady Beelzebub said it clear: that state is irreversible. All of the things that used to make 'Berolina Gremory' Berolina Gremory were now... Gone. I no longer have a sister. And this is... "Nemesis..."

"I don't blame her decisions, I don't blame Tsukino Ichijou, I don't blame her peerage. My only regret is that... Aria was right." And I sighed and took distance out of her to avoid embarrassing myself even more. I sniffed and coughed a little, cleaning my eyes and standing strong for my own sake. Yes, I won't blame Ichijou, I won't blame Rina, I won't blame myself or anyone else. But... Maybe Aria was right, I could've been a more open sister. "Ludger... If you want to tell him, I won't stop you. But say that she wanted that way."

"..." And even with her stoic exprrssion, I could see that her face is even lighter than before. Just this time with the Red Dragon, and she changed again in such small amount of days. Maybe talking to people is another ability of the red dragon emperor. Not. From the pocket of my jacket, I picked a small package, and then, picked her hand to put it on it. "What's... What's that?"

"Something that Ichijou wanted me to do." I said, returning now to my calm, calm self. I should behave myself, Ichijou is just around the corner and I don't want him to worry about me if I ever encounter him. Maybe... Maybe I'll go home after that. I still have a meeting with that bitch from the Vassago house. Ludger looked at the package in her hand and opened it. She gasped seeing what was inside.

And without any words, I left the place to take a walk and leave her alone with her thoughts. Talking to her will only make things worse, since she doesn't have the habit of listening to me.

But maybe... Maybe Rina isn't... She isn't...

.

**~~X~~**

.

"Show us, Nii-chan~! Nashiro wants to see it, nyan~!"

"It hurts! Get off of me, Nashiro-san!"

"C'mon, Ikkun. You said all high and might about how you reached it! Prove it to me! If not, I'll make you eat a thousands needles!"

"I'm tired! And you said a thousand needles?! What kind of childish threat is that?!"

"Ichijou-kun, Xion-chan wants to see it! Pwetty pwease! I'm begging you!"

"Xion-san, you're really scaring me out!"

And my little moment of peace was cut the moment I woke up, as the three of those DxD children suddenly assaulted me and tried to make me go Balance Breaker again. My whole body is bruised, Ddraig is asleep and I just explained to them that I need an extra power-up to reach it even if it is for a few seconds, all of those dying in deaf ears as Nashiro-chan sat on my lap and locked her legs around my waist and the Quarta siblings would push me here and there to convince me to do it anyways. Basically, I'm the kid with the newest Gundam figure on the new school.

Come to think of it, the Scale Mail does look like a Gundam.

"The Scale Mail armor, gramps signature weaponry! C'mon, nii-chan! Show it to us, even for a second!" The blue-haired swordswoman pinched my cheek, and did her brother by the other side. The cat girl was jumping up and down on my lap, crushing the things that composed my waist.

"Get off of me! I'm hurt!" I whined. Little to no effect on them. My arms are completely dormant, and I'll just make things worse if I kick them out. Somebody save me! They'll finish Onizuka-san's job!

"Hey, you three. Leave bro alone." And like a knight in shining armor, Aria-san made her triumphal entrance by opening the door with Onizuka's head on her arms. All of us turned to them, as she balanced the said cyborg girl on one finger. "if you wanna play with something, play with this little lady here."

_"Pardon my manners, Aria Argento, but **'Maybe something on her circuits can help us if we talk instead of going straight to torture'** were Lady Nemesis Gremory's words regarding the state of project A-ko. By doing the act of letting them 'play' with it will mostly cause a-..."_ And then Onizuka-san was silenced as Aria-san tossed her head to a random direction. Like a laser on a feline, Nashiro jumped from my lap, unfortunately using my stomach as a support to do so, and dashed to the direction of that disembodied head, followed by her other cousins. Aria-san laughed at that. Classy lady as always, eh?

"And that's that. That shall keep them away from you." The tall blonde said, dusting her hands with each other and giving a satisfied sigh. Well, I can't complain, since I can breath normally now. Aria-san then turned to me, sitting right next to me on the sofa. "S'up, bro? How is it going?"

"Hey, Aria-nee. Some broken bones, a bruised body and burned spots that hurt like all hell, but... I'm actually fine, thanks for asking." That sounded like a sarcastic remark, but in reality I'm not that mad at all. I cracked a few bones on my neck and tossed my head backwards. "Still hurts a lot, though."

"I can't think otherwise." She said, lightly tapping my shoulder while humming a song I didn't know. "So... Balance Breaker, eh? How was it?"

"Heavy." I honestly said, still feeling that burning, passionate, yet tight and suffocating sensation of being trapped inside a magical dragonic armor. I felt... Different. "It's nice... And at the same time not. It's suffocating."

"Uh-huh, You'll get used to it. Good to see you evolving so much. I bet gramps would be proud." She reached a hand for me and patted my head, ruffling my hair in a rather motherly way, smiling smoothly. "I am. Good job, bro. Your sister is very proud."

"Heh, like this will make me feel better." And then she friendly punched my shoulder. I don't actually like the word 'sister' in the middle of any good sentence, but this time, I'm good with it. "My body is a mess, but I feel great."

"Huhuhuh, good to hear that." And she retreated her arm to also toss her head backwards and face the ceiling. This is actually nice. No sounds, no worries, no people to give two shots about it, just me and the wind. I miss... I always imagined how would it be.

Yet, I'm not completely fine. I reached my balance breaker, yet I'm still too weak to use it completely. Not to mention... I wanted to Gremory to see it. She's the Gremory fangirl, and even if she doesn't see me as anything but the same thing I want to show her. I wonder... Why I feel like that. She's ruining my happiness just because she's not here. Not to mention... Annie is also around somewhere, doing who the hell knows, probably slowly killing herself, only to launch a suicidal attack against those hordes of vampires and ninjas that will come for the reunion...

...

...

Why am I so worried about them? I'm suppose to be happy, yet without them I feel so empty. Of course, Yoko, Tasha and Ryuubi are still giving me the proper support and are the best girls a harem King should ask for but...

I said it.

I just called myself... A harem King.

...

...

"Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh~..."

"What's up, bro? Feeling hungry? I brought some candies just in case." Aria-san said as she picked a bag of rock candy out of nowhere, munching on a few of them. I put a hand on my face, sighing deeply and feeling the pumping sensation of my brain overworking again.

"Aria-nee. I feel funny." I honestly said, now sitting with my legs crossed on the sofa and looking at a random direction away from her, my elbows on my knees and supporting my chin on my hands. "And not the good kind of funny(Aria - Of course.). I'm happy, but at the same time, not. I miss Rina, I miss Annie. I wanted them to see me reaching Balance Breaker. Even if for them I'm nothing but senpai's legacy, I want them with me. Is that strange?"

"Definitely. You're not falling too short on those selfish desires from them, bro." That answer was so direct and deadpan I couldn't help put to almost lose my balance and hit the floor. Fortunately, I had enough force to push myself again and sat there again. I shot a glare at the blonde by my side. Really? She grinned at me. "But it can't be help it. Devils are naturally selfish and greedy. However, seeing how you want them by your side instead of with you tells me a lot about you. Guess someone is finally learning how to be human."

"D-Don't say that, Aria-nee. I'm still spiritually human, of course I would want people around me." I said, but it took me a while to realize that...

Would I be able to say that sentence, those words, just a few weeks ago, before I was turn into a devil? Would I be finding those new people, sharing experiences, trying to reach them instead of trying to avoid or ignore them? Losing everything, gaining everything, all while being around those people that treat me well despite I being the usual jerk that used to hate everything? Yoko trying to restart anew, Ryuubi giving me the best motherly vibes, Tasha lifting the mood, my days with Kamiyama, my adventures with Ren and Kaichou, Nemesis-san and Aria-san being the best examples of big sisters. Those people... I want to be with those people, I want, I want to be with those people.

"Devils and angels live for centuries, millennia even. And as such, we live as we want without taking the proper enjoyment out of it. Being human is more than being born one." Aria-san said, ruffling my hair again. "Now, now, remember when I said that you were stuck?"

"Not really, but pretend that I remember."

"Well, look at you now. When I first met you, you were more devil than human. And now, well, you're more human than before. You're even remembering and missing the girls in your harem." She chuckled. Wait, what?

"I... I don't have... I don't have a harem."

"Keep telling yourself that. At least you got friends. That's the least you want now, isn't it?" Friends. I can live with that. It's nice to have them, and I maybe want more of them. I looked at my right hand and sighed. Ludger... It's very warm and cozy. I wish I could hold her hand longer. Aria-san came closer and touched my right hand with her own left one. "They'll first see your left hand and what you are, but in the end, they'll hold you by your right one and for who you are. And that's how you make friends."

"..." That one was pretty cheesy, but whatever. This is Aria Argento who we're talking about, she's the queen of those cheeky lines. The worst part? It's actually kinda working, and I couldn't help but to feel all fuzzy inside. My face is burning and I couldn't help but to think about it. "Thanks, Aria-nee, I guess."

"No prob, bro. Also, don't worry about those two. They'll eventually realize this as well. Hellsing, Gremory, The Boosted Gear, even if those were what made you meet each other, is yourselves who'll make you all stick together." She continued. Yeah, I already decided that. When Gremory wakes up, I'll show her that she can trust me as her queen, the Boosted Gear host... And Tsukino Ichijou. Not to mention, I'll save Annie from herself.

Huh, look who's getting all cheesy now.

"That's... Really cheesy you even for you, Aria-nee." I said, she punched me twice.

"The first one was because of my clothes, the second one is for being rude." She said with a grin, as I rubbed the affected area with a hand. Yeah, I forgot, she says she's my older sister, so of course I have to take each of every word with care. "I can't believe you, using [DRESS BREAK] on me... Only seven people can undress me and live, y'know."

"It was an accident. I already told you!" I said again for the n'th time today. How can I explain that I was able to create a stronger version of** [LEVEL ZERO]** by combining it with **[DRESS BREAK]**? I don't know, but now I can use it by just touching girls' clothes. That's an upgrade. I guess I'll call it** [CLOTH EATER].** Man, those are coming from the nomenclature alleys, aren't they? "Sleepy... Aria-nee, I think... I'll take another nap."

"Here." And before I could do anything, she pulled me by my shoulder and made me land my head on her lap. A lap-pillow, is it? "Heh, nothing like a good ol' pillow made out of muscles and feminine smell for a good night of sleep, am I right?"

"You're giving too much credit to yourself by using the word 'feminine', Aria-nee." I joked, and she flicked my ear. To think I wouldn't be saying that out loud a few weeks ago. It's good, even with all that is happening, It's nice to feel at home with everybody being so comfortable. Now she's brushing my hair with her hand.

"Shut up and sleep, you idiot. I'll make Nemis call your house later if you take too long." She called me an idiot, yet I don't feel nothing but warmth. Huh, maybe that's what being loved feels. I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep. I'm so tired, so, so tired...

...

...

...

It was already midnight when I woke up from my nap. Aria-san wasn't lap-pillowing me anymore, and the whole place was dark and quiet. Even so, I could see clearly into the night, thanks to the so-called Devilish night-vision. My body was still sore, but not as before, as for once, I could stand again. I stretched myself to crack some bones and articulations and yawled. Man, even my naps are feeling greater than before.

**[Good midnight, sleepy-head.]**

"Ddraig?" I said to the voice coming from the back of my left hand.

**[Nope, it's Yagura. How are you, little cheater?]**

"Better than before, but... Did you just call me a cheater?" I asked to the small green bright spot on my hand, as a laugh could be heard from inside of it.

**[Yep. Not only you unlocked even further the power of your sacred gear thanks to Desmond Hellsing, but you've also cheated your way up by sucking on girls' tits. Don't you have any shame.]**She says that, but by her tone of voice, I can see that she's actually enjoying the situation. Whoever she is, maybe she's just used to all absurdness that is happening right now. I wouldn't be surprised.

"It was... In the heat of the moment. I had no choice back then" I answered, her little laugh making me realize that I should've chose a better set of words. "You saw that, right? There was no other way! I'm not a pervert, and you know that!"

[**Heh, okay, okay. You still cheated. But Hyoodou Issei would honestly be even jealous for that. Touching a girls' chest to have a power-up so soon.]** She continued to joke around. Well, I'm the one who should be thanking him. It was because of him, and for the fact tha are some many well-endowed ladies around, that I could come up with such abilities. I'm not proud of that, though.**[While you were asleep, Aria-chan left the keys on the table. She also left a note for you to close all the doors. Oh, and your cellphone rang a few dozens of times. You must have been pretty exhausted for not to hear it.]**

"Crap!" I jumped on the spot hearing that. Holy shit! That's right! I did say that I was coming home late this week, but to be here until midnight...! I flipped my phone open only to see... Only two messages, one from mom, saying for me to enjoy the sleepover with my friends at Kuoh, and other from Aria-san, saying for me to keep the keys and give them back to her tomorrow. A vein of rage popped on my head. "Yagura..."

**[Heheh, got you, ya dummy.]** I grunted and summoned my boosted gear only to hit it against a wall. I soon regretted that stupid decision as the pain rippled all over my arm, and I whined. That was on instinct, that was a stupid move. She just laughed over my Sacred Gear.** [Good to see you reacting like that. Aria-chan was right, you have changed a lot. Good for you. Feelings are the best way to put you and your sacred gear in good motion. Maybe in a few weeks of training you won't be needing your Booby-boost-up after all.]**

"Thanks, I guess." I said, as the pain ceased and I had the strength to stand up again. I looked around and seeing nothing more to do here, picked the keys to get out of school back home.

Despite being nighttime, with cloudy sky and the street being only illuminated by the light posts around, from my point of view things were clear as day, only with a few different, but bright purples points. Night-vision, a devilish thing. Pretty handy. Which gives me an idea: since no one is awake by this time, maybe I'll try one of those feats I see in some anime and manga.

Taking a deep and kneeling on the ground, I jumped into the air and landed on the top of a wall. It was pretty easy. To think I died when I hit my head from the third floor. Okay, let's do this again! I pulled strength on my knees, and once again, jumped to land on a nearby house. This is great! Now, let's try being a little more bold. From that same spot, I located a certain ceiling and, again pulling strength, I leaped towards it! The result was, I didn't land on it, but on the ceiling that was one house further! Hell yeah!

"I wonder if I can use my wings." I thought to myself. As soon as I did it, two bat-like wings emerged from my back, flapping a little out of reflex. They look so fragile and malleable, like leather. Moreover, I never saw either Nemesis-san or Aria-san flapping them to fly. Maybe it's more of a symbolic thing: wings means I can float on air. But better not to take risks now, me and Heights have such history. My wings flapped back to my lower spine, and so I resumed my jumps back to my house.

Soon I reached the house, so I landed right there, leaping from the last ceiling into the floor, causing a minor shockwave around. Huh, still I don't feel a thing. Not only my speed and strength have improved, but also my durability. This is really sick, in a good way, but I'll have to take care to avoid others to see what I can do.

Who am I kidding? My sisters are monsters on their own, and even with my new strength, if they gang-up on me, I'll still lose. This is so unfair. Maybe they're really demons, or maybe I unconsciously hold my own strength on them. I dunno.

***CRACK! CRACK!***

"Owwww~, oh, right. Kaioh-Ken limiting my body." I facepalmed to myself as the excruciating pain from before hit my legs yet again, making me knee on the floor. Shit, this stuff hurts. Well, that'll teach me to avoid those little fool-outs of mine.

Dragging myself to the door and picking my keys inside my pocket, I opened the door and discarded my shoes at the entrance floor. Like I was expecting, the house was dead silent, with only the clock on the wall ticking it's arrows with each passing second. Discarding my bags and jacket on the sofa, I could see from the living room a small plate of food above the kitchen table, wrapped with plastic and with a small note with my name on it. Strangely enough, I'm not that hungry. Maybe I'll eat it tomorrow, so I put it back on the fridge.

Maybe I'll go for a shower. My body is still kinda sore and a good bath will ease things up a bit. With that in mind, I walked my way upstairs, with all the care to avoid making too much noise, and from there, walked to the bathroom. Once in there, I discarded the rest of my clothes, picked some new ones from a basket around, and with all the other things I Need to clean myself up, I opened the door to the bathroom.

I filled the tub, put myself in front of the mirror sitting on the plastic stool, and then picked the shampoo first. I had no problem in reaching for it to open up, however, when I was about to dip some onto my head, *CRACK!*, my whole arm trembled after that quick but painful electric chafe passing through it, making me drop the bottle. Crap, that still hurts, my body is all sore even now...

"Shit, body limits are such a pain..."

"Here, let me take care of that."

"Ah, thank you, Yok-..." I stopped as a pair of hands reached for my head to form some bubbles and foam. Wait, what?! I didn't even have to turn around, by the reflection on the mirror, I could see it was Yoko who was with me in the bathroom! "A-Ah! Yoko!"

"Welcome back, Ichijou darling."

"Well, yeah, I'm back hom-... Don't change the subject!" I half-screamed, picking a nearby towel to cover myself around the waist and turn around to face her, only to turn back with a bloody nose because she was now wearing a tiny pink two-piece bikini! What the hell?! "W-What are you doing here?! Did you lose the sense of danger?!"

"Don't worry, everybody is asleep, and I hid my presence to walk all the way here. I highly doubt that someone will come here." She said with a smile, returning to wash my head and hair. "Besides, your scent is stronger today. I want to know why."

"Those are NOT the answers I Was looking for, Yoko!" I said, shutting myself up with two hands on my mouth to avoid screaming too loud. "This is bad, what if one of my sisters charge inside, or mother walks in again?! Can you imagine the chaos?! We're in danger!"

"No, we're not. I can feel when someone is nearby or not, and if anything goes as planned, I can escape before they can find about us." She said with a tone trailing to a annoyed one. She stopped rubbing her hands on my hair, came closer and supported herself on my back. "Now, calm down and relax. I'll take care of you."

"..." I bit my tongue again, tossing my gaze to all directions in blind confusion. Oh no, I'm having those bad nostalgia feelings again. Again with the bathroom and a semi-naked girl. I can feel her nipples touching my back as her hands were now trailing around my chest. This is bad. "Okay. Err... How was your day?"

"Pretty normal, thanks for asking." She said back with her voice turning back to normal. Her hands retreated a bit and she was now picking the lotion to put some on the brushing towel. As soon as she did that, she began to rub it on my back. It hurts a bit, but I got use to it by the end, taking deep breaths to feel and enjoy the smell of flowers around. "How about you? Something definitely happened."

"Well, you can say that today was special..." I trailed off, trying my hard to not look at the mirror and tapping my finger on a knee to try to find the right words for this situation. "... Today's trials were... Hard. To say the least. A battle Royale in the middle of nowhere. Everyone by everyone."

"Wow..." She spoke while now picking even more lotion and rubbing my back again. "But you're fine, and that's what counts, isn't it? Still when the deal began to glow, I was so worried that I couldn't find you."

"Yeah, I guess." I faintly smiled under a sigh, looking again at my left hand and remembering that feeling of power and control over that Crimson armor known as Scale Mail. "Moreover, thanks to Lord Desmond back then, I finally reached my Balance Breaker! And not only that, One more of those Miyama runaways fell into our hands. Maybe there won't be anything to worry about by the end."

***DROP!***

"It's... **It's that so?"** Her voice trailed off, as she dropped the bottle of lotion and brushing towel. This is.. Probably bad.** "Balance Breaker... Like, you wore the infamous Scale Mail of the Boosted Gear?"**

"Huuuh~, yeah. It was... Pretty cool, I guess."

**"No wonder you have such a strong scent..."** Yoko came closer again, hugging me from behind and resting her head on my shoulder. She took a quick, harmless sniff on it, and them moaned and trembled. **"Haaaah~, the scent of a dragon. Such majestic and powerful creatures. It's intoxicating..."**

"Yeah... I guess..." I laughed out of nervouness, trying my best to reach something and make her stop, but nothing came to mind. Her grip was so strong, and for some reason I felt week, almost too dizzy. A lucid moment, and then, I snapped back, trying to stand up only to feel her nails scratching my chest! "Yoko, let me go!"

**"Not until I clean every part of that body... That dragon body..."** The fox whispered on my ear, as she pulled me back to the stool in a bump. Once there, I tried again to stand up, but for some reason, I could no longer do it. I was... Too dizzy. She stuck her tongue out and licked my neck. But then, ***BAM!***, the grip around my chest became tighter, her whole body trembled and she moaned louder as she muffled it by biting the area.** "Huuuuh~! It's... It's stronger than I thoooought...! So much power... So much energy... I can't... I will, I will...! Waaaaah~...!"**

And Yoko gasped on herself one last time, as she trembled one last time and melted on my shoulder, her fangs trailing a wound down my neck, her usually smiling face frozen in a expression of tiredness, yet complete bliss. Crap, I know that face. I have to stop this before she tries anything worse!

I tried to reach for the shower head, but before I could do it, that fox pushed me to a wall! I landed on my back, shivering by feeling the cold wall, and before I could fight up, she sat right on my lap, locking my legs in between her thighs! Again she picked me by the face and then ravished my mouth with her own.

**"Raw power~... So much energy~... It's intoxicating~... I can't stop~...! I wanna suck everything from you, my darliing~!"** She said as we kissed, aka, as she mouth-rapes me! Her tongue is way worse than Irene-san's: it's all sticky and rough, not to mention, as we share saliva and lipservice, her body would splash something out of her lower parts on to my lap! The worst part: for every second, my body felt weaker and weaker. Is she... Is she sucking my energy? But I though... I thought...

"Yoko, please... I can't..." I tried to fight back, only to feel my arms like jelly on the floor. She stopped with the kissing and make-out, and went lower, sucking and biting on me as she would leave bite marks and bruises there. It was when I felt something touch a sensitive part of me that she stopped. This isn't good...

**"Oh, my~. So you're ready to give on your desires. This is great. Don't worry, I won't left a single drop goes to waste~."** She said it so seductively, dragging herself on me until our faces were touching. Just to be next to her, I already can feel that she wants to devour me whole. Another thing that I noticed it's that she no longer is wearing her eyepatch, and I could stare at the supernatural yellow both of her eyes were shining. **"I like that hopeless face of yours. Don't worry, I'll be gentle. You'll be seeing heaven all the way..."**

The way she talks... It's not reassuring at all. I tried to say something, but the words would die right in the middle of my lungs. I can't move, I can't speak, But I can see and feel. She rubbed herself against my body, her rear touching right on me, making me moan a little, while she reached her hands to behind her back. That fox took some space for our bodies, and without taking her mischievous gaze from me, let the top of her bikini fall, revealing her small, bubble breasts, her perky nipples coming onto me as she embraced me again.

**"I know you like big Breasts, honey. And I know something that you'll love~."** She whispered on my ear again. Suddenly, I felt something pushing me even further on the wall, and when I looked down, I saw Yoko's breasts inflating, like a true sensual balloon. Her charming B-Cup were now a pair of large F-cups. This isn't happening! When her breasts stop growing, she picked the bottle of lotion yet again and dipped all of it's content on her cleavage. Throwing the empty bottle away, she began to rub herself on me again, creating more foam and bubbles. **"How's... That~? Good, isn't it? Feeling those big, soft tits servicing you by a sexy fox spirit?"**

"Yoko, please... You said... You said that..." I coughed. I can no longer think straight anymore, nor talk too much. She's really trying to suck every drop of energy from me. With my response, she pouted at me. Not in a cute way, mind you, but in an annoyed, 'watch your mouth, boy' way.

**"Let's see if you'll keep saying that. I didn't even clean the most important part, yet~."** The fox spirit smiled yet again and kissed my cheek, going Lower and lower onto me as her lotion-soaked breasts would leave a trail of foam onto my chest, stomach and lap. In the end, she stopped right in front of my lap, looking with greedy eyes the volume under the towel around my hips. She said nothing, only moved forward and then touched her now-big breasts on it, making me moan as an electric shock ran through my body. **"I bet it hurts, doesn't it? I can still smell the virgin scent It exalts. Don't worry, like I said, I'll make you feel better."**

"Yoko..." Was All I could muster under my tired voice, as she engulfed me with her tits, the cold water, warm skin and soft sensation making me moan with my remaining forces. That feels so good, but I can't help but to feel so helpless now. She began to move her breasts up and down, producing foam on the valley of her cleavage. I can feel them, I can...

**"Huuuh~? Isn't that just the best? The best service a fox spirit can give to a virgin boy like you~! A-grade breasts just for you, darling~!"** Yoko said, her tails and ears sprouting out of her places and she continued to play with her breasts. She squeezed them even more, making me grunt as I pulled my head upwards.

This is so painful, yet it feels so good. Her movements became faster and faster. Yoko locked her mounts in a tight press against each other with her arms, making the sensation almost unbearable. It was so tight, so cold, with her going up and down with me in between those two soft, warm feminine charms. I grunted one more time, and again, I felt that quick, painful sensation of total release, and then my body giving up to the relief it came soon after. Yoko was caught by surprised, and from inside the foam between her breasts, I blew my load right on her face and to inside her mouth. Again, at a monstrous quantity, as her face was now all white, covered in nectar.

**"W-Wow, so much~... I know I shouldn't be greedy, but this is just..."** She said, reaching her tongue all the way around her face to pick the dripping juices. And not just that. Yoko would stuck her tongue out to show her dripping, love-filled mouth, as she would ultimately swallow. I thought it was over, but then that fox squeezed me again, harder this time. **"Oh... There's still some more. Of course, I won't put that to waste, such delicious thing..."**

"W-Wait, Yok-..." Too late, she dived into the foam of her breasts and sucked on me in a violent way. I could feel any last drop of energy and stamina being sucked away by her, as she would squeeze me again in between her breasts in an attempt to milk anything else. I let out a hoarse scream, almost letting myself go. Everything is going blank on my mind, but before I could pass out in peace, she crawled on me again and landed a kiss on my lips. "Waaaah~...?"

**"We're not done yet, my beloved Sekiryuutei."** She spoke still with a seductress voice, sucking on my lips and scratching her nails on my chest like a needy cat. From here, even with my cloudy view, I could see her tails moving all the ways, snuggling at me as they would try to pin me down on place. Her twitchy ears lowering as she calmed down a bit. Yoko then rested herself on my shoulder, biting me there again. **"Let's play until the sun rise. I don't know what I was thinking saying that I'd try to be your wife. Huhuhuh~, maybe I'm getting used in being in love, but I'm glad that you awoke your dragon~. Now, let's play and play and play and play~."**

"Yoko..." I gulped as my voice dried my lungs just by saying a name. I don't doubt that she might end killing me like that, but at least let me try something. I gulped one more time, and before we could go any further with this moment, in a moment of weakness, I reached a hand for her tails and gave them a firm pull. "I said... STOP it!"

**"Hiiiiih~!"** Her reaction was different than I was expecting. She moaned with her fangs still craved into my neck, scratching my chest harder as she gripped her hands into fists. All of her petite body tensed up, and in the end, I could feel her lower parts get wetter. So her tails are her weak spot, huh? **"Don't... Please, don't... Let's... Let's do it normally, please..."**

"..." I had no energy to reply, but I could feel a grin creep on my cheeks. Instead of doing what she said, I gripped even tighter around her tails, and gave them a light pull. Again she trembled until the last string of fur, and released all of her juices on me. Feeling a little more confident, I reached another hand for her furry appendices and gripped even tighter. By those simple touches, she already tensed up and reached her climax. So as payback, I began to stroke those fluffy, soft tails, as she would moan and beg for me to stop while stopping to gasp with her uncontrollable shots of love and lust, all dying on deaf ears for me.

**"P-Please, no mor-Waaaaaaah~! Sekiryuutei, please forgive m- Waaaaaaah~! I don't wanna, I'm losin-Waaaaaah~! It hurts, it hurt-Waaaaah~!"** The fox would continue to moan and beg on me, as her body would melt little by little on my chest, her face red and tired from the continuous climaxes, while her poor tails would twitch and try to escape my grasp, making me grip and squeeze them even more. After a minute or so, Yoko no longer had the energy to scream, her twitchy, limp body melted on me, as the only thing that I could hear from her were her heavy pants and gasps for breath. Her eyes were now unfocused, dull and lifeless, with her hands were trying their best to get a hold on me, her posterior twitching and trembling after those incessant shots. She turned to me, and whispered with her remaining forces. "Please... I beg of you... Release me at once... I'm sorry for everything... Just let me go... If this continues... I'll die... Please, no more..."

"..." I said nothing, my own head all white out due to her own sessions of service. She's really on the brink of tears, and if this continues, no doubt one of us is gonna die. Yet... No, that's not enough. Not at all. She tried to eat me, suck all of my energy, and now she's begging me for forgiveness and mercy? No, this is not enough for her, she must now suffer what she deserves. But what now? I already massaged her tails until she no longer has the power to react. But then it hit me: her tails are not the only things that shows her true nature. I sighed, and in a gesture of tiredness, I brought her closer to me. She sighed in relief, resting her head on my shoulder. However, before anything else could happen, I opened my mouth and... **"Got you."**

"Huh...?"

***BITE!***

"H-...!" It was suppose to be just a tease. A quick, playful lip-bite on her fluffy, cute fox ear on top of her head as a finishing blow. However, again, Yoko betrayed my expectations, as she gripped on me for dear life, her face exploding in a expression of both shock and ecstasy and her tails losing control of themselves as she screamed my name one more time with all of her strengths, as she had the most violent and explosive orgasm I've already seen.** "WAAAAH~! ICHIJOU~! ICHIJOU~~! ICHIJOOOOOOOOU~~!"**

And then, freeze. After that eruption of stimuli, Yoko just stopped in time, frozen in that contorted, broken pose on my lap, her arms taking a length away from us as she tossed herself backwards during those final moments, her hands so lightly hooking her body on my nape. After a while, she began to sob, twitch and gasp, as her extended arms began to bend for her to land on my chest. I could see by the look on her teary, panting face that I broke her. I broke her after so little, and yet, little to no guilty befell me after that. Still, I feel no need to continue this, so instead I pulled her closer to me in a hug as the passing heat left us to the cold again. Only now I noticed how tired I am. Her soft rear touched on me again, and only then I noticed that, even after those hot moments, right now I'm limp. Maybe I was so concentrated in punishing her that I didn't even notice my own bliss of the moment...

"Consider yourself... Forgiven..." Was all I could say to her as the fatigue finally caught up with me. The white soon dominated my vision, and then, I felt myself floating into unconsciousness...

...

...

...

"...-Jou..."

"H-... -ijou..."

"Hey, I... -Jou..."

"Please wake up, Ichijou."

"Eh...?" And the next thing I knew it, I awake facing upwards, glaring at a shadow on top of me with a lamp blocking the full view of it. My back is cold, but the rest of my body is hot. I didn't even have the will nor strength to stand up. Instead, I tried to figure the silhouette in front of me. After a while, it all became clear for me. "Y-... Y-Yoko...?"

"Oh, thank the gods! I thought you were a goner!" And it was really yoko, her eyepatch back on place as she was wearing only a towel to cover herself, her tails and fox ears gone and her chest back to normal. I stared adrift into her one shining orb, but after a while, I recalled everything that had happened and soon put myself sit on the cold floor, covering myself with the towel that was doing just that!

"A-Ah... Yoko... I'm..."

"I'm sorry, Ichijou." Eh? Wait, is she really apologizing? I mean, yeah, she kinda raped me back then, but that doesn't excuse me. Just like me, she sat on the floor on her legs like a good wife and gaze her guilt-filled eye on me. "I'm sorry. I lost control over my instincts. Your scent was so strong that... I gave up on my primal feelings, and attacked you without consent. And for that... I'm sorry."

"..." I went quiet again. This time, I was confused, and heavy. Of course that would be the reason, I'm such an asshole. She did say that youkais are usually turn on by massive amounts of power, something that dragons are in essence, and who could've forgot the mini-orgasm she had back when she first sucked on my fingers? She's apologizing for this, yet I'm the one full of guilt. "No, I'm the one... Who should be saying sorry, Yoko."

"Still, maybe if I didn't try to suck energy from you, we could've avoided... That." She blushed under her golden locks, as I did the same, remembering those hot moments within the bathroom. I came so many times it's hurting now. I looked at her, but she just turned her face away. "Please... Don't look at me. This is so embarrassing."

"..." And now, the lift was heavier than a trip to the mountains. I don't know what to say. What should I say? 'That's your fault for not controlling yourself!'? 'I'm sorry for entering Balance Breaker!'? 'Let's forget all of that!'? Nothing I would say could make things better. Instead, I shut myself up and waited for her to say something else.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ichijou. I let my Kurama-side take control and almost ravish you. I'm such a... I'm such a... Waaaah~!" And her teary face was now releasing all of her grief as she cried. This is really painful to watch, Yoko drying her tears as she would grimace and sob under her breath, swollen cheeks and red face only worsening things. That's it! Man up again and say it, Ichijou. No man should left a woman crying. So, I reached a hand for her and patted her head. "I'm so sorry, Ichijou! I'm a slutty fox that lost control of her own whorish desires and tried to rape you! I don't deserve to be called a woman anymore! I'm a cum-dumpster! A Dutch-wife! A jizz-bucket! I deserve to be used as such and rot in a pool of semen like the fucking whore that I am!"

"Yoko..."

"Waaaah! Don't look at me! If you look, I'll die! Stay away from me and let me die!"

"Yoko!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! **I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry**...!"

"Yoko!"

***SLAP!***

"Eh...?"

"I'm sorry, but you were being ridiculous!" I said after I slapped her on the face, the mark of my hand printed in burning red on her pretty face. That's enough! I can't stand her like that! Either by anger or sadness, this is too much for me! "Put yourself together! You're the leader of the Kanto supernatural faction! Behave yourself as such!"

"But... But...!" She sobbed under her hands, crying face and trembling figure on the brink of throwing itself again to grief, but before it could do it, I picked her by the nose. "Hyah...!"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Stop saying things like 'you don't deserve to live' or 'you're a something-something bucket'. You're... You're making me sad." I sighed. It's not just anger that I'm feeling. It's sadness too. She stopped crying and looked at me again. "Look, whatever happened... Happened. And if there's anyone who should be apologizing... It's me."

"I-Ichijou..."

"You attacked me because I smell good. You attacked me because it's a youkai thing to want to consume energy, the bigger the better. You attacked me because I was careless." I numbered the possible reasons for her to attack me, as she remained quiet with her eyes wide in shock. In the end, I sighed one more time, my arms crossed, and lowered my head. "It's not exactly your fault. It's a youkai thing, remember? I'm upset, but that's how you are, and I'm fully aware of that."

"..." And she softened her expressions, still looking a little guilty over the incident. Okay, measuring words is a thing I've learned after years with my sisters. Measuring words so there's no breach for them to explore and give them a reason to beat me. They'd still beat me regardless, because I just can't win.

"So... Uhh~. It happens, and I'm really aware of that... Now." And I stumbled on my words, losing all the coolness now. Sigh, again reality just showed me again that I can't have a fully normal day, but I gotta stay strong, or else she'll go all depressed again. My hand trailed again to her head to pat her. "Don't worry. I'm upset, sure, but it was... An accident. It happens. Just remember to warn me the... Next... Time."

"..."

"Also, to be fair, I would be lying if I say I didn't enjoy it."

"..." And that was either a hit-or-miss, Tsukino Ichijou. I'm still kinda angry, but again, I could've just crashed something onto her head to finish things up before the whole 'tail-service' could start. I'm partly the one to blame, actually. But that's not something we should discuss. Right now, let's just remove those tears. It ultimately worked, as she picked my patting hand and put on her cheek to snuggle on it, purring like a cat that she isn't. "Thank you, Ichijou. But I'll learn... How to control myself. I promise."

"Okay, okay. Of course. You do that." I said, a smile back on her face. I blushed to that, another precious smile I will protect. It's worth it, anyway. Maybe I'm really weak-willed when it comes to this, but I don't want her to be sad.

Even if it turns me upset.

Nothing much happened after that. Talk went, talk came, and soon enough, I was on my bed again, clean and feeling refreshed, despite the said incident involving... Almost-intercourse. I sighed, and slowly closed my eyes for the sleepiness that was catching up with me. While at it, I can only hope that Ican control my dragon and own libido better, otherwise I'll end up killing somebody or bein killed myself.

Those girls are going to be the death of me...

.

**~~X~~**

**.**

Even after some years in being a devil, I'm still not used to the underworld.

Exiting my room to take a walk around the Gremory mansion and refresh my head, I looked outside the window, to the purplish sky outside with faint lights coming from the cloudy space. This kind of view is way different what the priests back when I was a holy knight said about how hell looks like. Sure, is not as peaceful or pleasant as Earth's view, but I can peacefully sleeps in hell. Now that's something the church wouldn't like to hear...

I yawned again as I walked towards the kitchen. Sleepy and tired, but the mixed clock back here doesn't allow me to rest that much. I need a glass of milk, and so, I reached the kitchen, where the servants were already preparing some dishes, and from the ridiculously modern fridge, I picked a bottle of milk and served myself a glass from it, taking a quick sip.

'_Kyaaaaah~, he's so manly~! I feel so jealous of Lady Nemesis~!'_

_'I heard he was a holy knight before becoming a devil~. I can see this now! What a body~.'_

_'Nero-sama, you're soooo cool!'_

And I waved an awkward hello to my maid fangirls around, as the chief-maid shoved them away back to work and shot a poisonous glare at me. Man, am I really that attractive? It took Nemesis a few months to say something like that. But it feels nice to be praised like that...

My phone suddenly rang, and so, from my pocket I picked it up to see the message in there. It was from Nemesis...

* * *

F**rom: Nemesis G.**

**I almost choked that bitch from the Vassago. Too stressed, get ready.**

* * *

I have the feeling that Lady Ixis just sneezed next to Nemesis, but if she's stressed, then I have no choice in trying to calm her down. I finished my glass of milk and took my way to my room. I'll take one more nap and try to regain my strengths.

However, when I was in the middle of the corridor next to Lord Lucifer's throne room, a sense of dread suddenly hit my heart! What is that? It's coming directly from inside the room, and yet, this is not Lord Cohen's aura. It's far too different! Not to mention... It doesn't feel like of a devil's. What's going on? Did someone invaded the Throne room?

Taking a scan around to see if no one is here to avoid a panic attack, I slowly but quickly opened the door, and what I faced was pitch black. No floor, no walls or ceiling, only a room completely engulfed in darkness. Of course, that didn't stop me to opened it and let some of the light creep inside, but even with that, I couldn't see a thing further than a few steps. Wait, where are the guards? There should be at least a dozen of ultimate-class Devils guarding this place and keeping it safe!

"Ooooh, hohohoh! Look at the little bat! I was waiting for that cockroach to appear, but I guess a entree would be good, too!" Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled inside the throne room, as the doors closed behind my back! The lights on the ceiling flicked up in dark flames, and soon the whole room was illuminated again. However, I wish now it didn't: in front of me, all of the guards, high/ultimate-class Devils at that, were in the floor in mountains of bodies, without moving a muscle. My eyes could only lead me to the voice coming from the Maoh Throne, where indeed a new figure was sitting on: a tall, muscular and pale man using a suit blacker than the eternal darkness of the abyss, so casually taking the Lucifer's place and a hand on a distorted Crimson sword that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. "So, you must be Nero Gladius, little Nemis' boy toy. I was expecting someone... Taller."

"W-Who... Who are you?" I said standing up and picking Clarent from it's own dimension, pointing at him. Instead, he laughed out loud, and sharpened his gaze.

"Oh, so you don't know me. That's surprising! After, who wouldn't know the great prime-minister of the Vampire Kingdom and the right-hand man of our illustrious Vampire King himself Nosferatu Black? You probably was living under a rock this whole time, I'll tell." He said, standing up from the throne and resting his sword on his shoulder. He grinned, his nasty, black aura consuming everything around just by him making himself look imposing. Even I'm trembling a little, but I got to be strong, or else this might get out of control. I armed myself at him, and gulped my last drop of regret. "Well, then, ex-holy knight of the Gremory House, allow me to mark your body with the power of the one and only... **DESMOND HELLSING**!"

And so, it started. Nemesis will have to wait!

* * *

S**o... Another divided chapter. I dunno, what do you guys think? It's was sexy, it was disturbing? I can never write a fully-vanilla lemon(despite the fact that it was, in fact, just outercourse)because it's just feels weird to me. So... There you have it. Next chapter we will see the conclusion of the said battle. I hope you all like and are waiting for it. Stay golden, y'all.**

**P.S.: I'd like to thank the guest reviewer nicknamed San for keeping the list of girls in ichijou's harem. Thanks, mr. San, I hope you had a nice read. And for the reviewer nicknamed bael, yes, I'll think of a loli for the next chapters, after all, all harems needs a loli. :3**


	45. Sick-ryuutei for the day

**Phew... I gotta tell, this chapter was kinda of a mess to write. First, I tried to introduce a new characer,butthe theidea faded away, because it kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. and the stupid computer crashed midway. In the end, there it is. I hope you enjoy it. I'd like to thank my fellow ficwriter Shirou Fujimura and frekat for being such good friends and... That's it. Thanks for being my friends.**

**As always, highschool dxd doesnt belong to me.**

**also, for the pun as the title... hahahahah... Shoot me now, i might getting crazy.**

* * *

And in a flash, we clashed blades. In midair, Clarent and that distorted sword clashed their edges, causing a shockwave strong enough to push all the bodies around to the walls. And it wasn't just the impact, his own strength almost bursted some of my muscles. This level of power reminds me when I first fought with Hwan Jin-Young, only worse. Several times worst at that...

"So much for a knight of a Gremory. I can't believe you were strong enough to withstand a blow from the Great Desmond Hellsing!" He declared in midair, laughing out loud as we parted ways with another clash. I landed on my two feet, and soon ran for him again! With Clarent in hand, I pushed it forward and *TING!*, the blades faced each other again! I was in my battle pose, leaving no traces of weaknesses nor breaches for him to explore. lord Desmond, the vampire Lord, however, was holding his own sword so casually like one would hold a glass of wine, with only one hand, in a gentlemanly pose that left too many wide open opportunities. However, from the smile on his face, I'm afraid that he knows exactly what he's doing. "It'll take a few millennia for you to at least be as masterful or charming as the prime minister of the Vampire Kingdom Desmond Hellsing, Young boy. However, reborn as a Gremory, I have the fair idea that your swordsmanship potential can be further unlocked. Want the prime minister of the Vampire Kingdom, Desmond Hellsing, to help you with this?"

"Please, be quiet." I said, half-daring, half-really-wanting-for-him-to-stop-introducing-himself-like-that-because-unfortunately-it's-getting-on-my-nerves. I pushed my sword forward and took the boost for distance away from him. Once on the ground, again I leaped towards the prime minister of the vampire Kingdom, Desmond Hellsing(well, isn't it contagious?), and rained on him a barrage of slashes with my demonic sword, with him fencing and blocking them away with ease. In the end, we locked our swords again. "Whatever business you have with the Demon Lord, unfortunately, I can't let your act of harm against the name and servants of my King go unnoticed. You shall pay for it, Lord Desmond!"

"Oh, hooooh~! It looks like the Gremories' sympathetic trait passed down just fine from Millicas to his new generation. To think that they would end up like that cockroach." He keeps saying 'cockroach', he's probably referring to Lord Lucifer, since his Alastor Lineage does have this side effect. No, I can't lose focus, I need to concentrate! I pulled myself away and then leaped towards him yet again, as he sighed with a grin. "This again? Young man, you need to be a little more diverse during a combat."

"Sorry to disappoint you..." And he lifted his sword for us to confront again. However, before we could do it, I landed a foot on the ground, and in a smooth move, made a complete turn around him! *VOOSH!*, as fast as only a knight can be, I trailed a burn mark on the floor shaped like a crescent moon, and unknown to him, I was now facing Lord Desmond's back. "... But I know!"

"I see. But not enough." Before I could land a blow, my [RPG] noticed a strange movement right behind my back as well. As fast as I could, I redraw Clarent from a offense position and held it in the opposite direction! ***ZING!***, before a new blade could cut me, I pulled my sword yet again and touched the point of it to misdirect that attack away from my face! "But enough enough. Hohoh, get it?"

"What?" What is happening? How can I be seeing two Lord Desmonds now? The first Lord Desmond, the one who had his back turned to me, then faced me with his blade in hand, while the second one, the one behind me, pulled his sword for a second attack! I couldn't see which one was the fake one in time, my only option was to let go of Clarent's handle and grip it by the blade to defend myself from both at the same time! Again, the double blow was enough to blow me away, as I crashed on the wall, my hand bleeding and cut from that crazy maneuver from before, the two Lord Hellsings laughing between themselves(?).

"As you can see, young man, the awesomeness of the Prime Minister of the Vampire kingdom and the right hand of the illustrious Vampire King himself Nosferatu Black, Desmond Hellsing, is so volatile that the universe itself must split him in order to maintain the natural order." He said, smiling at himself... Literally. The other one nodded. "Of course, infinite divided by two is still infinite, by the way, but at least I can look and see how gorgeous I am since, well, vampires like me don't have reflexes. Maybe it was for the best: either the mirror would crack or I'd be blinded by my own handsomeness."

"Good to see that someone in this world has a developed self-confidence." I half-joked remembering some fellows, and then I sharpened my gaze against both of them. I don't know which one is the real one nor how he was able to split himself into two, but if I defeat both of them, those doubts no more will matter. I craved the tip of my sword on the floor, and then, took a step forward against the vampire intruder, dragging it with me as more and more I build up demonic energy. Those two are in place, If I gather enough energy, from this distance, I'll be able to defeat them! "Cut the bonds that holds this world together, **BLADE OF THE COWARDS CLARENT!"**

I then, I slashed the air with it, drawing a straight line from that ground zero forward. From the edge of Clarent, a beam of demonic energy was fired, coming from both the vampires in front of me. As that slash of energy ran, it grew larger and larger, taking the shape of a demonic knight as it would go on it's way against it's opponent! When it was at his face, that mass of power was already big enough to leave no chances of dodge or escape!

***BAM!***

But then it happened. Lord Desmond again pulled his blood-stinking sword to himself and, without even blinking, passed through my knight of dark matter in a slash, vanishing it with ease without breaking a sweat, like it wasn't even there to begin with! To make things worse, when I recovered from my shock, I blinked once and ***BAM!***, lord Desmond appeared Right in front of me in a flash! I didn't react to that, he blew me away with the handle of his sword, and then he leaped again against me!

"Be proud! At least you stood a few seconds against the one and only prime min-...!"

***ANTI-DRAGON HOLY ARMOR: STARDUST CRUSADER!***

***PUNCH!***

"Please, be quiet!" And before he could Chant his little mantra again and cut me to pieces, I summoned my holy armor and used it's boost of energy to regain my posture and land a solid hit on his face! The bunker on the armor of my forearm them exploded and launched a second shockwave against him, making Lord Desmond be ejected backwards! However, using his bat-like wings, it didn't take him long to safely land on the ground, despite the fact that I could see a trail of blood coming from his mouth.

"Oh, dear. Look at this, isn't that one of those Holy Arms, armor that works the same way as Holy swords? I'm impressed that little Nemis has the possession of someone with one of those." Lord Desmond declared with a smile, cleaning that bloody trail on his mouth with his long tongue, as he shined his sharp teeth to me. Dusting his suit one last time and taking his time to weight his own sword yet again with one hand. "That should be interesting. Someone with a Holy Arm against the Prime Minister of the Vampire Kingdom."

"And that's not all I have to show you, Lord Desmond." I declared, as I began to unleash the holy aura that was oozing from my armor, my Holy Arms. It burns a little, but I guess I can handle.

"Oh, hoh. It looks like someone brought a souvenir from his time as a holy knight. How interesting that the amor didn't reject you yet." He observed with a hand on his chin and an interested gaze. It has been a while since I last used this form of my Holy Arms, and I'm surprised how I can still hold it without any drawbacks. A holy sword serving now a devil, isn't that ironic? Well, it doesn't have enough impact since Lady Xenovia, but still. I stomped hard on the floor, and with it, was ready to cut him to pieces! "No matter. my Bloody Mary is made from the noble pure-blood of the one and only Prime minister of the Vampire Kingdom and the righthand man of our illustrious Vampire King Nosferatu Black, Desmond Hellsing. Be a demon sword, be a holy arm, no matter it's credits, shall not harm me in the hands of a milk-stinking Gremory. However, your fighting spirit and determination to stand against me have their charms. Very well, Nero Gladius, the Ex-holy knight of the Crimson maiden, give me your best! Satisfy my bloody Mary's craving for war and violence like you satisfy your King every night!"

"So I... So I shall." I muttered those last words as soon as I realized how perverted they were. I'm blushing now, that's embarrassing to admit. I shook my head to free my mind from a nude Nemesis's imageries, and soon armed myself again, lifting my sword against, I might die, but at least I hold him enough to avoid more damage. And now, everything I could do was to wait...

... Wait...

... Wait...

...

***BAM!***

***BAM!***

**"EN GARDE, LAD!"** And then we leaped against each other, weapons at hand, read to cross our blades in a thunderous clash! My Holy armor and Clarent versus his Bloody Mary! Such adrenaline, such atmosphere! Imm ready to take his all as we approach against one another! In the end, we lifted our swords and clashed then, causing a shockwave enough to tremble and partially crumble the room! And then pulled our weapons again!

"Okay, that's enough." But before our spar could go on, someone appeared right in between us and, with a swift move with both of his hands, blew us away to opposite walls of the throne room. My tired body didn't respond in time, and so I hit my back against the wall, landing on my two feet. I recovered from the shock, and then turned to the author of that interruption: silver hair, pale skin, tall and lean, a scar crossing one of his purple, slitted-pupil eyes, standing all high and might on his demon Lord's gear of cape and awesome shoulder-plates and on top of his high-heels. The current ruler of the Devil society and Nemesis' father, our lord Cohen Lucifer. "In all honesty, you two shouldn't fight here were my predecessor Lord Sirzechs once stood. You don't want to make me angry."

"Cohen, my boy!" By the other side, I could see the giant that was Lord Desmond stand up again and walk casually to the Lucifer's direction. Lord Cohen grunted. "Long time no see. You goddamn cockroach! I didn't see you around, so I was here all the time to kill some time, when you daughter's vibrating joystick came in. I wanted to play a prank on him, so..."

"Save me from your nonsense, Desmond. If it wasn't for my maids, you would probably destroy this place and my daughter's knight. If you wanna fight, we'll do it outside!" Lord Cohen lifted one of his fists against the prime minister of the vampires. Instead of going on another rant about his greatness, the former lifted both his hands in a defensive manner. Well, that's surprising.

"Cohen-boy, you know that we vampire don't age like you Devils. Maybe it's because the most beautiful things in the world must live the least in order to be better appreciated, but I'm not in my prime time." He laugh-sighed, as lord Cohen huffed away and grinned, shooting at Lord Desmond a nosy glare and sticking his tongue out to a random direction. Definitely our Lord Cohen.

"Aw, Nero-san too. Come over here." I lifted and turned my gaze to lord Cohen, with him waving at himself, probably calling for me to come closer. However, instead, I remained in my battle gear and pose, waiting for somethin to happen!

"I'm sorry, Lord Lucifer, but this man shall not pass!" I said, and like it was nothing, lord Cohen tilted his head to a side, in total confusion. "Please, do not ignore the fact that he is responsible for the atrocity in this room! Look around and see the victims of his deadly 'prank'!"

"Victims of his deadly pran-...? Oh, I get it." Lord Cohen went from confused to enlightened, as he snapped his slender fingers and turned his annoyed gaze to lord Desmond. "Really? Stop screwing around with my daughter's playthings."

"In all honesty, I think they are screwing your daughter around." He's not lying. Wait...

"*SIGH* Nero..."

"Yes, sir?!"

***ZOOM!***

***SNAP!***

"Snap out of it." And with those words, lord Cohen closed the distance between us in a microsecond, and extending his arm for me, snapped his fingers right in front of my helmet. The world around me shook a little, and after a few seconds of total chaos, I was back to reality, but with a twist: there was no bodies around. I was at the loss of words facing that, when Lord Cohen sighed and flipped my armor again, making it crumble to the ground. He's indeed earned the title of Supreme demon lord and second in command after Lord Grandmaster Millicas. "**Phono-hypnosis**. Pretty tricky. He must've blinded you for it to work, this idiot has been pranking and popping cherries with this since I know him."

"Huhuh, you're being too judgmental, Cohen-boy." The vampire prime minister said, coming closer while I backed a few steps away from his new location. "I'd never, ever, use a cheap trick to lure my lovers and victims(I think he meant 'lovers or victims', but you never know.). My natural charms are enough."

"With all due respect, prime-minister of the vampire kingdom and the right-hand man of the illustrious Vampire King himself Nosfetatu Black, lord Demond Hellsing... I don't give a damn." Wow, harsh there, Lord Cohen. The vampire lord instead chuckled, while lord Cohen took the lead and him away from me. "Now, let's go. There's a lot we need to discuss in order to convince Lord Black to make the alliance with us. The Nordic and Greek are in the mix, but if we be eloquent enough, things might work out."

"Indeed. He's as stubborn as I'm handsome." Chuckled the vampire lord making Lord Cohen turn his eyes around. Gosh, he's probably compensating for the other low self-esteemed guys I've been meeting. But, all in all, both of them turned around and walked away to another place, leaving me alone. Well, that was indeed unique. "Hey, Can I go to the G-Room?"

"Not even in a million years, you nincompoop." A hint of curiosity hit my head. The G-room? What is that? Nemesis nor lady Gremory ever tell me about this, and to be honest, I have the impression that no one besides us is aware of that room. And by the sudden change of lord Cohen's position to defensive, I have the impression there's a good reason not to. But lord Desmond was persistent.

"C'mon. I heard it from a little bird. It seems that the Lucifer shouldn't hide something from a prime-minister if we want a healthy alliance."

"Desmond, no. And that's it." Lord Cohen said, as Lord Desmond sighed away, yet couldn't bring himself to argue again after the latter's death glare. Before they could walk away, The lucifer lord turned to me and said. "You can leave or you can help us with a plan, Nero. After all, an ex-holy knight may Come in hand during the reunion. Lord Nosferatu won't be so... Light with us."

"So sorry, but Nemesis is... Stressed." I said with a sweat dropping from my head. Yep, he knows that Nemesis can be quite disturbing when she's upset, and by the look on his face, I can assume I'm scout-free. However...

"Very well, you can go. But when you're... Done, please come over the Throne room. I'm having a plan and you might end up as an important piece of it."

And with it, I bowed a last goodbye and left the throne room, with only my swords and a few questions. Me? In a peace reunion? I dunno what to feel, but I have the feeling that more things will unravel themselves as we walk closer to it. I just can feel it...

But for now... I should calm Nemesis down before she bring the house down.

**.**

**~~X~~**

.

My head is killing me, I can't move, and the simple turn of my gaze hurts my eyeballs. Somehow, anyhow, I'm sick, bedridden even, without the possibility of getting out of my rest. I have the feeling that the cause of this little sickness is...

_'Don't worry, I won't left a single drop goes to waste~.'_

_'W-Wow, so much~...'_

_'WAAAAH~! ICHIJOU~! ICHIJOU~~! ICHIJOOOOOOOOU~~!'_

...

Nah, I don't wanna remember...

"Yep, this is it, our little Ichijou is sick." My sister Satsuki said, removing the thermometer from my mouth and taking a medical look at me one more time. Like a good doctor, she placed a lollipop in my mouth, and sighed, as everybody is here to see me. "He has a high fever, but for some reason what's causing this isn't a virus or a disease for that matter. Maybe it's stress."

"Poor Ikkun. Bedridden just because he can't stand his everyday life. That's really a pity." Sister Shion said as she passed her hand on my face. She's half seriously worried, half hiding her pissed-off mode, since I can feel her forcing her sandpaper hand to scratch me. "What a pity, indeed."

"Cease this now, sister Shion." Yoko frowned at her, making Shii-nee remove her hand on me. Instead, Yoko was the one to pass her hand on my forehead, seriously worried.

"Well, mother and Ryuubi-chan will be around to help him. Maybe a day of rest and he'll be alright tomorrow. I have some aspirins back in the clinic. I'll bring some in case he gets worse." My oldest sister said. Mom and Ryuubi nodded at that, while the others like Yoko and my sisters sighed in relief. Go-nee tapped my head with her knuckles. "Get better, Ichijou."

"Will... Do... Go-nee." I said. After that, all of them left my room with the exception of Yoko, Ryuubi and mom. Yoko was unwilling to leave my side, but mother said something about school that made her sigh in defeat and prepare her things to go to Kuoh. But not before kissing me in the forehead. However, the heat only made things even more uncomfortable. Mom left saying she'll make a soup, and so, it was only me and Ryuubi Gentoku, sitting on a chair next to my bed.

"Huh, Kurama-dono sure does love Hong Long a lor, doesn't she?" The monkey girl, wearing and stretching my white shirt and black pants said. Again, I have no idea who this 'Kurama' is, so I'll assume she's talking about Yoko. Does Yoko really loves me that much? Well, she did say she wants to start over, and I'm happy to have her by my side. But love maybe it's too much of a stretch.

"Maybe; maybe not. I'm cool with it. She has been... Really nice." I said with all of my forces, coughing a little due to my weakened lungs and spinning head. Ryuubi giggled, and crossed her legs on her chair.

Come to think of it, Ryuubi is also one of the nicest girls I've met so far. Of course, the list is very, very long, but she is one of the firsts to meet me without being all confrontational nor ulteriorly interested besides Kaichou and Irene-san(that last time didn't count.). Sure; we fought over our origins, but since the beginning, she has been real nice to me and everybody else. Not to mention, she's really strong. No wonder she's a Rook, trained under Son Goku himself. This makes me wonder, what is she? Demi-God? Human? Moreover, how can Gremory be able to turn her into one of her Evil Piec-...?

Uuuuuh~... Headache again. Fine, Ryuubi is cool and great. That's it...

"Still, maybe it was because of her I ended up like that..." I sighed and thought out loud, regretting this soon after as Ryuubi tilted her head in curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"It's... Nothing. Nothing, really." I said back, hoping for her to not take that seriously. In fact, it kinda worked, as she simply smiled back and... Picked a manga out of my shelf. Can she read in Japanese? Apparently, yes, as she began to laugh at one of my issues of Dr. Slump. I could only stare at the ceiling, fever going overdrive, bored to death and knowing that I'll have extra work tomorrow. This sucks. "Eeeeeh~..."

"You'll be better by tomorrow, Hong Long, don't you worry about anything. Being sick is only natural." She said patting me in the head. Somehow, this made me feel a little better, but nothing that could relief me from the heat in my head. Ryuubi then removed the towel on my head to up it on the cold water a little more, to then put it back. "How ironic. A dragon with a fever. It's so ironic it's kind of sad. How can such powerful creature ended up falling for such petty reason."

"I can assure you, there's nothing 'petty' about being unable to move, Ryuubi." I grunted, puffing a cloud of smoke out of my system.

"Well, if my memories serves me correct, dragons can only be sick during epidemics of dragon-flu or for having little to no energy stocked." Those words made me freeze on place. Oh, crap. She knows! This is bad! This is really, really bad! She arrowed me with a sharp eye and changed her smile to a grin. I have a bad feeling about this. "So, tell me. How come you caught such unusual virus? Or perhaps someone stole your energy somehow? I'm really curious about it."

"What... What do you mean, Ryuubi-chan?" Stress building up, skull almost cracking, headache getting worse and worse. This is really bad for my head and heart. She continued to stare at me with a rather disturbing grin, and from it, I could only turn around and instead stare at the wall in front of me now. I heard someone giggling by my back.

"Oh, it's... Nothing. Nothing, really." She said followed by another set of giggles. This is not reassuring at all. "But for some reason, you're miles more gallant today than the day before. I wonder why for that?"

"...!" A sparkle of an idea suddenly shined in my mind! That's it! I discovered a way to cover my... Thing with Yoko yesterday with an good excuse. Sure, she might actually jump on me for that, but that's the only way I can escape this current misery. Without even looking at her, I said. "HUUUH~... Yeah... T turns out, Ryuubi-chan, I reached my Balance Breaker yesterday! Isn't that great? The scale mail armor was awesome, but drained all of my energy in one go! That must be the... Huuuh~... That must be the reason."

"Oh, that enlightens things a little bit. No wonder the scent I can feel from you now is completely different from the day before."

"You're not... You're not going to attack me, are you?"

"Of course not, Hong Long. I'm not an youkai."

***FOOOOSH!***

"WHA-...?!" And the headache struck again! "Ooooow..."

"Huuuh? What's the matter, Sekiryuutei. Having bad dreams?" She spoke as soon as I landed softly on the bed again. She asks that, but I'm sure that she knows what happened yesterday. And now what? What is she gonna do with that information? Is She gonna blackmail me? No, she'll probably announce this to everyone without noticing the consequences this might bring!

Ouch~! Goddamnit, I cannot think too much or else the throbbing in my head just gets worse~! I turned back to the heroine of the three kingdoms, and she's smiling at me! Who knows what she's thinking about now. Probably something... Something. I dunno, I can't think of anything or figure what she might be thinking.

"No... It's nothing. Hey, Ryuubi..." I called for her, and she blinked once for me as I caught her attention. Okay, be smooth. "Say, if... By any chance, you ended up discovering a secret of mine... What would you want from me to keep it... A secret? I mean... Do I have any secrets that you just might have discovered?"

"...?" And she tilted her head again. Okay, not as smooth as I wanted to be, but I guess it's good enough for her. She rolled her eyes to the top of her sockets, and after some thought, she snapped her fingers. Did I get it? "Oh, right. Mama Anzu once said that you're scared of centipedes!"

***BAM!***

"By the Gods! Hong Long, are you okay?!" No! I'm not okay! I just hit my freaking head on the bed! This hurts like fuck! Ohh~, why this happens to me! It's because I'm a devil?! This is so unfair! Things got a little better, or worse, when Ryuubi pulled me closer to search something on my head, and by elimination, I ended up with her breasts on my face. They're as big as ever, but I have the feeling she wants to rip my shirt apart. The shirt she's using, if you let me correct myself. "Oh, thank goodness! No major wounds here. For a moment I thought your skull would split apart with the shock plus your fever. I'm glad you're strong."

"..." Y'know, I take that back. Ryuubi is really sweet. But she does know too much. Maybe if I just ask with care, she might actually forget about it. Of course, if she doesn't suffocate me with her boobs first! I can't breath! "Wyuubi, I can't... Bweath..."

"Now, now. You better rest for now, Hong Long." And she put me back semi-conscious on the bed, sitting now at the edge of it with her legs crossed. You know what? I'm hungry now. I wonder what mother will bring for lunch. Probably her special soup she learns during her vacations and honeymoon with dad on Hawaii and Okinawa. My stomach groaned, so did I. "Hungry? Of course you should. I'm quite hungry myself too. I've been training nonstop since I got here."

"Eh? You've been... Training?" Is that what she does all the time when she's not shopping? I'm impressed. She turned to me and nodded with another smile. I'm getting noxious now. Her smile is so sugary I might end throwing up.

"Affirmative! Master Sun Wukong says that a healthy mind and a healthy body can maintain a healthy soul!" She said. Son Goku said that, huh? No wonder he's considered one of the strongest beings on the universe, according to Gremory. He was the one who trained both lord Vali and Senpai during the formation of DxD, and to think he could hold against both the hero of the underworld and the strongest Hakuryuukou of all time... I wonder if Ryuubi should be the Queen of our peerage instead of me. But then again, that would be against Gremory's original plan. Huuuuh~, thinking too much, headache attack. "He also says that a healthy body comes with a healthy meal. I wonder if mother Anzu already made something."

"..." She still calls mom 'Anzu'. Maybe after all of her nicknames she has been gathering since I know her, mom is now trying to avoid her other name. I can't blame her. But in turn, the Amano family does have poor taste for names(my name means 'One Street', what the hell.). "Hey, Ryuubi."

"Yes, Hong Long?"

"Do you miss Gremory?" I asked. "I do... Kinda."

" Of course I miss lady Berolina, Hong Long." She said, turning to me and tilting her head to a random side. "My life in the jade palace was pretty mundane until her arrive. Nothing more, nothing new, just the same old training with Master Sun Wukong and the same gathering with the gods. But with her, since everybody knows about the Gremory name, I felt that my life could be exciting by their side. That's why Master allowed me to join your team, and I was so glad about it."

"Huh, so sorry about it. Ever since you became part of her peerage, with the exception of the Rating Game, nothing really happened." I said with a sardonic remark. I feel bad for her. Only in the Rating Game to be a mere foot soldier. That's really sad, as for now she's only a servant of the Gremory instead of an awesome teacher back in the palace of the gods. However, her smile didn't fault.

"That's not true, Hong Long. Everyday has been fun. Either with lady Tasha, our Mother Lady Anzu, lady Kurama or even with your company, I have a good time with you all. Feelings and memories that shall be precious to me until my death. And, of course, being besides the Red Dragon Emperor means that I'll be having a good time once in a while." She said in a dreamy way. I forgot how simple-minded she is. If she's good with it, she's good with it. She has her own definition of fun and adventure, and even if it's just a moment, she enjoys every second of it. I dunno if she's happy with it or just naive. I can't understand her at all, but I have the feeling that she might be right. Nah, she's not. She probably doesn't even know how the aspect of work means. Even so, she's trying to cheer me up. And it's... Working? "So, even if I have no reason to actually fight, having companions of your caliber makes me glad That I've joined the peerage."

"You're... You're just too naive, Ryuubi."

"Come again?"

"Nothing." And I huffed again. I have no reason to confront her, but doesn't mean I agree with her, at all. But again... Maybe you can have a good time even in the most dark places, like I did yesterday. HUUUH, headache again.

"Seems the little birds are doing just great." And entering my room with a bowl of soup, comes Mum. But the steam and smell, I was indeed correct: she did prepare her special soup of soft-shelled turtle with energy drink. I dunno, but something about it makes it specially delicious. Maybe it's the effort and motherly love she puts in it, maybe it's her way to say 'get better soon' with culinary goods. The thing is, is through this Dish I know she cares a lot. "Hey, there, Ichijou. For what I can hear, you two are getting along just fine."

"Yes, I guess." I said. Mom pushed a chair for herself, and once sit, she dived the spoon into the soup, blowing it a little to shove the steam away.

"Here; take a spoonful. This will make you feel better." And soon I took the first bite, feeling that taste of something bitter, salty, sweet and even a little spicy along with it, all at the same time. I gulped hard since my throat is a little sore, and that liquid passed through my system to my stomach. "Heh, I never thought I would be feeding you like that again. It kinda makes me nostalgic."

"Mom, you're kinda making this a little creepy." I said with a cough. Now what? Is she gonna make me use dippers and pacifiers? I'm just joking, of course. She stuck her tongue out, picking and blowing another spoonful for me.

"Haw-haw-haw, very funny, Ichijou. But I'm not the one who trembles like a baby just by seeing centipedes." I grunted under my breath with her little witty remark, seeing both mom and Ryuubi holding their laughs. That's not fair, it was Futaba who gave me this phobia since she used to stuff them into my ear canals. That stuff was crazy. Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. "Oh, who could it be? I wonder if it's the new mangaka?"

"Mother, the editors assigned you to other artist again?" I asked her. This is her fifth mangaka since the beginning of the year. Maybe she's just unlucky enough to pick those who don't give good stories... And by good stories, as for today's standards, I mean shameless fanservice and harems. She sighed, put the bowl down and stood up from her seat.

"Yeah. What a pity, eh? But don't worry, I marked our first meeting here anyway, so I won't be too far away. If anything, just ask." She said, walking through the door, but not before giving a final message. "Oh, and Ryuubi-chan? Could you help Ichijou? He's a little lazy when he's sick."

"No! I'm n-Owowowowow...!" I tried to put myself sit on the bed in response to that rude remark, but the headache struck again, so I was forced to lay down. Mother then sighed, and came back to place a last kiss on my forehead, before leaving definitely. And now, it's just me and Ryuubi... Again.

"Well, might as well help myself." Ryuubi said with a smile, as she picked a spoonful out of the soup. I closed my tired eyes and opened my mouth in anticipation, but after a while, nothing came. It turns out, when I opened my eyes, the Chinese girl was munching on the turtle flesh without a worry in the world. Are you serious? "Huuuuh~, mother Anzu proved once again her cooking rivals the heavens themselves!"

"Ryuubi, if you don't mind, I want a taste." I said matter-of-factly, my stomach grunting even more now. I can't scream because both of my headache and the visit to mom, but I'm really close to snap right now. She blinked back at me in realization, and bowed apologetically.

"Oh, Apologies, Hong Long. Here! Take one spoonful." She said as she dived the spoon again into the soup and now moved it to me. I opened my mouth waiting for the mix of flavors again, but instead, I tasted the mix of flames!

"Uuuh~! Huh! Hot! Hot!" I spat some of the content in my sleeve and gulped down the rest of that molten lava. Guuuuh~, now I have a burned tongue and a burning fever! This is hell~! "Ryuubi... Too hot...!"

"Ah, ah! Sorry. A thousands apologies, Hong Long. I didn't know it was that hot for you. Let me try one more time!" She said with a now uneasy smile and scratching her head. That's it, one more of those and I'm eating alone... No, wait, I can't. Everything is hurting so much I can't even lift the spoon. Well, might as well break that limit because I won't be subjected to that anymore. And so, Ryuubi dived the spoon again into the soup and... Took it for herself. She took another one, and another, and another, until there was no more space in her mouth and cheeks. She looks like a squirrel now. A squirrel... That drank all of my soup.

"Ryuubi, I know you have good intentions, but there's a limit of what you should do, and what you did just now was..." Before I could complete my sentence, however, she picked my by the cheeks, right on top of me on the bed, making me face her swollen face, and with the little space she still had with her lips, smiled again. And then, she began to approach me with that face. Wait, what?! "Uuh, ryuubi... What... Wait, what are you...?!"

***Chuu~!***

"...!" And... She kissed me! If this the 'kissing Ichijou' week or something?! She really kissed me! The rook of my team kissed me! And not just that! It didn't stop there: from then, she forced my lips open and, with tongue and lips, passed for me all of that warm soup through our mouths. That's right, she's feeding me mouth-to-mouth!

I tried to fight, but I hadn't enough energy for that, making me hopeless against that assault! Her soft lips, her jelly tongue, the mix of flavors passing through my throat mixed with her own bitter saliva. She kept 'bumping' soup into my mouth, and I had no choice but to swallow everything coming to me. And now, for some reason, I feel intoxicated. It's definitely the soup messing with my head, but it was so good that I kept sucking on her as more and more of that bitter liquid chugging down my body.

I gulped the whole soup, but continued to lick on her mouth. So moist, so bitter, so warm, I continued to lick every corner of her cavity looking for every lost drop of soup in there. I bit her lip by accident, but she didn't mind, our tongues entwining themselves in that strangely arousing fight, as I could feel the soft sensation of exploring her. It was good, it was bitter and salty. Eventually, we broke apart for air, a thin line of saliva separating us, as she put herself sit on my bed, drying her mouth and smiling. Huh, maybe she's right, everyday life can be exciting...

"Sorry about that, Hong Long, but it's every men's romance to be feed by a woman, isn't it? So, consider this an apology for my previous behavior." She said, muffling her chuckles with her mouth. I was... Catatonic after that. Wait, what? Wasn't that a little extreme for an apology? I mean, sure, kissing girls now is a thing for me, but that was too much. I can't... I think the headache is not much of a problem, now that I was again violated. But yet again, I can't complain because it felt good... Kinda. Still, what? A drool mixed with soup escaped my lips, and then she went ahead to lick it off. "Hum~. Better avoid getting this to waste, is it not?"

"..."

"Hong Long...?"

"..."

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

***PUNCH!***

"You'll never catch me, impure thoughts!" And with that last scream of challenge, I punched myself into unconsciousness before my own libido could savage her like I did with Yoko the day before.

First, I saw stars, then planets, then constellations, then the saints running away from Shaka, and then complete and utter darkness. I guess this is it. I ran away from her, like when Son Goku tried to ran away from Buddha, only to be cornered by the same at the edge of the universe. Just like me: I think I'm running away, but she'll always be there in reality to catch me up...

"You're really bold to compare yourself to the strongest senjutsu master alive, Ichijou Tsukino." And I'm back to my unconscious world, being greeted by my little redhead pixie, Yagura. Like always, I was sitting on a seat in front of the blackboard, which was now all crafted up because of Red Dragon's little display of awesomeness, while she was sitting on the teacher's desk, we both wearing Kuoh's uniform. "Also, to be fair, I'm sure that a maiden in love is even more persistent and omniscient than Buddha himself."

"Now, who's blaspheming?" I sighed away. Since I'm still on my mind, body movements don't hurt like they used to, but this is also my mind. Which means moving and thinking too much will give me a headache nonetheless. I held my head in pain, and after some struggling, I was back to normal. "Uuuuugh~, this headache is killing me. And with Ryuubi around, I don't think I'll be able to rest for too long."

"Now, that's something I never heard a man complain about." She shot me a rather half-assed grin, jumping off her place and walking towards me. She stopped in front of me, and so I stood up to put myself on the same level as her. "Also, she likes you, like a lot. You're friends, sharing a moment together, and as members of the same peerage, that's good exercise to enhance companionship. Did you know Spartans used to sleep together and grow homoerotic relationships so that the anger of a death could be used as battle fuel?"

"That's something I rather not know." I sighed. At least here I can think clearly without the pain of a headache. Since I'm in the center of the Boosted Gear, I can't feel a thing, but still, I dunno why I can feel my Skull cracking open. I snapped back to reality, well my reality, and then I saw Yagura holding a little music box for me. I tilted my head in confusion. "Huh? What's that? Since when you have it?"

"That's... A little gift from me. Congratulations for reaching Balance Breaker. Cheating or not, you reached it, and so here's a little present from me." I'm still kinda confused. What is this? I mean, there's no way I can bring something from the ethereal plane to the real one. Yet, I can feel a warm, powerful aura emanating from inside that box. I wonder that it is. "Here lies all the power you can now achieve with your new potential and resolution, a gift passed down from user to user. And now, it's yours."

"A... Music box?" I asked. Yagura chuckled, even though she's a girl she doesn't giggles, she chuckles.

"No, the music box... Actually is a physical, mundane representation of your grown as a devil and the user of the gauntlet of the red dragon emperor, more specifically a imaginary and metaphorical way to describe to you that your potential can now unlock something that was once hidden and locked but now it's available due to your effort and evolution as you unfold and grow with your power and with the new challenges that might come with time, you might need it to further walk your way higher and higher in order to keep growing."

"..."

"...?"

"..."

"..."

"In other words, the box is a metaphor for unlocked new powers that now I can access."

"Yep, pretty much it." Hell yeah! Poetry classes, you rock!

"Okay, let's get this started. However, I don't think I can find the key to open this-... Whoa!" Suddenly, I felt something cold and heavy on my left hand, almost escaping my grasp if it wasn't for my now faster reflexes. When I scanned it, I saw it was a key, a golden key, which shape and color matches with the keyhole in the box. "What the...? Since When I have this key?"

"Silly Ichijou, you always had it." Yagura then smiled, putting the box right in front of me. "You just couldn't, or rather, didn't want to see it."

"Sheesh, enough with the cheesiness. Do you guys think I'm a mouse or something?" I said. Regardless of it, I'm actually excited about this? So, this is another line I've crossed, huh? Even cheating, Yagura accepted me as the new host of the red dragon's gauntlet, and now, I'm about to unlock even more secrets. My heart is racing a bit, and my hand is trembling to reach that keyhole. With one more gulp of anticipation, I shoved the key into it's respective place, and turned it sideways. The box opened by itself, and then, *BUM!*, a show of blinding lights came from inside of it. It was so powerful, so warm, I was on the brink of tears with it, finally, after a while being bathed by it, everything turned completely white...

...

...

"Ichijou~... Ichijoooooou~..."

"What?" I slowly opened my eyes, and then I noticed that I Was now in some tunnel of light, as a shadow appeared right in front of me. After a while, that silhouette showed itself... As a plushy version of the Scale Mail armor. "What the hell~?"

"It is me~... The power hidden inside the Boosted Gear~... Fear me~, for I am the true potential that you unlocked not so long ago~... Whoooooh~, whoooo~..." It spoke, hovering right in front of me in a falsetto masculine voice. Suddenly, all the magic vanished, and I grimaced so hard my face hurt a lot.

"..."

"Whooooh~... I shall lend you the power of the true dragon emperor~... Make Issei and the others such as Belzard proud~... As I command, because For I am... No, wait... For I am the power inside of you... Whooooh~, whooooh, sonnavabitch~..."

"Yagura, stop."

"Meh, joy-killer." And the tunnel of light disappeared, now turning back into a Kuoh's classroom, where I was supporting myself on a wall, and Yagura was on her knees in front of me, a plushy of the Scale Mail in her hands. That's... Actually very well-made, I wonder if she knitted it herself. "But in case you ask... Yes, congratulations for your promotion, Ichijou. I'm proud of you. It's not much, it's nothing compared to your predecessor, but you're going the right way, bro."

"Thanks, I guess." She stood up and helped me do the same. Huh, I'm a little sore, but without the major headache, I'm pretty good to go. I looked to my left hand, and clapped my hands together. "Thank you, dragon emperor Ddraig, I own you one."

**[DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT, PARTNER. YOU DID IT ON YOUR OWN.]** The powerful voice echoed in my head, apparently happy about it, if not a little relieved. **[YOU MIGHT END UP LIKE MY PREVIOUS HOST, BUT I WON'T COMPLAIN. SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT LIFE CAN NEVER BE TOO QUIET WITH THE LIKES OF YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, PARTNER, AND CONTINUE TO GROW STRONGER. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE WHITE ONE CAN DO WITH NOW BOTH THAT WHITE GUY AND THE DESCENDANT OF LUCIFER INSIDE OF HIM OR HER.]**

"Right, the White vanishing dragon emperor of supremacy Albion and his previous Host Lord Vali Lucifer." I repeated those names a few times in my head to get used to them. Right, according to the lore, the white one and the red one should eternally fight each other, this goes for their hosts as well, generation after generation. Ddraig and Albion, Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing, Senpai and lord Vali. And now, with The strongest host of past, present and future sealed inside The Light wings of the white dragon emperor, who knows what the current one can do with such power and tutelage. I bit my tongue again in order to contain my anxiousness, and sighed. "You're right. If I ever bump into the white one... I'll show him that and the Lord Vali inside of him that senpai's legacy didn't go to waste!"

**[WISE WORDS, PARTNER. LIVE UP TO HIM... AND YOURSELF.]**

"And now who's the cheesy one?" Yagura appeared right behind me to rest one of her arms on my shoulder. She puffed a cloud of steam out of her mouth, and smiled for me. "But you're right. Red one, white one, Issei, Vali, who cares, right? In the end, living up to them or not... I think you're cool of your own."

"Thanks, Yagura." And I smiled back. Being praised is nice, being strong is nice. I wonder if... Annie would be saying I'm cool with all of that happening. Great, now I'm a little depressed, but worry not, I'll find her. I'll find her and beat some sense into her, for her own sake.

"Well, I guess is time for you to go. Best regards." Yagura said, walking away from me and standing a few steps. However, I felt no hurry to go. Because I know what lies by the other side... That means, a skull-breaking headache and a happy-go-lucky, absent-minded warlord whose kisses can shatter walls and melt the Sun. Maybe I can tell her that I have possible rabies, that will make her stay away from me. Not that I don't like it, she's just too... Forceful.

"Huuuh~, I don't want to go, now. I'm alright now. Don't worry." I gave her the thumbs up, but she didn't buy it. Man, those girls sure are smart those days, what happened to the mindless sex-machines that every other series and fanfiction have? Instead, she stuck her tongue out.

"What? Are you afraid that Ryuubi-dono might mouth-rape you again? That Kurama-dono might jump on your schlong again?" She teased, moving her tongue up and down and hugging my neck. I'm used to this, so I just ignored her and turned my head away. Doesn't mean I didn't blush a little. She might be smaller than me, but she's a cute girl nonetheless. What the hell am I thinking? "Hum~, you might fear them, but I have you know... In terms of forcefulness, no one can surpass me."

"Eh, whatever lady..."

"..."

"Wait, wha-...?" And then she pushed me to the ground, and we rolled with it a little! Oh, no! What's happening?! When I snapped back to reality, where were in the middle of the classroom, everything shoved away to give us space, with me locked in a arm-lock by her slender, yet strong legs. "Oh, Shit! Yagura, what the hell?!"

"C'mon, say you're gonna go away. I need my privacy here, and I can't lost it just because you're afraid of a bunch of girls!" She spoke as I tried to scratch her face with my hands, to no use since she pushed me even further and almost dislocated my elbow. "So, go away now, or else... I'll rape you!"

"...!" Wait?! Is she gonna... No! This has to be a joke! A joke! She can't be serious... Right? She wouldn't rape a sweet, fragile and still virgin boy like myself, would she?! "You're bluffing! You gotta be bluffing!"

"Am I? AM I?! Think again." And then, ***RIP!***, without a second of hesitation and now putting me in a headlock, she ripped my blazer and shirt off! Oh, God! She's really gonna rape me! She turned around in a way that my head were now touching her chest, and licked her lips. "Wow, Ichijou. Your training payed off! Look at those muscles. Not too ripped, but not too lean either. It's good to touch it."

"Kyaaaaaah~! Kyaaaaaah~! Someone, help me! Stranger danger, stranger danger! Bad touch, bad touch!" I screamed like a little bitch, slapping the ground around and trying my best to summon my Boosted Gear, all in vain! Ddraig, why have you forsaken me~?! "No, please! How can you even rape me if here is inside my head?! That makes no sense!"

"Believe me, I'm an expert! I'll rape you so bad that you'll wake up with a broken pelvis!"

"Kyaaaaah~! Kyaaaah~! Don't do it! I won't be able to marry anymore if you touch my maiden parts~!" I fought as she ripped my shirt even more and traced her hand lower and lower, almost toying with the elastic of my boxers. What does she means with 'being an expert'?! No, I don't want to know, and I don't want to be deflowered either! "Kyaaaah! Kyaaaaah! Why is no one helping me?! It's because am I a guy?! Kyaaaah!"

"Hahahah! Keep screaming! Your shouts of protest can only boost my desire for flesh!" She spoke in a really dark, strong voice, like the voice a rapist would have! Before I knew it, her skirt and jacket escaped and landed on my face! Ho-.-Ly. Shit! She's undressing!

"Okay, okay! I give up! Please, spare my innocence. This... This isn't funny, Yagura." I said, slapping the ground and grunting under my breath, sniffing something sweet from the skirt on my face. The weight on me suddenly lifted, and then I was free from her grasp. She then landed herself on me, now holding me by my cheeks. Oh, I know where this is going. "I hate you, you know. Stop being so forceful and bossy. I don't want a sacred gear with someone like you."

"Welp, guess what? Even if you die, your stored soul will be here. So get used to it." She spoke, smiling and pulling herself closer to me. I sighed, and still with that blush in my face, I leaned a little forward. She gasped in surprise, but then grinned. "Oh-hoh. Look at you, being all bold by yourself. I like that."

"Shut up, Yagura."

"No, shut up you, Ichijou."

And then we kissed. It's the sixth time I kiss someone, yet that nauseating feeling is still strong, making me uncomfortable and disgusted. To be fair, she has a very innocent kiss, not ravaging my mouth, despite her claims. Maybe kissing girls is not that gross...

That reminds me... I forgot again to ask who she is... Ah, I'm fainting again... Shit.

...

.

~~X~~

.

And so he's out of the Boosted Gear world. Heheh. I scared him straight, and he's becoming so bold too. I feel like a mother, seeing her little boy growing up to be a good adult. Well, of course; without those incestuous undertones between us.

But of course, unfortunately he ain't completely cured, and like a mother, I'm afraid that can actually catch up with him. Thanks goodness I... 'Convinced' him to leave in time, or else he could ended up seeing... It.

I reached for the opaque school window, and sliding it up, I could take the full inglorious view of a destroyed city, the black sky and the blood-sticking world as a whole. This whole world, this section of his conscious linked to the Boosted Gear... In ruins.

In the middle of it all, a Well-known miniature Crimson dragon, fallen on a crater, heavily panting and struggling to stand up. At least it's growing weaker and weaker as the time goes by. Yet, is still there, all of Ichijou's pains, griefs and regrets taking shape. That alone was enough to awake [JUGGERNAUT DRIVE], and while it's not as strong as it was before, the risk of it attacking again isn't zero.

"Ddraig, do you think he might end up using... That again?" I asked to the dragon hovering on the classroom.

**[YOU MUSTN'T UNDERESTIMATE SOMEONE'S FEELINGS, YAGURA.]** he answered.** [NO MATTER THE OCCASION, THAT THING MIGHT EXPLODE ANYTIME. HATE IS A THING THAT... CANNOT BE FOREVER EXTINGUISHED.]**

"Huh... To think he created his own little hate-ball and restarted the curse of the juggernaut drive..." I sighed, supporting myself on the wall now under the windows and sighing. Dad sure would be both disappointed and proud at Ichijou. But he's construction his own worth, learning how to relax, and making friends. Maybe. Just maybe, he'll be able to lift the curse he casted on himself. But until then... He'll slowly devour himself.

The only think I can do... Is wait, and guard this secret in order for him to continue to grow without worries of the burden he still carries...

Just like... Just like mother would do.

.

~~X~~

.

"Ah! He's walking up!"

"Tururu~, he does look tired."

"But he also looks cute asleep. It's even kinda stimulating, isn't it?"

"Huuuh~?" So many voices, so many familiar voices. Out of curiosity and maybe some fear of what it has to come, I only opened one eye, and I could see... Ryuubi, Sarah-san and Kaichou all gathered here. What the hell? Since when this place turned into a sleepover. My head doesn't hurt as much, now I can put myself sit on the bed. "Heeeh~, what happened?"

"Have you rested well, Hong Long?" Ryuubi said patting me on the head. I grunted a little with that contact. "It seems that the so called 'artist' mother Anzu was talking about knew you from school, and she brought Lady Serena with her too. Definitely, this word is full of coincidences."

"Really?" I sighed, and then turned my head to the so called mangaka.

"Repeating message: I did say I was a manga artist, didn't I? There you have it, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou. I'm equally as surprised that my new editor being so young... Yet mother of five children. End of message." The blue-haired dragon hostess said, looking through her own manuscripts and blinking a few times to look at me. I turned to Kaichou, and she gave an awkward smile.

"Well~, it's a great coincidence, is it not? I mean~, I got to meet your mother, Ichijou-kun. And for all and all, it's my duty as the president of Kuoh academy's student council to give you your lost homework and lessons." And she picked from inside her bag some paperwork and formulas. I thought I saw something black jumping away from inside too, but maybe it's my tired mind playing tricks on me again. She tossed them onto my bed. "There you go. All of your classes and the pages that you've missed today."

"Huh, appreciated. Thanks, Kaichou." I said, not even bothering to read the first page since auth task requires some abilities my current status ailment prevents me from using it. I yawned one more time, and put those next to my work table. Everybody also yawned. Huh, contagious. "Hey Kaichou, if you ever bump into Nemesis-san on your way back, please tell her I'm sorry for missing school."

"Don't worry, Akabane-chan already did that. Also, Nemesis-san was more contained today. I wonder what happened? Maybe Nero-san is very good of what he does. Whoops, sorry." And I sighed. Again, I need a group pause to avoid turning into a pervert myself. Speaking of which, my cheek hurts a lot. Maybe it was from that punch from before. Dick move, myself. "But forget about that. You should rest for now. And with the runaways for now inactivated, I have the feeling you have all the time of the world."

"Yeah..." Maybe, maybe not. I don't want to hear anything more for now. Yet, this feeling of things happening today just can't leave me. Before anything more could be heard, mom knocked the door open, and from there she emerged, together with Yoko and Tasha.

"S'up, Sarah-san, or should I say ...-sensei? I brought Ichijou's special soup. I hope you don't mind I take a little break to take care of my youngling." She spoke dropping another by on my desk. Sarah-San shook her head with a sign of nonchalantness.

"Tururu~, don't worry, Anzu-san. Being able to talk and give my support to a fallen companion is... Refreshing." She spoke, turning to me to give a quick wink. Mom smiled back and gave the other one some manuscripts.

"Here. I've read those and your work is doing just fine. When you're done with those, we'll speak." She spoke again, turning now around for me and coming closer to my ear. When close enough, she whispered. "Don't worry. I got you covered, they're taking a walk around with my credit card. They won't be back so soon."

"..." She's talking about them. I was so deep in my current misery, didn't even think about that other problem. "Thanks, mom."

"So, I leave the rest to you girls. Don't forget, Ichijou is sick. So don't loud noises." Mom said, and like I was expecting, Tasha had a minor nosebleed. Great, this is just great. Mom turned around and got out of my room, followed by a quiet, jumpy mangaka by her back. Now it's just me, my group and Serena-Kaichou. The first to take action was Yoko, picking the bowl of soup and diving the spoon into it, picking the liquid.

"Here, take it. You'll need it to get your... Energy back." She said, a small blush tinting her cheeks. She knows what's going on with me, and to be fair, I don't blame her, I already said it is a youkai thing, she can't control it. I closed my eyes, dried the small tears down of tiredness and opened my mouth in order to eat it. However, after a while, nothing came. Instead, I opened one of my eyes and, you guess it, Yoko was staring at the floating fried tofu on the spoon. Oh, don't tell me. "Oh, there's... A piece of fried tofu here."

"Yoko, what are you doing?" I hesitantly asked. Instead of answering, she simply took the spoon to herself and gulped that in one go. Oh, no... I know those eyes. "Yoko... Don't tell me you...!"

"Ononononononom! Delicious! Onononom!" And now she attacked the poor bowl in one go! Holy shit! She lost control again!

"Ah! Bad touch! Tsukino-chin's! Let go!" Tasha was the one who jumped in order to stray to stop her, followed by Kaichou, who was trying to use her spells to save the last drops of that soup. However, they totally underestimated Yoko's gluttony, and they couldn't even remove the bowl from her!

"Onononom! I'm sorry Ichijou! I can't control my instincts! I've failed you again! Onononom!" And they continued to struggle in front of me, tears, drops of soup and sweat going everywhere As I was denied once again the delicious dish from mom. I turned to a side, and saw a smiley Ryuubi.

"Heh. Didn't I say? Never there is a boring day as long as you can enjoy it to the fullest."

...

...

Huh... Maybe she's right.

.

**~~Later: midnight.~~**

.

It was dark, really dark since it was already midnight. Thankfully, my devilish night vision was still working even with the massive headache I was having. The moon was full today, and so, the park was illuminated in it's fullest. I took the first step into it, wearing only my set of pajamas, and scanned around for a possible threat, finding nothing...

**[PARTNER, ARE YOU SURE THAT IT WAS WISE TO LEAVE HOME IN YOUR STATE, WITHOUT EVEN CALLING FOR ASSISTANCE? IT MIGHT BE A TRAP.]**

"Sorry, red Dragon, but you heard it too, right?" I said to shine in my left hand. He's right, but the voice in my sleep, his voice, said that it wanted to contact me directly, and for that, I must go alone. I don't fully trust him, but his tone of voice was too sincere to be a trap. Besides, It's already proved I'm stronger than him, and if the situation call, I'll sacrifice maybe an arm. But until then, no worries.

**[FAFNIR'S NIGHTMARISH CURSES. TO THINK THIS WAS ALSO IN HIS INVENTORY OF ABILITIES... I AM AFRAID WHAT THOSE RUNAWAYS CAN DO IF THEY TRULY UNLOCKED THEIR RESPECTIVE DRAGONS' FULL POTENTIAL.]** The dragon in my hand said. Suddenly, the atmosphere weighted at us, and I could feel an eerie aura staring at us. Apparently Ddraig also felt it.** [PARTNER, HE IS HERE. BEST OF LUCK.]**

"Will do it, Ddraig." And then, a shadowy figure landed from a tree to the ground. The shadow casted from the trees make it difficult to identify it spot on, but a bright golden shine and the increasing moonlight soon revealed the one who has been taking to me in my sleep, into my dreams. "**Miyama Rei**, the Golden Gigantiss dragon King."

"Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou. Alone, like I requested. This is what they call 'plot stupidity', maybe? Or you are just too sensitive." The green-haired dragon host said to me, tossing up and down his dragonic spear as he approach me. "And, wow, what happened to you? Did Eiko seriously mark you that good? But then again, she was the pinnacle of dad's anti-supernatural armament... And one of the main reasons I want to kill him so much."

"Cut to the chase, Miyama. If you want to talk about your problems, I already said that won't faze me in the slightest. You know, I know, backstories means nothing now that we are enemies." I said, lifting my hand to him, but instead of summoning my Boosted Gear, I offered it for him. "But doesn't mean we can try now."

"And that's why I'm requesting your presence." I lowered my hand for him to take a closer look at my confused expression. Wait, he wants to negotiate now? Wait, he was talking about Onizuka-san just a few seconds ago, and since she's with us, maybe it has something to do with her.

"..."

"Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, I'm here to propose something for you: I shall cease my attack against Kuoh academy under the condition that you give me back Eiko's head."

* * *

**meanwhile, ichijou is again mentally screaming that he's glad for being in a world this can make sense.**

**not much of action this chapter. Only a little development and jokes, but with a twist of course to lead to another set of action-packed ones. I hope you liked and stay golden!**

**P.S.: For the guest known as Yaro, yep, that's annie right there, only a bit less loli and a little more levi-from-trinity-seven. Thanks for that. :3. For The guest known as Bael, thanks for your suggestions, but with me still deciding how to insert the loli in the fic, it might be a little hard to put new girls on ichijou's harem. and for the guest known as San, thanks again for keeping track of the harem. You and all the viewers are the best! golden, golden**


	46. Conflicting emotions and loose ends

**Hey, there, My favorite fandom? How is it going? Sooo... another build-up chapter, with othing much going on, but don't worry, things will start to heat up as we resch the climax of this arc. So keep your seat belts up, this is going to be a hell of a build up. Also, it has been a while since I last wrote such a serious and stock-ish title for a chaoter. What do you guys think? Maybe too cliche? I dunno...**

**Like always, dxd does not belong to me.**

* * *

Again, I'm glad that I'm in a world where Miyama's words can make sense, or else this would be a very freaky and disturbing story to tell kids.

"You'll stop your attacks at Kuoh... If I give Onizuka-san's head back?" I repeated his request and said 'proposal' a few times, both within my head and outside of it, with now Miyama with his crossed arms and waiting for a response. I had again this strange feeling in my gut, and for some reason, I wanted to punch the daylight out of that nephilim.

"Yes. You heard me right, Sekiryuutei." He said, extending his hand to me and summoning his Sacred Gear, only to let it slip away from his hand and hit the floor. I dunno why, but I feel that he's lying somehow. I don't believe him. After everything that happened, after everyone he has hurt, after everything he has done... He's seriously thinking in stop now?! "I rather stop my actions against Kuoh academy and this city than no longer be able to talk and see my sister Eiko. Her head and circuits might be functioning right now, but as the time will go on, I'm afraid that she'll need a new body for nutrition and heat control, and only our group can provide this. So, in order to avoid unnecessary blood in our hands, I'm asking you to think about it."

"Avoid... Blood in your hands?" I paraphrased him, clutching my hands again as rage was building up inside of me. That's ironic, very ironic coming from him! "That's pretty funny coming from a terrorist! However, it's even funnier for you to think I'll cooperate. People almost died during the last trial!"

"..." He eyed me for a second or two, and sighed. Sometimes I really want to understand what he's thinking about. For I'm sure, there's never too much thinking about others in this world. I sneezed, someone's probably talking about me, or it's just the weather changing plus my subdued fever. I'm going stray again, what the hell? We faced each other. "As you know, we won't measure damages or hate in order to achieve our ultimate objective, finding someone able to destroy the ultimate Evil, and finally kill our father. I'm as determined as to even change the colour of my eyes in order to do so. However, when it comes to my sisters, are the only moments when I'll withdraw."

"Why is that? You said it, didn't you? Sacrifice everything in order to kill your old man, no matter the cost, including having everyone against you. What's the deal of-...?" I stopped midsentence as suddenly the atmosphere became heavier, and his eyes for me sharpened even more, feeling his gaze of hatred and anger. Is he... Is he angry at me? I prepared myself for a possible clash, but soon he sighed, and the place returned to it's normal self. I didn't get it. Miyama adjusted his Uniform from Gessen High, and lowered his aura and hands.

"You've said that... We're similar in some ways, but by the response to my offer, I realize that you couldn't be more wrong. We're completely opposites in every regard." He said without a bit of hesitation. He now changed the subject, making me double take and gasp in surprise. He stayed quiet and composed, but the uneasy aura didn't disappear. "To be fair, I feel offended when you compare yourself to me. You don't have a clue of what I've been through, and even if I don't show it, I'm boiling with rage right now. It's like comparing a canon MC character with a fanon OC, you have no right to tell or know how I feel... At all."

"Yes, I am aware of that, Miyama." I said back responding his frown with one of my own. I know, he knows, I won't ever be able to understand him, like I wouldn't ever be able to understand Annie from that time. However... "Doesn't mean I won't sympathize for you."

"Even if you would, I don't want any of your pity. All I want is Eiko's head from you, and that's it. Anything else, I refuse. I refuse to receive anything else or have assistance from someone like you."

"..." I went quiet again. This time, I was confused. Is he... Labeling me? For what? What am I for him? Is he still thinking about... Being in a manga? But I thought we passed through those! "Someone... Like me?"

"Someone who is **happy**, someone who rules the world."

"...?!"

"Don't you get it? You're the happy one, you're the lucky one. Ever since I can remember, my life has always been hell. My father Miyama Enma doing his experiments on me, injecting me with poison and magical potions in order to test their effects on humans, implanting Fafnir's sacred Gear on me and testing the powers of anti-dragon spells. Everyday was torture, hearing the screams of my brothers and sisters as they slowly died for the sake of my dad's so called 'justice'. And when I Thought I could live a normal life with my adoptive family, the Ultimate Evil remembered me that no matter what I do, I can't escape my fate for what I am, for what I should be." He said, looking down and retelling his sad backstory, suddenly lifting his eyes to me and tossing one of those cards. "How about you? I know about you, I know who and what you are, and just by looking at you, it makes me want to throw up. What right you have to try compare yourself to me? You're the happy one, you're the one who has everything...

A powerful and Miraculous Sacred Gear that saves you from hard work and problems...

A happy and complete family to come back to...

A harem of beautiful girls that would do anything for you...

And the legacy of the Great Hero of the underworld, Hyoudou Issei, for you to take advantage from and be praised without doing anything!

I had to fight and cry ever since I was just a kid, suffering things a chump like you would never imagine, and having nothing at all. Until me and my sisters escaped from the Miyama house. They're... the only thing I have. Someone who has been given everything could never understand..." And now he's crying, tears escaping his eyes he tried to maintain his stoic and professional stance as I could only stare at him. I don't know what to feel, but now, I can't, I won't, I don't feel any pity for him. No, he's the one who doesn't understand. "But my sisters means the world to me. They're the only thing I have, and the only thing I fight for. So, I'm willing to do anything, even stop my objective and change the colors of my eyes, to keep them safe and sound."

"..." I went quiet, but I can feel my blood slowly boils in rage and anger. He knows nothing, nothing about me. "Just who the hell... Do you think you are?!"

"Someone who suffered enough unlike you, someone who knows how this world works unlike you, someone who earned, and didn't given, his merits unlike you, and someone a happy, inexperienced, milk-stinking chump like you can't understand, not even in a million years. Someone..."

_Who knows what a loss feels like, and don't want that to happen ever again, unlike yo-..._

***ZING!***

***DOOOOOOOOOON!***

**"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP...!"**

And everything ended in a second. Without thinking twice, my left hand turned into a dragon claw, and summoned my dull grandsword, clashing it against Miyama in a violent encounter. He lifted his own sword against me, but my rage was so uncontrollable I pushed Rhongomiant to the limit, and bashed him away with the sheer force alone. The result caused several trees to fall, and create a path of destruction, the golden armor that was my enemy by the end of it.

You know what? Fuck this! Fuck him! Fuck his backstory! Fuck his motives! Fuck everything about him! I don't care anymore! He's... He's dead meat for me now! He doesn't know, he doesn't understand! Who the fuck he think he is?! He's dead!

"Haaaaaah~...! Haaaaaaah~...!" Vapor of rage and wrath was been expelled from my mouth, as my own vision began to blur, anger taking over my body, tears running down my cheeks. Loss... My losses... People I couldn't protect, people who I couldn't even say goodbye to... People that... That I was so close... So close to...

_Nina..._

_Julia..._

_Gremory..._

_Annie..._

"Why so angry?" I turned my eyes to the golden armor in front of me, standing up and summoning from one of his own hands a gigantic spear of light. Even from here, I could feel the deadly aura around it. That power was enough to kill a devil. He looked too calm, too composed, yet he was still crying. "I know, you know, what I'm saying it's true. I suffered the worst, so I can do the worst. A chump like you would never understand, but this world is a cruel place, with cruel and selfish people. Only people like us can understand each other, while you just sit and laugh, blessed with everything, without even realizing the poor ones around you! You can UNDERSTAND!"

***ZING!***

**"YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!***

***ZOOM!***

***CRASH!***

***DOOOOON!***

"What?!"

"Haaaaah...! Haaaaah...!" My mouth... I can feel the metallic Taste of blood, as particles of light hovered right around me. It hurts, it hurts like hell, but like this Puny Light spear will stop me! He'll see! I'll bite next his head off! He's the one... He's the one who doesn't UNDERSTANDS!

"Tch... Can't even think of anything. I not only feel disgust, but pity of you, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou. Ignorant fool!" And then he summoned another rune from his back, and from there, it came something... Something. What is that? It looks like, but it can't be a sword. The shape reminiscent of a cylinder or a pillar, and it's made entirely of a black rock, with raw minerals serving as a handle, several runes carved on the said blade and with such an ancient aura I can hear whispering from it. "We're one of the same?! WE'RE EQUALS?! Don't you fuck with me! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND ME, THEN I'LL HAVE TO DESTROY THIS WHOLE CITY FOR YOU TO SUFFER AT LEAST A PORTION OF WHAT I'VE SUFFERED!"

"..."

...

...

...

I'm sorry, Sarah-san...

I couldn't maintain our promise...

**[I, WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN...!]**

"From ancient times, the earth and heavens parted ways. From that moment, I was born, and I still remains..."

**[AM THE HEAVENLY DRAGON WHO WILL ANNIHILATE THE GIFT OF LIFE AND LIGHT GIVEN BY GOD...!]**

"The firsts, the seconds, the thirds and their sons. Rise, downfall, death and rebirth. Endless circles came and went, yet I still remain..."

**[I'LL CRUSH THE DREAM, AND RIP THE INFINITE TO NAUGHT...]**

"Gods, demons, slayers and saints; I saw the birth of them all, and I shall see the death of them all, 'cuz I'm the one who still, and shall remain..."

**[I SHALL BECOME THE RED DRAGON OF DOMINATION...]**

"From the birth of the universe, to the dawn of light and life, I shall stand, 'cuz I shall remain, the absolute existence who shall witness the end of times..."

**[AND I SHALL BURN YOU WITH THE FLAMES OF THE CRIMSON HELL!**]

"So as I pray, the sword of the absolute."

**[JUGGERNAUT DRIV-...!]**

**"ENUMA ELIS-...!"**

**[Ichijou...]** huh?

"ZERO-CHAN...!"

"ICHIJOU...!"

"What...?" Light came back to my senses. And with it, a powerful electric shock through my whole body. Worst of all, I felt myself restrained toe to toe, and soon fatigue reached me. I blinked once, twice, and now, the saw Yoko on the brink of tears in front of me, while behind her, the remaining Miyama girls restraining Miyama himself with energy ropes and metal cuffs. I wasn't doing any better, paper seals around me and covering each inch of my body. "Yoko...?"

"Thank goodness I've the contract with you! What were you thinking?! A second longer and you would've leveled the entire town!" She said, reaching for my now-calmed self and using her energy to put my nerves under control. I took another glance at the other side, and Miyama was still struggling with his sword-thingy, the Kurumi sister trying her hard to lock his head and Matsuoka-san trapping him with her black rods and absorption lines.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, Rei-chan! Remember what we're here for!" The spiky-haired one, Kurisu Kurumi or something, said with a trap around Miyama's neck, all green with emerald details. "Remember the plan! Don't get yourself killed nor kill! You're not like that!"

"Let me at him! I'll kill him! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU I SAY! I'LL START A WAR FOR EIKO! YOU'LL SEE, I'LL...!" And he was cut off when the absorption lines around pulled him harder, and he was launched backwards into a black box of darkness, [SHADOW PRISON] if kaichou serves me correct, and disappeared in thin air. I guess this is over.

"Yareyareyareyareyare, wasn't Zero-chan on his PMS. But wait, he's a guy~. That's random, why why why?" Matsuoka-san said, deactivating her sacred gears and turning her gaze to us. Blinking once, twice with her purple orbs, she sighed and sat on the sandy floor. "Kurumin, are we done?"

"Yes? Like, I dunno. I'll check it right away." And then, she turned to us, smiling so awkwardly and scratching her head. The aura around here suddenly changed, at it became lighter, softer even. "Yooo~, still, we want Eiko-chan's head, okay? Like, please. We don't want any trouble, and we promise we won't attack anymore, okay? Okay. See ya."

"Wait...!" And before I could even protest or do anything besides... Nod my head because I'm still sealed, they again disappeared in their teleportation seal. But not before they say.

"So... Like, see ya in the last trial~!"

And, in the end, we were left alone, with only the breeze of the midnight sky. I Dunno... I dunno how to feel? How do you feel after almost breaking someone's whole? This is... The first time I bursted in so much hate. Not even when Nero-san taunted me I felt like this before? It was rage, not hate. But I can say this now... I hate, hate, hate Miyama Rei! I don't... I don't understand? I don't feel it? I don't know what 'loss' is? No, he's the one who doesn't understand! He's the one who doesn't WANT to understand! He's the one who...!

***SLAP!***

"Ouch!" And I felt a burn right on my left cheek. It was quick, but the pain still is there. It took me a few moments to snap out of my trance and see that the one who slapped me was Yoko.

"Stop... Making yourself miserable, Ichijou." She spoke, as I could only try to shake the pain away. She then released my seals to hug me, very tightly. Suddenly, all of my rage was gone, and again I felt warm. She patted my head and pulled herself closer, as I sighed again the steam of heat in my head. I'm thinking too much again. "Please, stop doing this. Stop making yourself suffer. I said I was going to protect you, didn't I? Don't... Don't make me feel unaccomplished. Please..."

"..." There's no way I'd forgive Miyama Rei nor his girls, at all. But there's also no need for me to make Yoko upset. I won't... I won't think of that too much. If it's makes her sad, I won't bother to think too much. I sighed once again, and patted her on the head. "Okay. I'm sorry, Yoko."

"Yeah. You should be, dummy." She said, as we continued to embrace each other, sharing warmth in that Cold night. "If you do it again, I'll take your virginity."

"..."

Typical...

.

~~x~~

.

"So, Miyama Rei said that he'll start a war against Kuoh if we don't give onizuka's head for him." I confessed everything that happened yesterday to Nemesis-san in her office. As always, she's sitting on her chair, deep in thoughts, as Kaichou is sitting on a nearby chair, sipping on tea, all while I notice Aria-san's absence. "And if we hand her over, he'll stop his attacks on Kuoh. That's... Actually too good to be true."

"Yeah, isn't it?" I said back, giving her a piece of my mind. She's thinking just like me, of course that's all bullshit! That Miyama idiot, of course that he'll do anything to come closer to his goal. "He's a psychopath. Of course he'll stab us the moment we give Onizuka to him!"

"Ichijou-kun, I hate to counter you, but maybe you're being a little too harsh on him." Kaichou said to me, as I turned an incredulous gaze at her. Wait, is she defending him? No, wait, she's probably talking about Sarah-san. Of course, Sarah-san is one of them, back probably a good person. I hope, I wait. "Sarah-chan said that he's just a confused child, just like the rest of them. Maybe if we talk to him, any more conflict no longer will be necessary."

"Do you really think that after what he did to class 1-D, kaichou?! Of what he did to his own sister back in the trial?! I met him directly, and he's nothing more than a psycho!" I said back, startling both of them with the volume of my voice. Maybe I'm being too loud, maybe I'm being too rude, but I don't care, they need to see how much he's a freak. I turned to the redhead now bluenette. "Right, Nemesis-san?! You know, right? What he did is unforgivable!"

"True, he might be lowest of scum, we don't know. But what he did to class 1-D is unforgivable, and I don't trust someone with a sacred gear, nor someone who needs a mediator to discuss those." She said in a flat, yet heavy tone, as suddenly drops of blood began to stain her table, coming directly from her knuckles. She did understand, of course! She's really smart, she gets it! However, what she said right after it. "However, as absurd as this offer might be, we can't discard it just yet."

"Eh...?" My world stopped right there. Wait, what? What did she say? She said to... Consider his offer?! No, wait, that's not right! Nemesis-san, you're smarter than that! There's no way for you to say that with a straight face! "Nemesis-san, you're joking, right? I mean... I mean! Wait..."

"Tsukino Ichijou, we can't discard the possibility of such stalemate." She continued, as my respect for her dropped by a ton. "You have to understand: no matter what he did or what we're feeling, as the residing devil protecting Kuoh town, I must strike for the most bloodless deal of this."

"So what? Send the DxD children! Kaichou! Aria-nee and the others! Problem solved!" I said to her, slamming my hand on the table, as she continued to stare at me with a gaze that shows her also dropping respect for me. I don't care! If she can't see the most 'bloodless deal', I'm trying to show for her! "Don't tell me you don't see how easy that would be! I defeated two of them, me, the worst Sekiryuutei there is! It can't be too hard for you to think that!"

"It's you who doesn't see how risky that is!" She stood up from her chair to face me, her purple, slitted gaze clashing with my own, as Kaichou also stood up to look up between us. We continued to stare at each other, unable to stop. "I know how easy that would be! But think of the consequences! Ichijou, if they unleash the full power of the dragons as the same time as us, Kuoh would be destroyed!"

"I don't care! What about the others schools! They said it's not the first time! Imagine the others, what we'll save them from by destroying them now!" I said, getting closer and angrier at her! What?! She doesn't understand! She doesn't want to understand! "So what about Kuoh?! If we can vanish him and the others once and for all, I think Kuoh would be enough to-...!"

"Don't you dare think of that! **DON'T YOU DARE!**" And she exploded, as black eyes formed around her normal ones and fangs sprouted out of her mouth. "This is for your own good! Why can't you see that I'm trying my best to protect Everyone?! Why can't you understand, **Rina**?!"

"...?!"

"Ah...!" And then, silence. After those words, we both shut our mouths, and stared at each other with wide eyes. Wait... No, I don't want to fight with Nemesis-san. I can't fight with Nemesis-san. What is this? I... I... "..."

"N-Nemesis-sa-...?"

"And that's all, folks!" Before I could even mutter an apology, suddenly a pair of hands blocked my mouth and eyes, pulling me away from where I originally was. By the voice and gestures, it was probably Kaichou's doing. "Hey, Lady Nemesis, you do your stuff, I'll, I'll take him away for you to think about it! Okay? Okay! See ya~!"

"Mmmmph...! Kai-... Mm mph...!" I protested, waving my hands and arms up and down, but she caught me off-guard, making me lose my balance and fall under her pulls and hands. In the end, I could feel myself being dragged away from her office and closing the door. Kaichou only released me once we were a few steps away from the said room. "K-Kaichou...!"

"Ichijou-kun...!" And before I could say anything, she put her hands on my cheeks in an attempt to calm me down. I continued to struggle under her grasp regardless. I need to say sorry to Nemesis-san! I need to! "Look at me! Look at me!"

"Kaichou! Let me go! Let me g-...!"

***Chu~!***

"...!" And then she pulled herself closer and landed a kiss on my lips. Again, I felt myself being intoxicated by the contact, as well as disgusted as I almost threw up feeling that taste of strawberry shortcake lipstick again. She pulled me even closer and deepened the kiss, sticking her tongue into my mouth as I struggled against her. It lasted just a few seconds, by the end of it I was complete jelly on her arms, as she released me and traced a string of saliva between us. I gasped another cloud of smoke, and shot my dazed eyes onto her. "K-Kaichou...?"

***SLAP!***

"Ouch...!" And then, she slapped me. Ouch! And in the same place as Yoko, making it hurt even more!

"Have you woke up from your nightmare, Ichijou-kun?" She asked, her bright smile again decorating her shiny face. I massaged the area of the slap, and before I knew it, I was back to normal. What was that again? Oh, right. I fought against Nemesis-san... Shame. "Sorry about that, but you went hysterical. I thought a good shake-up and wake-up slap would do the trick. So, feeling any better?"

"Honestly? Yes, kinda." I said. I'm a little calmer now. I'm sad, I'm ashamed. I fought against nemesis-san because I couldn't control my emotions, and that's the first time that ever happened. For that moment, I just forgot who she was and who she's suppose to be. Damn it, this is getting the best of me again. I sighed, and rested my back against the wall. This sucks. Everything sucks. "This was quite juvenile out of me... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's alright. It happens. You're really mad, aren't you?" She puffed her chest and nodded in understanding, as I sank a little more on the wall, deep in thoughts, feeling a little down. "Don't worry, Nemesis isn't mad, she's just... Nervous. You know how she is, she won't be like that for too long. Whatever happened, happened, okay?"

"..." And I sighed, and feeling a little bold, I hugged kaichou for comfort. I think I'm getting weaker every second emotionally. I wouldn't be doing nothing of this if I were me from a few weeks ago. I'm being a lot more confrontational, and that's not how I should behave. Kaichou was taken back by my sudden move, but hug me back regardless, a smile on her face. "I'm sorry for making you watch that, Kaichou."

"I already said don't worry, Ichijou-kun. And hey, it's good to see you being a little more bold. I mean, if I get to hug you like that more often, heheh..." She stepped back and broke the hug. She forced me to look at her, "I'll speak with Nemesis. If she sees that you're sorry, maybe you two can talk again. But for now, let the dust clear a bit more. Go hang with your friends, free yourself from any other exterior influence. Let the adults take care of that."

And without further ado, I sighed and walked away from there. Kaichou's right, I can't have any influence in Nemesis-san's final. Moreover, I don't think I should have that kind of power, since I'm just a low-class devil for now. Still, Miyama Rei won't be thinking too much out of his mind, so who knows what to expect. I hope... Nemesis-san's decision won't be too reckless.

Besides, if he's right, then our fateful encounter should be taking place today. After all, today's the final day of the elective tournament. What a week, isn't it?

***BUMP!***

"Kah...!" I snapped back again to reality as I bumped into someone. Or rather, someone bumped into me. It was really small, so I was able to keep my balance back despite the pretty low impact. The Unidentified Object, however, wasn't so lucky, as it fell to the ground, squeaking in the way. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry! I was just escaping two baddies and... Ah!" And the little one didn't even put too much thought as she stood up again and pointed a finger at me. Huh? Blue eye? Fair skin? Blond hair? She isn't from here, is she? Not to mention, she's also wearing a Miko outfit, which is pretty weird. A blonde in a maiden shrine outfit, what a strange view. Her eyes sparkled looking at me. "Ah! I found you! The dragon guy!"

"Excuse me?" Wait, she knows about me? Wait, of course she would. She's a foreign in a miko outfit, someone in such strange clash would be expected to know. Besides, I'm having the feeling that I have a giant supernatural-attraction magnet inside my head, or Boosted Gear. "I mean... What?"

***ZING!***

"Ah...!" But before more words could've been spoken, a known mental field engulfed her and levitated her on midair. This can only mean one thing.

'And you guessed it right, Izuki.' From around the corner, like I was expecting, appeared Mizuki-san and Ren, both of them with several magic seals covering them whole with glue and smelling like spit. None with an amicable face. They both stopped by besides the said ball of energy, and sighed. How can a psychic mentally sigh? Beats me. 'Sup. Thanks for giving us an opening, we've been trying to pick this little one for some time now.'

"Wow, not even a psychic was able to locate a little girl? Getting rusty already?" After that little snark, a sound akin to an interference echoed in my head! Shit! My headache will attack again! What the hell! I'm sorry! Stop it! And soon, the sound stopped. Phew. Cheap shot!

'Serves you right. Although I wasn't aware of your previous Headache. My bad.'

"It turns out, she's not an ordinary little girl. I've seen this before. It's pretty rare, but she has an abnormal talent to learn senjutsu." Ren said, looking upset and punching the globe where the said little girl was, the echo effect making her protect her ears. "She even melted her presence within the air. That's pretty impressive."

"Really? This little girl can learn sage arts?" I pointed at her, as she recovered from her headache and pressed her face against the mental-glass globe. I think she wants to talk about something. I dunno, but I'm having pretty strange Deja-Vú feelings with this girl... Something something little girl, something something senjutsu. Hey, Mizuki, mind releasing her? If she knows I'm a dragon, then she might be looking for me in a way.

'Understood. Why not?' The girl mentally... Talked, thought, something as she lifted a finger and *ZIM!*, the ball of energy disappeared, making that girl kiss the ground. A little harsh, but by your face, I can see it was intentional? 'Yeah, it was.'

"That's what I thought."

"Seriously, guys. I'm right here. I want to be part of the conversation even if it's mental."

"You! Super duper welsh red dragon emperor of domination!" The little girl launched herself standing up and again pointed a finger on me. So casually, I rolled my eyes, and sighed. She knows, of course she knows. I bowed and crossed my arms.

"Yep, that's me. First year student of Kuoh academy, and heir of the Boosted Gear, host of the Red Dragon emperor of Domination Ddraig, Tsukino Ichijou." Nostalgia filled my lungs as I said that again, and then pointed my eyes at her. Her blue gaze clashing against my green one. Somehow, she looks very determinate. "And you, little girl?"

"My name is **Salvatina Veritas**, **Sally** for short! I'm a B-rank exorcist from the nearby Amamiya Shrine and senjutsu practitioner extraordinaire!" Exorcists? My body tensed up with that phrase. Wait, wasn't that crazy nun plus that creepy priest also exorcists? I stepped once away from her, but before anything, Ren appeared right next to her, a katana at hand, and put the edge right away on her neck.

"And what's your deal with our dragon, exorcist? He doesn't even have time to spend with his hoes, I doubt he wants any more trouble." He said in a serious voice, as the nun didn't even blinked with that threat. Instead, she just kept smiling.

"But I'm not here to cause trouble! In fact, I want to be his friend!"

"Eh...?"

"What?" I gave her a frown to that. Even Ren was taken back by her words. I mean, the first exorcist that I met tried to kill me! Twice even! Of course, same goes for Devils, since I first met Gremory and all, but... Didn't we suppose to be mortal enemies? I turned my gaze to the psychic, and nodded at her as we met eyes. After a second, she just smiled.

'Huh, guess what, Izuki? She's telling the truth.' Mizuki-san said, much for my confusion. A little more confident, confused nonetheless, I stepped back where I originally was, and regained my stance.

"Yep! My grandfather always said for me to be good and cordial with the supernatural, so that I can earn gifts and good stuff from them! 'Socialize, not exorcize', as he would say! He was so good at this, he had sex with Devils, Angels, fallen-Angels, youkais and even slimes!" She gave me 'dah hands', as I could see the ghost of an old man wearing Shinto priest attires and doing the same gesture behind her back. Talk about nonchalant. But at least an exorcist that doesn't want to kill on the spot, yet I can't have that much of respect for him, I dunno why. "Besides, if the tales of the gutsy Sekiryuutei are true, then maybe you can teach me how to do senjutsu!"

"Wait; what?" I took it back. Teach her how to do senjutsu? I don't even know where I can find Mount Myouboku, much less how to control energy.

'I'm sorry, Izuki, but that one sucked.'

"Excuse me, Princess?"

"Yep! Yep! Yep! You; teach me senjutsu! Like lord Hyoudou Issei-dono did to lady Koneko! Like, he said some magic words and *BAM!*, she learned how to use proper senjutsu! I want that too! Say those magic words and help me with my senjutsu!" She said so excitedly, I blushed under my hands. Shit, she's so little and innocent. But I must explain that about Lady Koneko.

"Look, Sally-chan, I'd love to teach you senjutsu... But it turns out, those words were only senpai's words. Even if I could come up with something, those said 'magic words' were a thing between them, and that's that. I don't know a thing about senjutsu that doesn't involve tokusatsu, and maybe you're too young for that." I said, trying to sound imposing. However, the best I got was her pouting at me with an swollen face, while the other two idiots over there held their laughs. That's gonna be a tough one. "Besides, I'm sure there are other more experienced Sages around to help you out with it! I don't think someone without a clue about it will do much."

"But I want **big boobs**!" She exclaimed with both her arms to the air and pouting so much her face looked like an hole. Wait, what?

"Eh...?"

"Yeah! I want to learn senjutsu and practice it as soon as possible so that I can have big boobs like Kuroka and Koneko when I grow up!" She continued to jump up and down, as I suddenly remember in which universe I'm in. I took a glance at my two idiots, and they're laughing hysterically. Oh gosh, what a hole I'm in. "I want to learn senjutsu so that I can have big boobs, and then find a good husband and several lovers, and have lots of love and children And s-...!"

***WHACK!***

"Owwwwie~...!"

"Keep it down, would ya?" I sighed, as my first was burning up because of the holy energy hovering around her body. Jeez, she's gathering energy even without trying, that's a new level. She's too young to be thinking about that! Holy shit, I wouldn't even had last a day if I had one of those back in the days! I facepalmed to maintain the straight face, and turned back for her, bumping her throbbing bump back into her skull. "Sally-san, I'm sorry, but I can't help you in your quest."

"Waaaah?! Why not, Ichijou-sensei?!" She called me 'sensei', I'd become a master. I dunno why, but I'm having such an nosebleed right now. Okay, calm down, Ichijou. Now, think every word coming out of your mouth.

"Because... BIG BOOBS AREN'T ENOUGH FOR A GIRL TO HAVE HER OWN HAREM!"

"Eeeeeeeeeh...?!"

...

...

...

I screwed up...

'Yeah, you did.'

"Yeah! I mean... Girls are not just big boobs! In fact, big boobs are just a distraction to hide what's really important!" I said without thinking. I dunno, suddenly the Buddha of perverseness downed on me, as I could only go on with that little rant. Sally-chan, instead of being scared or surprised, was more excited than ever! Go on, Ichijou, or else you won't be able to convince her!

"Wow! I never thought of that! And what's that, Ichijou-sensei?! Tell me the secret of the Sekiryuutei!" She said, again jumping up and down. To my surprise, even Ren was a little excited. Oh, someone in hell, I need to overcome this or else I'll look like a fool! Deep breath, and go!

"Okay, I shall tell you, now and only now!" I lifted a finger, and meditated a little with myself. Okay, carve deep into your mind, Ichijou! Think! What else can be better than boobs? A lotta things, but in this situation, I can only resort to that! Yes! That! "Sally-chan, in order for you to master senjutsu, you must forget about big boobs, and instead... **WEAR THE RIGHT SWIMSUIT**!"

"..."

"...?!"

"...!"

...

...

"Eh? Swimsuits? How they can be better than big boobs?" Sally-chan said with a curious and confused look. The fire in Ren's eyes also vanished, and Mizuki-san was about to burst into laughs. I dunno what happened, I just said it without thinking about it. Time to put my load of bullshit to work! "Big boobs bounce, jiggle, shake, sink and even milk! There's nothing swimsuits can do to rival big boobs!"

"Don't let that fool you, Sally-chan! Swimsuits can make everything, even tiny boobs, looks good!" I said, crossing my arms and closing my eyes in order to maintain my calm. Okay, no, I don't look badass with that. "Stripped and frivolous ones, for example, can make the chest area look big and bouncy with the strips and frills! Who needs big boobs when you have the power of deceiving!"

"Oooooohh...!" And she looked shocked, if she just reached nirvana. The glint of light in her eyes shining brighter than ever. "I'd never think of that! What a great revelation!"

"and not just boobs! With the right swimsuit, you can also draw the right line and shape yourself to the perfect butt!" I continued, losing myself in my own rant, coming with more and more bullshit. "And they come in so many shapes and forms, too! You can look cute, you can look hot, you can look provocative, you can look reserved! Depending on the swimsuit, you can be anything you want, with or without breasts!"

"Ooooooh! You're totally right, sensei!"

"And the best part? Both parties are consensual! If a woman wears, for example, a casual one-piece swimsuit, she's saying 'I'm here for the beach/pool', but when a sexy girl wears a black two-piece ring bikini, she knows! She knows she's rocking, she knows she's hot! She's saying with that 'yeah! I'm hot! Praise me, you pigs!'! It's not like underwear, it's not like casual wear, it's not even like a combo of tank-tops and bloomers! With swimsuits, you can choose and tell whatever you want to say without even words!"

"What a great lesson! You're right, Ichijou-sensei! Enough of Big Boobs and Butts! The best thing in the world is the right swimsuit!" She said, her conviction burning so much I can feel the heat from here. Not that the inspiration is gone, I feel shame again. What the hell did I just say to a twelve year-old? I feel like one of those old men hobos from the park that could only think about porn. I turned around and, while Ren was pondering if what I just said just now was complete bs or not, Mizuki-san is laughing so much I can hear it with my mind. She's laughing so much it's mentally reaching me. "I got it, Sensei! I don't actually need big boobs to have all men under my disposal! What I need it's appeal! Yes! Different appeals, different swimsuits for different guys! That's the ultimate secret to reach my very own harem ending! Thank you, sensei!"

"Y-Yeah... Yeah, I guess..." What happened to me? I created a monster. This is probably the third worst moment of my entire life. What kind of monster would do that to a child? I feel dirty, but at least that's an isolated case...

_"Beep, beep, boop."_

"Eh...?" Everybody turned around to see from where that voice was heard, only to see a semi-closed door next to nemesis-san's room, the meeting room. And from there, opening the door, there was Sarah-san carrying Onizuka-san's head. Oh no, don't tell me. "Ah... Ah...!"

_"Beep, boop. Bin! Data updated. Sekiryuutei Ichijou Tsukino it's a swimsuit affictionato."_ Onizuka-san said, her eyes glowing a data shower and her head vibrating. Despite blinking a few times and maintaining her calm stance, I could see her blushing a little.

"Tururu~, No wonder Tsukino-san has a knack for fanservice. With a perverted son like this, I'm surprised that she didn't ask for my manga to be a straightforward hentai." The azure dragon said, patting the head in her hands and cracking a smile. Despite the serenity in those, I can't feel anything but contempt. "Who'd know, the young, apparently pure Tsukino Ichijou is a pervert like that. Must be a run on his sacred Gear. End of message."

"Ah... Wait! Guys...!"

"Personally, mom says lingeries are the best. I don't get any of that, but apparently Ichijou do." Sighed Ren, as I was running low on personal support, he also aiming me with disdain. I turned to Mixuki-San, since she can read minds, for some support, but the result was none.

'Sorry, Izuki. But everybody's got a secret. You just didn't go... Gentle on your own.'

"Ah... What... Wait...!"

"Sensei! You're the best! I'm eager to learn more and more from you! I'll first learn the secrets of the swimsuits, and then learn my senjutsu! I'll be the next harem queen in no time under your tutelage!" And the little Sally girl was jumping up and down, her wooden sandals making a noise that echoed through the corridors. I was on the verge of breaking down, but she was the one who pulled the last straw. "As expected from the Sekiryuiutei! Or rather, even better, the mizugiryuutei! The swimsuit red dragon!"

***SNAP!***

"Eh...?"

**[W-WHAT...? SWIMSUIT... RED... DRAGON...?!]**

_"Beep, beep. Bin! Data updated. The current Sekiryuutei Ichijou Tsukino shall be known now as the 'Swimsuit Dragon', Or '**mizugiryuutei**'. Beep... Beep... Saved."_

"Ah... Ah... Ah...!"

[**AH... AH... AH...!]**

**"[WAAAAAAAAH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME!YOU GET IT ALL WRONG!]"**

...

...

And after that little display of misery, I swear that I can still hear Ddraig crying inside my Sacred Gear, I was back on the meeting room, Sally on my lap, while the others were sitting across me around. A little calmer now, I explained my current situation with Miyama to his own sisters, and the conditions around our stalemate. Like I was expecting, everyone had their own opinions regarding the case, however, what I wasn't expecting was the position of his own sisters on that.

"So, Rei-chan is desperate now. This isn't a good thing. For Kuoh nor for us as a group." The head on Sarah-san's lap said with a human sigh. I was surprised by this kind of response, coming exactly from someone that said it would herself do anything to achieve her goal. "When he goes like that, it's always a bad sign."

"Coming from you, I'm more than shocked, to be honest." I retorted.

"Tururu~, Ichijou-kun, don't be mean. Eiko-chan is just saying that's too far even for her." Sarah-san said, now eyeing me. "It may not look like... But all of us, from the Miyama house, were raised for the sole purpose to destroy the so called 'Gods of the New era'."

"You mean the new demon Lords and the singularity?" I remembered from Lady Alice, the current demon lords, including Gremory's father, and the singularity, the force of the original seraphim combined in the Highest heavens. To that, Sarah-san nodded.

"Yes. Our brothers and sisters were all subjected to inhuman experiments, sacred gear and light/dark implants, endurance tests or just Guinea pigs to Miyama Enma's experiments. Rei-chan... Was the first of many of them. So much that all of his organs and bones were extracted and substituted by bio-electronic ones, so that Dad could monitor the effects of several spells and curses on bus physical body." She continued, drying a tear coming from her eyes. So that explains how he could endurance so much punishment from both me and Yoko despite being a human. "We weren't any better. I received seven transplants and thirteen heart stops before Tiamat could finally accept me, Kiruko-chan can replace herself with a last-minute clone in case she dies, and Eiko-chan... Let's just say that her brain was necessary for something quite nasty."

"..." I clutched my fists until there was blood coming from them. Maybe the Miyamas were one of those bad blood families, people without a single good root of origin. Picking orphans to do something was already a nasty thing, but doing painful experiments it's just... Unforgivable.

"Of course, we still had mangas."

"Mangas? Like, the comics?" Ren said, crossing his arms and not looking any different from before. He's a ninja, I'll give him that.

"Yes. In order to maintain our minds complete conscious and sane, he would give us cheap manga collections and light novels for us to read. Everyday, when he wasn't experimenting on us, we would read our mangas, seeing heroes and villains, love stories, tragedies and imaginary lands. I became a mangaka because I wanted to give people the same safe spot those old mangas gave us." And then, after that surreal story, she sighed once more with a even heavier atmosphere around her. "However, Rei-chan took this a little too far. He immersed himself into the manga world, and then..."

"... Thought to himself that he was a tragic protagonist of a shounen manga." I completed. Her only response was a mumbling 'end of message'. I see, so he's delusional. He immersed himself so low, so much into the world of comics, he just rejects the notion of reality altogether.

_"The subject Miyama Rei suffers from the confessed 'Enhanced Reality'. A state of mind in which the sick can't discern reality from fiction, thus causing the said grandiosity delusions and thinking himself as important."_ Eiko observed. After that robotic analyzes, however, her eyes became more human again, and she sobbed. "Yes. That is correct, Sekiryuutei Ichijou brother Miyama Rei thinks that he is the protagonist of his own manga. That's why he acts and talks like one would. Still, maybe it's just a demented mentality of him instead of a justification for his egocentrism."

"..." So that's explains it. He doesn't care about anything else but himself, he thinks all of his actions are justifiable, he screams and ignores others around him... Because he really thinks the world revolves around him like a shounen manga protagonist. The others are only secondary, support cast... Extras to him, and his sisters are maybe just his little crew. What would you know? Now I'm pitying him, but for a completely, twisted reason. I gulped another gasp of pride. And looked at both of them dead serious. "I'm sorry, Satah-san... But I broke our promise. I HATE Miyama Rei, from the bottom of my heart. An evil that doesn't know it's evil... It's the worst kind there is."

"..." And she lowered her head. Did I upset her? Is she mad? I broke a promise with a girl, so of course she's somehow disappointed at me. Onizuka-san, on the other hand, blinked a few times.

"Do what you have to do, Ichijou Tsukino. I won't stop you, but be aware that, if he doesn't stop by now, he might have a trump card with him." The head said, drawing my attention.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I dunno. But like any other shounen protagonist, he always says that he has a backup plan hidden. And no matter how many arms he pulls out of his sacred Gear, every new attacks comes with more." She said, sweating in fear. I don't know how's that possible, but maybe his powers are so dreadful she can actually pull that. "Still, I'm part of the bargain. And according to you, Nemesis Gremory might think in go on with the deal."

"Yes. And like I've said, after what he has said and done, I'm not going to forgive him, nor trust a word of him." Yet, maybe I'll have to go with Nemesis-san's order as my superior. This is so hard to think about.

"Tururu~, But can you trust us?" Sarah-san lifted her head and stared at us. If I can trust her? I don't know. I like her, I do like her, and worst of all, she's my mother's new author, so we'll have to interact a little. But if I trust her? I don't think so. "Because, y'know Tsukino Ichijou... I'm planning to betray you all. End of message."

"...!"

"Typical. I knew it."

"What did you s-...?!"

'Halt, Izuki. It's not what is looks like.' Before I could say anything or attack her, Mizuki-san halted all of us, one of her hands lifted for us. I turned my attention from Sarah-san to her. 'You might be angry now, but you know, you wouldn't be able to tell what she's planning. Please, hear her out.'

"Tch...!" I bit my tongue, and instead, patted Sally-chan's head. Those words were about to be the last straw, but now that I've calmed down, Sarah-san's words don't make sense for her. Nor someone would flat-out declare something like that. I sighed. "Sarah-san, don't scare me like that..:"

"Tururu~, I'm the one scared, Ichijou-kun." She sighed. "But all in all, my plan is that, since Rei-chan now knows that I'm with the Kuoh team, he won't believe me anymore. I need to gain his trust again, and in order to do so, I must betray you all."

"It wouldn't be easier to deal with them all? After all, they're just three of them now." I retorted, but Sarah-san shook her head.

"We can't trust nor underestimate them. Kiruko-chan has total control over Vritra-kun's sacred Gears, Kurumi-chan is a clusterbomb and a master of disguises. Rei-chan might be the weakest of us, but when he gets his hands on some powerful weapon... Things gets ugly." She sighed again. "Plus, if the trial goes the same way as the others, he'll be at disadvantage, giving him more reasons to snap. So, when we betray you, I want you to stop us. End of message."

"So, what you're saying is for us to 'plan ahead' in order to counter your betrayal." I sighed one more time, finally finding some sense into her words and calming down. That was uncool of me, so I bowed to her, accidentally bumping my head on top of Sally-chan's. "Ow~, sorry about it, Sarah-san,"

"So, any way for you to help us?" Eiko-san said, now looking at us dead in the eyes. Now that's a rather complicated question. After all, Nemesis-san and probably Aria-San will also be there, so I need to be discrete as possible.

"Does Nemesis-san knows about this?" I asked. Sarah-san shook her head.

"Tururu~, I'm afraid that, in order to be convincing, some of the present must be unaware of the plan, and since you're the closest of a rival our brother has, I'm resorting on you for that." She finished. Of course, she still has that kind of manga mentality. This can only make sense in her head. But, on the other hand, Nemesis-san is pushy and stubborn, she'll probably won't even think before rejecting that plan, I can tell. So, it's up to me. What should I do?

"Yeah! I knew it! Sensei, do your best!" Sally-chan on my lap said, balancing her arms in a victorious way. I'm glad to hear that, but yet I don't have any idea how to counter that. Let's see, I have a ninja, a psychic and now a maiden... Of course.

"Hey, Ren. You can use a summoning technique, right?" I asked the silverette ninja, who nodded with a certain uncertainty.

"Yes. That's a basic thing when we graduated as middle-class ninjas. Battle companions to even more complicated missions." He said.

"And you... I mean, in theory, can I summon you from the other side?"

"You mean... Like a **reverse-summoning**? Why, yes. That's actually pretty easy to make in theory, but where are you coming from?"

"I had an idea. Whatever Nemesis-san's outcome might be, maybe I have a plan in order to stop Sarah-san and Onizuka-san's betrayal." I said in a confident, yet awkward tone, since the ones I'm planning the attack on are literally here. They just giggled at that, pretty nonchalant for someone in such gambit of wits. Regardless of that, I sighed, and turned to all of them. "But I'll need the cooperation of you all. Ren, Mizuki-san, can I trust you all for this task?"

'Hah, like you have anything to hide from me! To be fair, I could use one of your secrets to stop you from doing anything that I find wrong.' Mentally said the strawberry blond esper, smiling her troll grin with the thought. Yeah, she probably knows about it, and if it were a stupid idea for her, she'll have intervened long ago. Okay, she's in. I turned to Ren, and like always, he sighed heavily.

"How many times I have to tell that I don't compromise since I'm a ninja? That's against the shinobi code, for what matters." He said. But in the end, he sighed yet again, blushed and scratched the back of his head. "However, the mission said for me to stop any threats around Kuoh. And mother always says for me to follow my heart... So, sure, as your... Friend. I'm in."

"Great." I sighed. The moment I said that, a sting on pain hit my heart, but after that freaky event, I felt... Lighter. Huh. It has been a while since I put some trust in someone. It feels nice, it's warm again.

"What about me, sensei? Can I be helpful in your plan?" That voice came from below. Sally-chan was looking at me with excited, glowing eyes. Huh, to be fair, the plan had her from the start. Better yet, i could only think of it thanks to her powers. She looked at Mizuki-san, and then back to me, even brighter eyes now. "Seriously? Am I important in the mission."

"Joykiller Mizuki-san." I made a face to that same girl, and she only grinned. I pat Sally-chan again on the head and said. "Very well. That's true. Sally-chan, I need to ask a favor from you. In fact, I actually need **two** favors from you."

"Sure!" She smiled, jumping up and down on my lap. Yeah, I just hope this plan works. Whatever Nemesis-san might think of me after that, I need to stop Miyama... Once and for all.

I just hope Sally-chan won't hate on me after that request...

.

~~x~~

.

My steps were the only thing I could heard in my way to he rooftop. The classes were already over and the trial was just a few minutes away. I was going to spend my time to review my plan with the rest of my group, but an anonymous call texted me to go to the roof. I tried to ignore, but after a two hundred or so's messages, I good fed up, deciding for the best and follow it.

I finally reached the desired destination, and opened the door leading to the rooftop. Like I was expecting, the sky was in a deep grey tone, and so, it was pretty windy and moist here. My eyes scanned the place for a few seconds, only to land on a very known girl by the edge of the said place, staring somewhere away from me. Black hair darker than any abyss, and aura I could only say it was from a genuine demon lord. Ludger Bael. She turned to me, her violet orbs brighter than ever, and we clashed gazes.

"Sekiryuutei..."

"Look, I'm not going to ask how you know the number of my phone, since apparently everybody knows it by now, but I'm going to ask why you called me here." I said, flapping my flip-phone to her and sighing. Ludger came closer to me, and put herself in a defensive mode, her arms behind her back and making herself exposed completely. "Ludger, what's the matter? I know we have the last trial to attend as mediators, but we can always spare a moment."

"Tsukino... Ichijou..." She spoke, breathing every word out of her mouth and gulping down hard. This is really making me nervous, and that's not good when I have a plan and a trial to attend. I gulped down hard, and calmed down. "Who was... Who is Berolina Gremory to you?"

"Eh...?" Did she ask about Gremory? And how I think about her? Eh, that's odd. That's really odd. I wonder why she wants to talk about her. Maybe it's another way to convince me to join her peerage. Maybe she'll give me more information about her coma. Regardless, I guess answering that won't do me any harm. I just need to be careful about what I'm going to say. "Well, that's a hard one, actually. Rina was... Rina is a little dummy, kinda annoying, childish, immature, very bossy sometimes and she can be pretty insufferable. She reincarnated me without my consent, acts like everything will work on her side and for her, and... To be honest, she was kinda slutty? I dunno if it's a devil's thing, but she used to sleep on my bed naked and try to seduce me."

"Huh... It's that so." She said, another sigh of nervousness and now a direct stare into my eyes. "So... Do you hate her?"

"No." My blandness actually scared her, making the lass jump in a gasp. If I hate Gremory? I don't love her, but... I can't, I won't hate her. She's just... Lonely and misguided. Maybe it was Nemesis-san, maybe it was auntie Alice, but she couldn't be like that for herself. "I can't hate Rina. I know I said that a lot, but I can't. She was a simple girl, only trying to find her way, just like me and the rest of the group. She tried to, but she was rejected by it. She was annoying, but she always tried to cheer us up and do what she thought it was best. And there was nothing wrong with her dream to become Rias Gremory, but she would have to go alone. All in all, I don't hate her."

"..."

"But... What's the point for you to ask that? Is there something wrong?" I asked, now feeling incredibly anxious. What happened? Did she wake up from her coma? Instead of answering, Ludger sighed heavily, and held her hand closer to her heart. I was already freak out, but then she picked me by the right and made us interlock our fingers together.

"Ichijou..."

"Ludger, What's going on?!" I asked one final time, shaking her hand away and backing a few steps. What's going on?! This is going too fast! And in all seriousness, I'm getting sick of this! "Tell me! You're freaking me out! Tell me now or I'll leave!"

"Ichijou..." She spoke one more time. I got sick of it, turning around and ready to leave, since apparently she has nothing important to say, not that I care, anyway! However... She screamed. She screamed in a way that I could never imagine she would, and then, I turned around. To my surprise, she was sobbing. "Wait! Don't... Don't go! I just wanted to see if you were going to... Going to miss her... Because... I'm already hurt, I'm already broken, and I don't want the same for you... Because..."

Wait...

What?

What?

Is she...

Talking about Gremory?

Why?

Why?

Why?

"Ludger... What... What are you saying?" Was I could muster with my mind going overdrive. However, before anything, Ludger put her hand inside her pocket and, from it, tossed something that slid all the way to me. It was a key...

The key to my house...

"Sekiryuutei... Ichijou... Berolina Gremory... Rina... Is **dead**."

* * *

**Heeeeeeey~, I dropped the bomb. So, new character, new development, Ichijou's temperament getting the best of him and Nemesis, and now... The revelation, what ludger was hiding this entire time!**

**Phew, but in all honesty, this chapter was specially convoluted. Maybe it's because I wanted to tie all loose knots before the climax. I hope it wasn't a bad trip for you all, and wait for more surprises in the next chapters. and how about it, ichijou has a loli now! so, even with that bad news about the character, stay golden, y'all!**


	47. A farewell song to my past self

**Hey, there, fanon? Well, another chapter under one week. Maybe I should put a little halt to this fic, because i feel like I abandoned the other in my curriculum. Oh, right, don't worry, I'll think of something to balance the other fics, so this one won't be the only one updating. I hope you like this chapter,!**

**Like always, DxD doesn't belong to me, please suport the oficial release. **

**And we are again with the stupid titles.**

* * *

Today's the day Sarah-sensei to send me her final art. I'm not exactly thrilled by it since she has school today so her only way to send me was through fax. She's still so young, and to have a serialization at such... I just hope she isn't overworking herself. She might still live with her parents, but I saw some authors fall ill because of too much effort. The only thing to do is to clap my hands and wait for her to get an anime. Otherwise, I hope she's doing fine...

"Hey Ryuubi-chan, are you going to train now?" I said as the pink-haired girl, after cleaning all of the dishes, put on her sandals and was at the door, while I was writing an e-mail to Sarah-sensei. She blinked her pink eyes at me a few times and smiled.

"Anything that needs my assistance, mother Anzu? Please let me know." She's so adorable. Ichijou, stop bringing girls home, otherwise I'll want you to marry them all. Come to think of it, I haven't seem Annie or Rina-chan for a while. I wonder if they're okay. If Ichijou ended up shoving them away, he'll have a serious conversation with me. Also, Hajime is in Italy now... Huh.

"No, I was just going to ask for you to bring some milk and flour home on your way back home." I smiled, but puffed away a cloud of uneasiness, as she smiled back with a nod and walked out the door. Now I need the friends of my son in order to maintain a company for myself and do my chores, not that it matters much, since I wasn't the most attentive mother either. Sigh, Kyou, Kyou~, your children... And step-children grew up to be fine people even without proper parents' attention. You should be proud, and I am. Satsuki is a doctor, the other three in good colleges, and Ichijou doing just fine. That's good to hear, and I'm kinda sad for losing so much of their grown. But there's nothing to lose, anyway. I just hope I'll live enough to see them have children and have my own grandchildren. Where was I again? Oh yeah, the final art. It should be coming by fax right now or so.

Since there was no one at home now, I prepared a cup of tea for myself, and as I was finishing brewing it, the fax came by. I poured some into a pink cup, and soon picked up the manuscripts with the final art. A bit blurry because of the said 'transportation method', but it was clear.

Let's see, fight scene goes here, fanservice goes there. Character development, character development, oh no, plot twist and the villain was the protagonist's forgotten best friend all along! Yeah, I guess this is okay. A little cheesy, but this is a shounen manga, and shounen manga must be cheesy and a little overboard. Truth to be told, I've been reading those mangas since college, and after I got myself some kids, plus Hajime's, this became a thing in my life, so much I became an manga editor. It's kinda funny. I remember when Futaba said she was proud of me because I was the only mother in the kindergarten that could tell the difference between an Agumon and a Pikachu... Or an Pikachu and the rest of all Pokemon, for that matter...

***KNOCK KNOCK!***

Uuuh~? A visit? So early? Well, since this is the end of the week and Kuoh has been having several problems lately, maybe it's Sarah-sensei bringing the originals. Yet, I have a faint idea of who else might be. Putting my cup and the manuscripts down, I walked towards the entrance door at sluggish pace, only now getting used to the sunlight around. Soon I reached it and picked the knob to turn it around, revealing the figures by the other side.

"Yes...?"

"Lady Anzu! Long time no see~!" An there she is. I couldn't help but smile to Alice-san's smile towards me, since I did miss her a little. She was again wearing a wine-colored fancy dress with furry scarf and tall high-heels. However, my attention soon shifted to the other lady beside her: A fairly short, girlishly pretty, with wavy green bright hair and emerald eyes, skin so fair I had the feeling I could rip it off with just a finger rub. However, the most notable thing about her was the fact she was covered in several colorful ribbons. On her hair, on her wrists, legs, her jacket and even on her neck serving as several chokers.

"Good morning, Alice-san and... And...?" I said, turning my attention to the new figure aside Alice-san. She just politely bowed.

"Pleased to meet in your acquaintances, Lady Tsukino Anzu. I attend by the name of Mary... Belzer, and I'm one of Alice's longest companions." She said.

"..."

"...?"

"..."

"..."

"Sigh. Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Mary Belzer and I'm Alice's oldest friends." Oh, I get it. I should read start picking up some old books. Ichijou is doing his best back in the poetry classes. Maybe I should be doin he same with my reading habits. I quickly bowed and apology for my rudeness, an uneasy smile on my face and a scratch on the back of my head.

"Oh, right. Nice to meet you... Too." I said uneasy. She seems a little more composed than Alice-san, and it's a lot smaller too. Maybe she's a niece? But wait, she said she's one of Alice-san's longest... Something something, is this mean that she's as old as her? She's so little. "Hey, would you two like to come in and have a... What am I saying, just get in already."

"Huhuhuh~, tea and snacks with Lady Anzu~! C'mon, Mary!"

"Right after you, Alice." The other one said, discarding her shoes, which were also tied with several ribbons and walking besides her companion to the living room. Once there, they both sat on the sofa, as I poured the rest of my tea on two new cups. I brought them to the other two ladies, and together we sat facing each others. Huh, maybe my afternoon won't be so boring after all...

"So, what brings you here, Mary-san?" I asked, taking a quick sip out of my green tea. She sighed.

"Nothing much. That idiot wouldn't shut up about you and how 'you're a best best friend that I could dream to be'. So I decided to follow her here and take some notes myself. Also, I had some business to attend around here." Again, I'm flabbergasted in how Alice-san can be so mean-spirited and air-headed sometimes. That's just rude, even when she calls me the best... Best friend. Mary-san picked her own cup of tea and took a sip. "Huh~, delicious. So delicious. It's so delicious is making me feel noxious. Oh... I don't like tea anymore."

"Heheheh~." I think I have a knack for attracting strange people, maybe a magnet on my head, perhaps? Alice-san also took another sip on her tea and soon finished her own.

"Splendid as always! Nothing less from the best best friend I have!" She clapped her fingers and pointed a poisonous look at Mary-san, a grin spreading on her face as the aura around her became nasty. Mary-san didn't care much for that. "Maybe some people could learn a thing or two. After all, best friends don't do that to their friend's servants and furniture!"

"And you're still going on about it. Sheesh..."

"Talking about daughters, Alice-san, when will Rina-chan be able to come back?" Suddenly, both ladies went quiet as I sipped on my own tea, feeling the fuzzy and warm sensation down my throaf. Why the Suddenly silence? "He doesn't show, but Ichijou misses her. He kept saying 'I'm sorry, Rina' in his sleep during his fever. And to be honest, I miss her quite a bit too."

"..." Alice-san said nothing, which was very exquisite coming from her usual carefree and nonchalant self, while Mary-san turned her now serious gaze towards her redhead friend. After a while, however, Alice-san lifted her head and shined again one of her smiles. However, there was something wrong with that one. I dunno, but this smile... It's not Alice-san's smile. "Sure! She'll just need to attend some more exams and check-ups back in the hospital, and she'll be ready to go!"

"Alice..." Mary-san turned to Alice-san, but the former just turned her head back with that same smile now aiming the greenette.

"Isn't that right, My best Friend Mary? Rina... Will be back soon, won't she?" Mary-san gulped hard with those words. Is Rina-chan hospitalized? Oh my, I hope it's nothing serious! And by their dynamic now, I can assume that Mary-san it's a doctor of a sorts. She sighed, and crossed her arms.

"Yeah... She will. I believe she's fine." Mary-san sighed hard again, so Alice-san turned back to me. Her smile was now making me uncomfortable for some reason. I also gulped hard, and tried to reach for more tea, only to find none. Apparently, also everybody else. "Anzu-dono, would you mind refilling my cup, if it isn't much of a bother?"

"S-Sure..." I picked both of their cups and walked towards the kitchen where the jar of tea lies, also takin my sweet time to clean up my mind around the situation.

What tension, never thought this kind of aura could come from Alice-san. It's bugs me to no end, but better avoid this. Maybe it's a very sensitive subject as it for now, and I don't want Alice-san to become even more upset. As a good host, I poured some tea into the two cups, and again with the plate, I moved them to the living room.

"Here it is, Alice-san." I said as I placed the pink cup right in front of her smiling self. She nodded and reached for it.

"Why thank you, Lady Anz-..."

***CRACK!***

"What?"

"Oh..." But before she could even touch it, the side of that same cup suddenly cracked a little, spilling some of the tea on the table. I was fast enough to reach it and move it away to avoid further mess, while Alice-san just sighed deeply and looked at me deeply in the eyes, apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, for what would you apologize for, Alice-san? Here, you can have mine. I'll pick other." I said as I placed my own cup in front of her and went back to the kitchen to pick another one.

This is the first time I see Alice-san so down, I mean, down-ish. Maybe it was because I touched something regarding Rina-chan. Mary-san also apparently knows about it and, something about a hospital and intensive care, maybe? I just hope that she's fine and can come back in having fun with Ichijou and the others. I came back with another cup of tea and sat in front of them with the best smile I could muster with the current situation, talking about some other topic. I'm all curious, sure, but I won't force her to talk something she doesn't want to. Soon enough, Alice-san came back to normal, and we chat about our everyday lives, duties and husbands.

Mary-san, from time to time, would turn a careful look at Alice-san, though. This says that; 1- they're really good friends and; 2- there's definitely something going on. Maybe... I'm thinking too much.

But again... That cup might be a really bad omen...

.

~~x~~

.

"Aaaaah...! Aaaaah...!"

"Sekiryuutei, calm down."

_'Don't worry, everything is under control. Let's just... Win that and then we can start our Occult Research Club! Yeah... Let's... Let's follow our dreams...'_

"Aaaaaah...! Aaaaaaah...!"

"Wait... What are you doin-... Hnnnnng...!"

_'And the least I can do after their deaths is... Well, keep the current user safe.'_

"Haaaaah...! Haaaaah...!"

"Please, stop this at once! Don't make me-... Hnnnng...!"

_'Don't be like that, Ichijou-kun. I know you'll be a powerful devil.'_

"Haaaaah...! Haaaah...!"

"N-No...! I beg of you! Anything but that!"

_'Thanks, Ichijou-kun. You're really kind...'_

"Haaaah! Haaaaah! Haaaaaah! Haaaaah!"

"You... Won't stop, will you? At least... Be gentle... Don't Make this dream... A nightmare..."

_'Y'know, Ichijou-kun? I trust you.'_

**[Ichijou, stop!]**

"Hah...?" And I blinked once, and all the colors came back to my world. Everything was so black and foggy, I just lost control of everything after knowing that... Gremory was gone. The black now was changed to a red-and-black scenario: blood I the floor, black hair, black lingerie, ripped clothes. When I knew best, I was on top of Ludger, pinning her to the ground by her wrists, her shirt rip open and revealing her collapsing black bra. Moreover, drops of blood falling on her ivory chest, and the area on her neck next to her left shoulder was bleeding, a bite mark on it. I could feel... The taste of blood. "What... What... What happened?"

"Did you... Come back to your senses, Ichijou?" I heard a voice above me, and there she was, Ludger Bael, facing me with teary, trembling eyes, sniffing but still maintaining her indifference towards me. Out of scare, I jumped away and landed on my ass, sitting on the ground as she also put herself sit, covering herself with her remaining clothes. "I won't... Judge nor charge against you. You were... Upset. And I can see that those news were too much for you to handle."

"What news? What news?! Ugh...!" And in a blink of an eye, memories from not long along flashed in my mind. I didn't take long for me to remember the said news: Gremory... Berolina Gremory... Is dead. I don't remember much after that, and when I knew best, well, I was attacking Ludger. I looked at the small key she passed to me, and with one final scan, I could say, that key was the same one to my house. "So... That wasn't a dream at all. It was real. Rina is dead."

"Unfortunately. This key was the last thing she was holding before... Her departure." Ludger said, trying to stop her bleeding and leaving there only a bite mark the size of her hand. After that, she put herself on lotus position and sighed, calming down to an unnatural level. "According to Doctor Beelzebub, Berolina Gremory didn't want to face her reality. After her defeat by the hands of Nemesis Gremory, in Lady Beelzebub's words, she just gave up on living in this plain. It was a tough decision, but in the end... Berolina Gremory is no more."

"Ah... It makes sense... She lost... In the rating Game..." I said with slow words coming out of my mouth, like sand in a hourglass. So she gave up on living because of her defeat on the Rating Game... Heheh... Heheheh... This is so stupid and tragic, it's funny. Why am I laughing, anyway? Gremory's dead... She's dead. This is... This is...

"I know you're upset, and so, I shall not condemn you for your actions against me." She said, now rubbing her bite mark on her neck and sighing, drying her tears away with her hand and reaching another one for me. "Don't worry... I will... I am..."

"No... I am okay."

"Eh...?"

"Yes... I am... I am... Fine." I said, sniffing and drying the tears away. Once again, once again I lost something due to my own weakness, and once again, my dreams came to shatter. But, in fact, I am... Relieved? Yeah, I am. Now, I can understand Nemesis-san more than before. Why she wants to seal a stalemate with the Miyama runaways with such rush. She doesn't want anyone hurt, she doesn't want to lose anyone anymore. "I'll miss Rina... I seriously will... But this time... I won't make this loss came to waste."

"...?"

"I mourned for ten years for my friends Julia and Nina... And during that period, I thought I lost everything... Forever. I had no other friends, no support, no love. But now... Now I have friends, and I want to be with them..." I said, standing up from the ground and gulping down all of my regrets and pain. It still hurts a lot, it's trying to drill a hole into my heart, but I won't lose this anymore... I won't... Give up. "And even if some of them are not with me anymore... Even if some of them are away because of my weaknesses, I won't... Give up. I'll become stronger and surpass those flaws! And avoid losing anyone... Anymore!"

"...!" She gasped and wide her eyes to my declaration. Yes! Now I have everything to protect, and I won't lose any of them anymore!

"I'll defeat the Miyamas, I'll stop and save Annie, I'll destroy anything that might pose a threat for those I hold dear! And even if I couldn't stop Julia, Nina, Rina or Annie, I won't give up like you did, Ludger!" I said, trying my best to not to cry, tighten my fists and knuckles so hard I was bleeding in them. She stood up herself, and faced me, her eyes frowning. "I'll protect everyone as I can, so that people I cherish won't have to go away! So that no one will suffer anymore!"

**"And what makes you think you won't betray their trust?! I was betrayed, and that's why I gave up on my feelings, Ichijou!**" She asked, flicking her hair away and clashing her amethyst gaze against my own green one.** "Tell me, if those you so want to protect ended up delusional of you, by your own so called weaknesses? How will you feel about it, huh, Tsukino Ichijou?!"**

"Then I'll make everyone trust me!" I said back, and so she stepped back in surprise. "Rina... Probably grew delusional because I couldn't hold to her expectations... Annie left us because we couldn't hold her expectations... That's why... That's why I'll grow stronger and make everyone see that I can be reliable! That I can hold myself and back them up with all that I have, even If I need some help with it!"

"..."

"Ludger..." I extended a hand for her, and she, wth already trembling figure and teary eyes, looked at it with hesitation. "You said that... You've been betrayed. I know that's sad, I know it's harsh, but... You can trust me. I might not be the strongest, but being all alone, not trusting anyone... Is sadder and harsher. It's an abyss that blinds you and makes you lose track what really matters. Don't be like that."

"Ichijou...?" She blinked a few times, as tears ran down her cheeks and she sniffed in an unladylike manner. However, after a while, she held her head with a hand and, after a grunt, she frowned again and slapped my hand away.** "I apologize, but your words don't mean nothing to me."**

"I understand." I sighed. I know how it is. Maybe she's another one that suffered what I've suffered. No, she probably got it worse, so much she changed like that. We still pretty much alike. "We are... Pretty similar, you know that? I know... How hard it is to trust someone again. But thanks to all those people, Nemesis-san, Aria-nee, my peerage and my friends, I finally have a stronger motive to go on."

"..."

"Maybe getting rid of your emotions made you stronger... But having emotions makes me want to grow stronger than you."

"..."

And with that, I turned around, and took my way away. That was... Pretty cool, even. Is that the motive Yagura was talking about? Yes. It's kinda hard to think about it, but maybe I'm walking in the same road senpai walked. Getting stronger not for myself, but for others that I treasure. Maybe... Maybe Aria-san is right, I've changed a lot since I met her... And everyone.

**[Good to see you growing up, Ichijou.]** the voice in my head said, and by the tone of it, she's proud of me. I was already walking downstairs when she contacted me in my mind. So, I'm really changing, eh? I wonder if it's for the best. **[I dunno. Love makes you crazy, order might drive you insane, but as long as you can maintain be yourself during those trials and limits, there's nothing wrong in changing.]**

"Huh... I'll keep that in mind."

**[But still... You're sad, aren't you.?]**

***TRIP!***

"Ah...!"

**[Ichijou...?!]**

***BAM! BAM! BAM!***

**[Ah... Ah! Ichijou, are you okay?! Jeez, watch where you walk! I know your body can shrug that off, but still...]**

"You're right, Yagura..."

**[Huh...?]**

"I am... I am sad..." I said, finally letting go of my holdup emotions, forming a river of salty water out of my eyes, as my fallen body couldn't move after that fall from the stairs. Those words were true: no matter how strong my resolution is, how eloquent my words were... I can't mask the fact that I will miss Gremory. She was also... My role model. She wasn't the strongest, nor the fastest, nor the most powerful, but her passion was so intense, she tried to impossible, and was because of that she grew so delusional that she died. "I wanted her to see my Balance Breaker, Yagura. I wanted her to see... She'd see that I was more than Senpai's legacy, that I was more that my sacred gear. She was a nice girl, Yagura, she didn't deserve to die... I am... Sad... I'll miss her."

**[...]** I could hear her gulp inside my sacred gear, as I laid here, miserable, spilling all of my grief and regret that I dropped when I fell. At least Ludger isn't here to see how pathetic I am.** [I know you're sad. you should be sad. I know how it is... To lose someone you love, trust me. But the only thing you can do is to move forward, carrying the grief and learning from it. But take your time, you are... Still so young.]**

"..." I sniffed a little, my face still on the floor. She's right, she's always right. When I was all out to fight against Miyama Rei, to when I tried to ravish Ludger, she was there to correct me. She's something else indeed. "Yagura... Thanks for everything, and I'm sorry for making you stop me all the time when I lose control..."

**[No problem, Ichijou. You're still so young, so young...]**

"But... No more running away." I said, standing up from the floor and dusting off my clothes in order to look presentable. That's enough of crying for now, I still have the last trial to attend, and no matter how much I cry, It won't change like that. I dried up my lasts tears, swallowed my lasts bits of regret, put the keys back into my pocket and resumed my walk downstairs. "Let's go."

**[Right by your side, Ichijou. Always.]**

Yeah... For Nina, for Julia, for Gremory... That reminds me...

I still didn't ask who Yagura truly is.

.

~~x~~

.

"And so, I decided to take the risk and put our quarrel against the five dragon Kings to a stalemate by giving them Onizuka's head back." Nemesis-san stated, as we were all in her room now, listen to her final instructions before the said encounter. Kaichou apologetically nodded at me with a sigh, as I shared gazes with the Gremory on the table. "We will hold our powers and put ourselves in defensive, however. It's never too careful with them."

"Tururu~, don't worry, Nemesis-san. Rei-chan probably already calmed down, so he'll be pretty patient with us, end of message." Sarah-san said, still carrying Onizuka-san's head on her lap. The robot girl, however, wasn't speaking or anything, since she was asleep and her mouth was sealed shut by a tape. I wonder what's that about.

"I can only hope so. Very well, like that, I'll be there as Headmistress and show that I'm willing to be vulnerable in order to gain their trust. Aria, Tsukino Ichijou, Ludger and Serena Sitri will be there as my mediators, as well as the other two dragons to hand it over." She spoke in a serious, yet calm voice, as I straightened my stance when she landed THAT glare at me. Huh, she's still thinking about it. "Was I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." We all said in unison. She nodded, and turned back to her papers.

"Very well, you'll be going ahead. I'll check the rest of the student council for them to create a barrier for us." And so, everybody left. Ludger, Sarah-san, Onizuka-san and Kaichou. She tried to also follow her, but I said I'd stay. In the end, there was only me and Nemesis-san here, and just after some time that she noticed my presence. She frowned as soon as she landed her eyes on me. "Oh, Tsukino Ichijou. Do you have any business with me? I mean, besides my final decision with no way for me to turn back on it?"

"Nothing, not even that, Nemesis-san." I said with a sigh. Her frown vanished together with the nasty aura around her, and she blinked in confusion with my calm self. "I dunno why I stayed either. Maybe it's because... I want to say sorry."

"If it's for our little fight earlier, think nothing of it, Tsukino Ichijou." She sighed, turning back on her papers and with a ghost of a smile on her face. "I was just thinking about the major good. You might not agree with me, but I'm trying to protect this school and the people here. Then we might think about how to get rid of them for good. I'm glad you understood."

"Yeah... Me too." I still can't agree with her, nor say her final decision was the correct one, but at least I can understand more of the reason why she chose it. She doesn't want anyone to be hurt anymore. And that's very noble, even if I don't agree with it. She just doesn't want to suffer. Heh... "Hey... Nemesis-san..."

"Yes...?"

"No matter what Rina might've said or thought... You're a great older sister."

***POOF!***

"Eh...?"

"W-W-What the hell are you saying out of the sudden?! Have you lost your mind?! I know! You're trying to sabotage me, aren't you?!" And then, the most creepy yet adorable thin happened: Nemesis-san exploded in a blushing mess and began to trip on her words. That's kinda disturbing, as she's babbling like a teenage girl, unlike her usual composed, mature self. "Don't say random stuff like that! You're creeping me out! I-idiot..."

"Okay, I'm sorry." I scratched my own cheek in shame, blushing myself and looking away from her own mess. This is way too disturbing to put on words, but somehow cute nonetheless. Who would've thought nemesis-san could've such a side...

(Nero - Me.)

"Hey, Nemesis~! I'm back!" Suddenly, breaking the awkward mood right away, Aria-san bursted the door open with a bright smile.

"Aria! Where the hell have you been?!" Nemesis-san stood up from her chair and walked towards her blonde queen, a scowl in her pretty face to counter Aria-san's confused gaze. "We have a meeting with those terrorists now! Where were you this whole time?!"

"Eh~? You asked for me to put stronger lamps on the highlights and place them around Kuoh, remember?"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I didn't ask that!"

"Really? Huh, that's odd." The blond said with a curious. Her wandering gaze, however, landed on me, and like always, she shined a smile at me, waving her hand. "Oh hey, bro! Of what you guys were talking abo-...?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! Now go and get ready for the trial! You're the final DxD child to do it, so look presentable!" But before Aria-san could could finish her her sentence, Nemesis-san pushed her away from the room, leaving only me on the room. Before she could vanish, however, she turned her blushing face and pointed a finger at me. "And you! You do your stuff, but hurry up! We'll meet in the gym in five minutes! Farewell!"

***CLOSE!***

Huh... Yeah, no matter what, In the end, Nemesis-san is a good person. Thinking about others even though it would make her be hated by another ones. It was like that with Gremory, it was like that with me this morning. I respect that for that... But I don't agree with it at all. I reached for my phone, flipped in open and clicked a certain number. After a few types, I heard Ren's voice by the other side. Five minutes, eh? It's more than enough.

_'Hello? Ren speaking.'_

"Hey, it's me. It's everybody with you?"

'_Yep, lock and load, chief. I also found the place where the student council is building the arena_.'

"Great. Now, let's review our plan from the start. We got five minutes."

.

~~x~~

.

Like I was expecting, the stage where the said last trial would be taking place was a copy of Kuoh academy. Moving there through a magical rune, there we were, at the middle of the outside running track, me, Nemesis-San, Aria-san, Ludger, Kaichou and the two dragon sisters, waiting for the rest of the dragon kings to appear.

"Again, unless we are provoked, we must avoid unnecessary physical conflicts in this occasion. Was I clear?" Nemesis-san, taking the lead, reviewed, turning at us so that she could see our answers. Everybody except me nodded, while I just sighed. She frowned, but turned around and sighed.

"I know you're upset, Ichijou-kun, and I did everything I could to convince her otherwise, but I couldn't do a thing. My bad." Kaichou sighed with an uneasy smile and a shrug of defeat. However, I simply nodded at her and waved my hand.

"Don't sweat it, Kaichou. I know you did your best. If you want, I can kiss you as a consolation prize." I joked, as she gasped in surprise, but smiled and blushed at me, nodding vigorously. It's a joke, of course, but that'll make her feel good. I turned then to Ludger. "And, Ludger...?"

"..."

"Thanks for being so honest with me, and I'n sorry." I sighed. In response, she simply blushed and turned her face away.

"Humph..."

"Heh..."

"Aw~. Are you hearing this, Nemesis? Ichijou is taking care of his harem~!" Turning to us back to her king, Aria-san said out loud, without even bothering lowering her voice. To that, Nemesis-san only sighed in disgust, turning a quick glance at us. "Maybe both of us will be aunties before being mothers, eh?"

"Shut up, Aria." I rolled my eyes to that response. As expected from Nemesis-san, being all direct and kinda harsh. Suddenly, the aura of this place became heavier, as the laughs ceased, as even I could feel the unbalance energy coming from a single, specific point in the arena. Nemesis-san sharpened her gaze and put herself in a battle stance. "Here they come. Remember, no harsh movements, we're just gonna trade Onizuka's head. Refrain from using physical methods."

I took one final gaze at both Onizuka-san and Sarah-san, and both nodded at me, the robot-girl's mouth still sealed with a duck-tape. Soon enough, the place began to change colors, and from the opposite side to us, another magic rune was drawn in midair, and from it, three figures appeared, wearing the respective uniforms of Hijirigasaki, Gessen and Kuoh. There they are, Kurisu Kurumi, Matsuoka Kiruko and Miyama Rei.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! It's the red dragon and that busty Gremory. How are thou~?" Kiruko-san said with a innocent handwave, looking at me with unfocused eyes. I rolled my own out of Shame, but I could see that Nemesis-san began to tremble a little. What, did they know each other? However, my gaze now focused on Miyama Rei. He was so nonchalantly gazing from right to left, accompanied by his other sisters, and then placed his eyes on me. I could feel his anger towards me, yet, K responded with the same amount of aggressiveness.

"It looks like you all came. I'm satisfied to see that only now putting my trust in Devils was worthy." He said, coming closer and standing tall against Nemesis-san, his other sisters by his side. "I hope... You all aren't planning to betray us with an ambush, are you?"

"Positively no. I asked for the barrier-makers to create one only capable of holding ten people. Anything more than that will be forcibly expelled from here." Nemesis-san said, sighing and signing for Sarah-san to come closer. She stood a bit farer than the redhead, passing Onizuka's head to Miyama, who slowly took it back for himself. "So, according to my Sekiryuutei, the deal is thus: You'll halt your attacks on Kuoh academy if I give your sisters back, safe and sound. Isn't that correct? So there they go. Now, leave this place immediately."

"Loud and clear, headmistress Morimoto Shizuka, or should I say Nemesis Gremory from the house of Gremory?" He said in a disdainful voice, as ten angel wings emerged from his back and flapped against us, pushing us away! Nemesis-san, Aria-san and Kaichou gasped in surprise, as I tried but failed to stand on my two feet! Suddenly, ***SHING!***, all the three Miyama siblings left morphed into their Scale-mail-like armors, as Miyama was still holding Onizuka's head! I knew it! He was planning this all along! "Foolish Devils. You fell for such a trick! As if I'll ever believe in such lowly lives! You tried to manipulate my sister, and in a way to eliminate me! However, now the tables has turned! Prepare to see your doom!"

"Damn you!" I said, standing up and ready to reach a certain rune in lady Akeno's ribbon wrapped around my wrist, but something happened before that: the tape in Onizuka's head began to glow, and then, the symbol of the Gremories appeared right there!

"Not so fast, you little shit."

***ZING!***

"What the-... Hnnnng!" Nemesis-san summoned a rune on the tip of her fingers, and with smooth, quick movements with them, she magically ripped open the seal in Onizuka-san's mouth and, from there, thorn vines-like tentacles emerged and wrapped themselves on the rest of the runaways, rending them immobile. The three landed on the ground, and Onizuka-san's head rolled over, being picked by Sarah-san. "You... You fiend! You set us up?! I should expect that from a devil!"

"I wasn't the first one... To think in betraying our deal, Miyama Rei." Nemesis-san sighed, coming closer to him and magically lifting them to her level. Matsuoka-san was in daze, looking around and completely lost in her own mind, and Kurisu-san was still struggling with the vines which were tying her even tighter. Miyama was facing the headmistress of Kuoh, and she was staring back. "Don't fight the vines. Those are really hard magical cuffs. The harder you fight, the tighter they become. I suggest for you to stop your struggle."

"Tch! How disgraceful! And I thought you Devils were nobler than deceiving others! No wonder every other religion despises you!" He said, only to nemesis-san to lift another finger and shut him up with more vines.

"I don't mind other's hate towards me, as long as I can do... The right thing." She finished, turning around and putting one more seal on his chest. Wait... Nemesis-san wasn't really going to fall for his trap? Did she... Plan this ahead? I turned to Aria-san.

"Aria-nee... What happened?"

"Eh, turns out my Nemesis didn't trust them much either." She said with a shrug and a smile, as Sarah-san was immobile, looking at her sealed siblings, still with Onizuka-san's head on her chest, both Sharing the same surprised expression. "So... For what's what, we changed our minds, and we were right about him betraying our expectations."

"But... But! I thought...!"

"Y'know Ichijou, sometimes you underestimate others for your own good!" And that... Hit home. Hard. Really hard. I knew Nemesis-san wouldn't be that stupid, and so, I should've trusted her more. HUUUH~, today's one of those days. I sighed, and instead of a response, I came closer to Nemesis-san and Sarah-san. They turned to me as I approached them.

"Hey, Nemesis-san..." I began, ready to say another big and fat sorry, and call the mission a quit, but then she lifted a hand in a stop sign.

"Halt your apologies, Tsukino Ichijou. You dot have to do it." She said, her calm, collected voice sounding smoother than usual. She opened her eyes, and for the first time since I met her, she smiled. I blushed. "I'm aware of your feelings and thoughts regarding this matter, and while I don't agree with them, I figure they might have some truths in them. I don't condemn you for it."

"Okay... Thanks anyway." I said, bowing to her the hardest I could. This is actually pretty good. She betrayed my expectations, and Yet, I'm happy for it, but also kinda ashamed. I underestimated her intelligence, and again, that almost caused bigger problems with us. I sighed. "And I'm sorry."

"Okay, you're forgiven."

"Tururu~, but how about them, Nemesis-san?" Cutting our conversation, Sarah-san said in between us, her worried eyes shifting from us to her trapped siblings. Nemesis-san turned to her.

"They're gonna be judged for their actions and charged for their sins." She said in a monotone, calm voice. Even so, the sheer bluntness in those words made our spines chill. What was that about? The tone shifted so suddenly. She then turned to Miyama, who was still conscious at the time, aiming his wrathful gaze towards us, and sharpened her eyes. "You might receive a pardon for your assistance in the case, but I'm afraid the rest of them... Shall not live long enough."

"Eh...?"

"N-Nemesis-san...?" I trembled to that sudden shift. What? Are they gonna be executed? Or prisoned forever? I mean, yes, Miyama can't be cooked alive for what maters to me, but it's still a little harsh for the others. "H-Hey! Miyama I understand, but what about the others? They said what they did was for his sake! Out of revenge! Isn't that a little harsh for people like that?!"

"They still sinned, Tsukino Ichijou. And mere reasons like that, I'm afraid won't be enough to save them from the Cocytus." She sighed one more time, face-palming and turning around to avoid facing me. "Although... I'm pretty sure that no one will ever miss them."

"Nemesis-san..." That's really harsh ever for her. I turned around and saw Miyama Rei still struggling with his seal, which wasn't holding him back at all. He was still fighting the vines, and I'm sure that won't change. I turned to Sarah-san, and she was immobile, shocked, staring at Nemesis-san with wide eyes. I think she broke her.

"Sorry... Does not compute... You said... Cocytus?" The bluenette said, holding the head on her chest, who was also too shocked to say anything else, even more. Nemesis-san turned to her.

"Yes, the lowest river of hell, the worst place of any dimension, where the worst of the worst are frozen in it's waters for all eternity." She explained, and with it, a sudden chill ran down my spine. This is way, way worse than I thought. No freedom, no choice, no movement, no life. That would be horrible, and Sarah-san agrees with me, sharing my same reaction. "He'll be sharing his place with the likes of Lord Kokabiel and Lord Euclid Lucifuge. I'm sorry, Sarah-san, but this is the price they must pay for they crimes, and I'm afraid their fates are already sealed."

"Nemesis..." I said, trying one more time call for her softer side, but she dismissed my further words and walked away back to the core group here. Miyama's the only one fighting now, and by the sense of it, I can feel that seal won't hold him for too long. I turned back to Sarah-san, and tried to reach a hand for her. "Sarah-san..."

"No..."

"Eh...?"

***CRASH!***

"Ah!" But before I could reach a hand for her, a dragon claw broke free from the seal and reached for us. Both me and Sarah-san gasped for it, but in the end, her blue eyes sharpened with that sight!

"I won't let that happen! Rei-chan! Here's Eiko-chan!" She then threw Onizuka-san's head up to the air! Before I could even questioned her actions, the dragon claw snapped her fingers, and summoned an enormous golden magic rune next to it. From there, a coffin-like machine was launched, coming after Onizuka-san's head, and when it was close enough, it bursted open, revealing another mechanical, glowing robotic body! It fused itself with the flying head in it's way, and *DON!*, I could feel the power of the true Dragon of the end from within!

**_"Anti-supernatural Buster A-ko, model 667! Reactivating! Commencing new protocol! [HEL BUSTER!]"_**

"Tch...!"

***DOOOOON!***

I couldn't move, I couldn't react. Everything went so fast for me, I ended up immobile as Onizuka-san's new body blasted one of her lasers against us! I ended up flying away, and landed again on my ass, a curtain of smoke lifting and blinding me from the others!

What the hell?! Did they betray us too?! I can't believe! I thought... I thought we had a deal! I thought we wouldn't need to sacrifice anyone anymore! But... I guess I underestimate people again... Their bonds... Shit! Whatever! I'll just have to burst them again with...!

**[ABSORPTION LINE, BALANCE BREAKER: SOUL EATER!]**

***STAB!***

"Ah...! What the..." But I couldn't do a thing. The moment I tried to stand up, suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and with it, the sensation of my energies being sucked away. I faulted on my feet, and again sat on the ground, growing colder and colder. What... Is... Happening? I looked down, and saw it...

A dragonic black spear... Piercing my chest...

"Ah... Ah...!"

"Did you really think we would be apart in that? Spare me from your simple thoughts, Sekiryuutei. They know my suffering, and experimented that same misery, so of course they'd never turn their backs on me." I heard the distance, hollow voice of Miyama Rei, as the dust cleaned down, revealing him and his sisters, including Sarah-san and Onizuka-san, in dragon armors. I took a better look, and from here, all the others in my group were also stabbed by that same dragonic Lance, immobile on the floor, as the black armor of the evil dragon was balancing some for itself. The golden armor of the Gigantiss dragon came closer, and bent itself to look at me, as I could feel all of his contempt and disgust for my current position... I hate him so much. "This is real trust, Sekiryuutei. You underestimate my trust in them, and that costed your life. In the end, the outcome was the expected one: I won. I'm the true hero of this story. The one who suffered and suffered, only to emerge from his ashes and place himself as the true winner!"

His voice... Is becoming distant now... So... This is how it ends... No, I'm not joking anymore. I don't have... Forces to counter him now. No power, no energy, no backup, no anything. He won... I was betrayed again, and I lost... Everything is turning dark now... I can't fight... The only thing I can do now... Is rest...

Forever...

...

...

...

...

Oh, wait. That was part of the plan... Wasn't it? Whatever.

**"Ninja art of summoning: reverse-summoning!"**

***BAM!***

"What the... GAAAAAAAAH...!" And with my remaining forces, which weren't much, I buried my hand on the ninja seal on the ribbon on my hand, and with it, another curtain of white smoke! Miyama tried to attack me, but on time he was attacked by the a poweful gust of wind that blew him and his sisters away in midair, and with it, the spear piercing me and the others also vanished! That little tornado soon landed next to me and revealed itself as Ren, the lotus ninja, with The esper Kyouka Mizuki on his back! "What the...!"

The golden armor tried again to summon his countless swords and treasures, but he was caught by surprise as Mizuki-san pointed a finger for him and the other Miyama runaways and engulfed them in a dark globe of energy, them tossing them far away to the corners of this little meta world!

Huh... The plan worked the way I was expecting. Better, even.

'And that's that. Sorry to keep you waiting, Izuki.' I was forcibly put on my two shoes with Mizuki-san's power, as both of them came to me to help me and the others out. 'Those mental prisons won't hold them for too long. In a way or another, they'll break free in more or less three minutes.'

"I just hope Sally-chan can hold up the barrier for us." Sighed Ren, helping me to get up and letting me support myself on his shoulder until I could stand on my feet.

"I guess it's quite fine, then. They won't get away this time." I said, sighing. I turned to a specific sphere of energy, and frowned at it. That's it. After all of that, no matter what they say, they won't get away from betraying our trust.

"Ichijou..." I turned around to see who has called me, and saw Nemesis-san coming closer, standing right next to me in order to see the rest of the spheres. Her sudden appearance made me sigh and blush in embarrassment. Oh, what should I say to her? I mean... She tried to trap the Miyamas, and after all she has said to me about, I'm kinda ashamed to admit I wasn't going to follow her words... Gaaaah~, what should I do?

"Oh... Hey, Nemesis-san..." I said with a drop of regret on my words. Better tell her the truth, even if it hurts her pride and my own. I gulped down my angst, and spoke. "They truth is... I wasn't going to..."

"I know."

"Eh...?"

"I also need to tell you one thing: everything that happened so far, what I said, what I did, What I acted, was for you to follow this path and put Miyama in a position he'll lose everything." She turned to me, and explained with the most stoic poker face on the planet. With that sequence of words, I was at loss of some myself. Wait... Wait... I'll ask again...

"Eh...? So... What about Sarah-san and Onizuka-san?!"

"They actually were the ones who planned this! They were triple agents!" A hand came to half-hug me from behind. It was Aria-san who did, and rubbed her cheek with mine. "They were both working for us, the Miyamas and for you at the same time! It was then who come up with the plan to finally destroy Miyama Rei's spirit! For him to stop once and for all!"

"Eh...?" Like a broken record, I repeated. Nemesis-san continued.

"According to them, there was only one way to stop him: utter defeat. You saw it, didn't you? When I said he was to spend the rest of his life in Cocytus, his spirt refused to give up, and broke the seal like it was nothing. As a last Saving throw, Sarah Leonheart(Japanese) threw her robot sister in order to 'betray' us and give herself redemption for betraying him." She spoke. Oh, yes, I'm recollecting this(I said 'recollect', poetry classes are really paying off.): when he was about to break free, Sarah-san threw the head and made it look it was a sign of betrayal, but she was just as surprised as me. So... What? "Now, we have all of his bases covered, all of his sisters revealed, and no more backup. This means... We can finally break his spirit to pieces and end this once and for all."

...

"So... I was planning to cheat you, but you planned with Sarah-San ahead and cheated him for Sarah-san to pretend to cheat us, to then I use the cheat I planned in order to utterly defeat him..." I said back, counting on my fingers the whole mess of a plan. Her response was a simple nod with a head. "Isn't that too much of a complicated plan! Holy shit! I had a headache yesterday! I guess I'll need shock therapy after that!"

"So noisy, shut up, Tsukino ichijou." She said, covering her eyes to my screams. Suddenly can Ludger came by and screamed too!

"I also request some explanation! How dare you, Nemesis Gremory, to lock me out of this loop of Events! Explain yourself!" She screamed taking her place besides me. Aria-san laughed with everyone, and so, Kaichou approached us and hugged me by the other side.

"But, y'know, Ichijou-kun? Sarah-chan said it was the only way to defeat Miyama Rei." She spoke, as I gave her a confused frown. "Sarah-chan said that Miyama Rei thinks that he's part of a manga series or a light novel. And if we follow this pattern, seal him away will only temporarily hold him down, as you could see. So~... Now that he has everything under his disposal, all of his sisters revealed and all of his bases covered, if we can defeat him now, his spirit won't be able to stand up ever again! If we defeat him now, he'll be the villain, and realize we won't ever be able to defeat us!"

"Know what? I give up. This is way~ too complicated to think about now." I said, sighing one more time and walking away from the half-hugs to my way to the central globe, right next to Nemesis-san. We shared frowns, and together we sighed. Today sure was a long, long, long day. "So... Any more crazy plans?"

"You hold Miyama Rei down. He's the strongest one, so me and the others will take care of the small fries and deal with him later. Also, you have a grudge on him, don't you? So, do as you please with him." She said, as my blood began to boil. Yes! This is what I was waiting to hear! I'll crush him for everything he has done and said to me! However, before I could do anything, Nemesis-san put one of her hands inside her pocket and picked out a silver bracelet, tossing it to me. "Here, a present from Lady Beelzebub. It's a bracelet that will help you maintain your balance breaker for a longer time. Think of it like an extra gauge for you super mode."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess." I cringed a little for her analogy, but nodded anyway, putting that little thing on my left arm and summoning my boosted Gear, getting ready for the upcoming beatdown. I take back anything bad I ever said and thought about Nemesis Gremory. She is, indeed, a great big sister. If only... Gremory realized that soon. "Hey... Nemesis-san... Ludger told me about Rina."

"Is that so?" Her expression saddened a little, but after a quick sigh, she recovered her stance. She's a lot more professional than I am. "Yes. It's indeed a pity what happened, and I'm still hurt. But... As much as I grieve over that, this only pushed me to do the right thing further. I just hope... You don't resent me at all for being so awfully indifferent to such thing."

"No, of course not. In fact... I had that same resolution myself." I said, taking my way to the globe where Miyama Rei was and preparing to kick his dragonic ass a la Saint Jorge's, taking my way alone as the others would take their own. However, only one figure stood by my side as we reached the final destination, where it began to crack open. The only one that claims it's stronger than anybody...

"What? Worried about me?" I asked, turning to look at her. She blushed, but looked away, grunting.

**"Quiet, Sekiryuutei. I know you enough to say that you'll back out in the worst moment and put everything to lose."** Ludger Bael said, still looking away. I put my best smug smile, and continued to stare at her nape. Nevermind the breaking ball of energy, this is the best thing that could happen. **"And as so... I'll fight alongside you. If you like so much to talk about trust, then I'll show you my strength, and make you beg for me to be your King!"**

"Keep dreaming. I won't let Rina's name die so easily. I'll take lead of her peerage myself, and show everyone that the Peerage of the late Berolina Gremory is the best there is!" I said, quietly praying for her soul to rest in peace, and turned back to the ball of energy in front of us, that cracked and shattered in several pieces, revealing from inside the Balance Breaker of the Golden Dragon King, Fafnir. He landed right in front of us, and began to roar and scream again. "Also, I see that you changed to a more mature set. As if I'll ever forget your true stripped self."

**"Zip it."** Tsukino Ichijou, being all smug? Maybe I am changing a little. I like it.

"Damn you... Damn you, Sekiryuutei and the Gremory that follows you!" I could hear the voice of Miyama Rei mixed with the roar of a dragon, as it would blow dust away with it's immense power and destructive aura. I wasn't taken back by it, though. This is nothing compared to Hyung or Aria-san. He continued to scream. "Do you think this is the end?! I shall burn you to the depths of hell from where you came from! Your despair and powers don't scare me! They don't scare me at all! For the sake of all who died in the hands of Miyama Enma, I shall kill you and avenge their souls! Because, no matter what you might throw at me, I shall stand victorious!** FOR I AM THE TRUE PROTAGONIST OF THIS STORY!"**

"Yeah, right. Only if you are the protagonist of a harem light novel. In that case, you fit the loser role quite well!"

"**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH**...!" And with that final snark, he snapped. Yes, he'll show his ultimate power, and when we win against it, there won't be anything left! He'll turn into the villain of this story, and break completely. Me and Ludger could only stand there as his armor began to turn ever more dragonic. His helmet turned into a head of a dragon, his claws on his feet and hands became sharper, and horns sprouted from his head. In the end, anything humanoid on his form was gone, and he looked like a golden miniature dragon.** "[ALTER MODE: AUREA DRACO BEAST]!"**

**"Consumed by hate, devoured by it's own delusions. If I was The Gigantiss Golden Dragon King that lies sealed in this armor, I would kill myself before becoming this monstrosity."** Ludger said nonchalantly, coming closer and adjusting her sleeves, revealing her scars on them, a disgusted frown on her eyes as she stared at the dragon in front of her. She didn't seem scared at all.** "But if you can hear me, Fafnir, do not freed. I'll make that happen myself."**

"Heh... Hey, Ludger."

**"Huh...?"** I walked to her left side and lifted my right fist for her. She gasped in surprise, looking at my closed hand in confusion. She looked at me, then to my fist again, and I only gestured it with my hand in a friendly manner. I guess she got it.

"Let's end this... And go home."

**"..."**

"..."

***BUMP!***

"Yeah."

.

~~x~~

.

**[As for those asking where Miss Salvatina Veritas currently is and her position in said plan, let me, the author, move us to a rather closed room in Kuoh academy, where the remaining members of the Student council are gathered to maintain the barrier of the said arena and watch for any irregularities there. While it is true that any other individual included inside the barrier sans the ten already there would be forcibly ejected out of it, none of the members taking care of it could feel anything abnormal to take any action.**

**The reason was, in a dark corner of the room, disguising her own presence with her senjutsu, there she was, Sally-chan, maintaining the balance of the barrier for the two more individuals there with her own energy and avoiding any of the students there to notice anything weird within.**

**Sally - Yay~! I'm helping~! Don't worry, sensei! I'll make you proud!]**

* * *

**Yeah,kinda shor chapter compared to the opther, and maybe a little rushed. But I'm reaching the climax of this arc, so I hope we can finally reach it with a smile and no regrets. Also, did someone order character development? A little harsh with Ludger, yes, but maybe a little more of power it's necessary to show how much some has grown without brute force. After all, everyone can feel grief and pain, but only a few can overcome it and wait for a better tomorrow...**

**...**

**hahaha... I'm going too deep again. what the hell is wrong with me? well, i hope you all like this chapter. stay golden! also, who wants a true lemon with ludger?**


	48. A withered life in a boisterous summer

**S'up fans and readers of this story. For what I'm seeing on the reviews, Everybody is sad about Rina's absence. Well, it happens, I'mm really trying to build up so suspense and, like a great idol of Mine, Takahito, I'm trying to put everyone on the edge and show that... well, in this fic, everyone can die, sorta. I dunno. But hey, berolina's still on the poll, so she still lives on our fanfic hearts, right... right? anyway, up to the tory!**

**like always, dxd doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

And so I launched another sphere of chilling water against that Kurisu girl, freezing part of her arm that has morphed into a scythe and them shattering it in a million pieces with a well-landed kick! The battle was still going on, as me and Mizuki-chan were fighting the said Mischievous Jade Dragon. Still, no signs of Ichijou-chan and Ludger-chan. I wonder where they're at!

"Oh, noooo! Like, my arm! Now I'll, like, play my violin ever again~!" Screamed the armless Jade girl in a translucid and glowing armor of white blob with a green helmet. However, that same arm grew back in an instant, and then turned into a gigantic fist! "Just kidding~. Like, take that!"

'Kaichou, I'm moving you.' And suddenly, a ball of energy engulfed me, and before I knew better, I was teleported to above The Jade dragon, and from there, I blew a chilling vapor, which froze everything touching it!

But the Jade dragon was faster, and turning into a snake-like form, she escaped the grasp of my freezing mist and moved against Mizuki-chan, turning her newly-grown hands into giant claws and charging at her! Fortunately, Mizuki-chan pulled a machine-gun out of her sleeve, literally, and fired against the dragon in one go, jumping away as she was defending against the shower of bullets!

However, Mizuki-chan ended up tripping on her shoes, and that was enough for the dragon to jump into her and tackle her to the ground! I sprouted my wings out, and flew there to help her, as they rolled on the ground, and the esper girl was engulfed in a blob of lights! In the end, when they split up and were done rolling around, something happened that surprised me: there were now two Mizuki-chans!

"What... What... Don't move!" I said with a bubble of chilling water on my hand, landing in front of them and putting myself in a stalemate with both of them. One of them it's the fake, and the other of course it's the real one! Jeez, this is so cliche it kinda rolls my stomach. "Which one it's the fake one?! Who is the real one?!"

"It's, like, her! Serena Sitri, that one it's definitely the fake one! Like, believe me!" One on the right said.

"..."

"...?"

***SPLASH!***

"Nooo! Like, my perfect disguise from my sacred gear, like, was uncovered! How this could happen?!" The obvious fake Mizuki-chan said in total misery, as her frozen body smashed into the ground in a million pieces, as she unfortunately escaped by turning the ice into gas and flying away, returning to her original Balance Breaker form! "I thought, like, I could disguise myself into a perfect dollpelganger! How did you figure it out?!"

"It's because I'm a hero!" I said proudly, pointing a thumb at myself. The real Mizuki-chan sighed away, as the mischievous dragon screamed in horror and made an expression akin to the Scream. "And also, your personification is way OOC. For the records, Mizuki-chan doesn't talk."

'I talk... Only mentally.'

"Ah! I see, I see!" And then, Kurisu-san again glowed in a show of lights with her sacred gear, and in another second, her form took again the shape of Mizuki-chan. Now, what? "Okay, now, I'm the real one! Trust me, Serena Sitri! Like, I mean... Huuuuh~...!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

...

Is she...?

'I guess she is, Kaichou...'

"Are you trying...?"

"Sh! Don't interrupt me, Serena Sitri! I'm trying, like, to mentally speak here! Now..."

"..."

"..."

...

***BAM!***

"Kyaaaaah!" And before one of us could explode, Kurisu-san did just that in front of us. Or rather, Kurisu-san was blown away by a sudden Landon object, that lifted a curtain of dust. When it dissipated, it soon revealed a new figure: with a new robotic black body with light emerald neon lines and full of cybernetic gadgets, there was Onizuka Eiko-chan, the cyborg girl. She took a few seconds to look at her fallen sister.

"Oops. I did not detect any intelligent life form in here, so I figured it would be a safe place to land, Kurumi-nee. My bad." The robot girl said with more human emotions than ever. The said Jade dragon stood up from her 'ground zero' and started to shake her arms in anger.

"Stupid! Stupid Eiko-chan! Like, you totally blew up my disguise! I could've fooled them!" The Jade dragon said, as The only expression in my face was the most awkward smile I can muster with my facial muscles, they weren't much. Meanwhile, I could hear Mizuki-chan's mental laughs. Suddenly, the Jade dragon turned to us. "Shut up! Like, I am the master of disguises! Yu-long-chin, back me up here! Tell them I'm the best!"

**[Too be fair, Kurumi-chan, you're the master of disguises... And a bad, bad actress.]**

"Waaaaah~! Not fair! Like, shut up, shut up, shut up!" The blob Balance Breaker then again glowed in a blinding light, and suddenly, it turned into a mini-tank with drills pointing at every direction. Soon enough it picked boost and charged at everyone. "That's it! Everyone dies!"

**[Well, certainly. Kah, kah, just don't poke your eyes out!]**

"Whoa!" I jumped away from the tank's charging attack, Mizuki-chan now summoning a cannon under her skirt and blasting uselessly against the armored mini-powerhouse. I tried to blow a chilling steam to either froze that machine in place or maybe disarm her from the drills, but then a flaming blast was lifted in front of me. I landed on the ground and turned to the robot girl. "Heheh, Eiko-chan, if you want to get serious, maybe we won't be able to survive tonight."

"I'm sorry, Serena Sitri, but I must be as convincing as possible." She said, her arms now opening several mini-cannons and pointing at me. I did the same and summoned a gigantic magic rune with both my hands. She wide her robotic eyes in surprise._ "Deadly danger ahead. Proceed with caution."_

"Yeah. I know."

.

~~x~~

.

"Balance Breaker!"

**[WELSH DRAGON: OVER BOOSTER!]**, both me and the gauntlet on my left arm announced, as again the dragonic Crimson scales took over my body and molted it in the image of the infamous red dragon emperor. Feet and arms turned into claws, fire jets on my back, immense aura of pure distillate power, and finally the courage to do anything!** [BOOSTED GEAR, BALANCE BREAKER: SCALE MAIL!]**

"It still hurts a little, but somehow I'm so numb I can't even feel the fatigue." I said to no one, as I landed one foot on the ground and felt nothing with it. "Still, who knows what might happen if I extend this power for too long. Ddraig, any idea?"

**[I CAN'T PRECISELY SAY DUE TO THE FACT THAT BOTH YOU AND YAGURA ARE FUELING THE SCALE MAIL, PLUS THE BRACELET THAT IS BUMPING MORE POWER INTO YOU, BUT WITHOUT ANY... **Improvised backups**, YOU ARE ABLE TO USE THE SCALE MAIL FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES. MORE THAN THAT WILL CAUSE HARM TO YOUR BODY, WHICH EXTENSION I CAN'T CALCULATE.]**

"Is that so?" I said under my breath, trying my best to not look at Ludger right now, because I think she knows what I'm thinking about now that I have the scale Mail armor. I instead tried to focus on the enormous golden dragon in front of us. That aura... Seems deadly enough, yet I don't feel a thing with it. Is it my boosted gear protection me, or my own power that reached this level? I don't know, but now I don't need to. I just stayed here, facing Miyama Rei and summoning my Rhongomiant.

**"Any plans or strategies? I know you probably doesn't have one, but I'll be polite and not underestimate your intelligence."** Ludger's voice said behind my back, coming closer and stopping right by my side. Her pitch-black hair blowing into the wind and shockwaves of the dragon in front of us, as her violet eyes were staring at that same monster. I don't know why, but this feels nostalgic.

"Maybe I have, maybe I don't. You probably won't hear me anyway." I said under the metallic echo from within my armor, spitting some snark at her like an old friend. Instead of her usual frown, she maintained her stoic faced but reached a hand for her eyes. In the end, we both nodded at each other and then prepared our feet for the signal...

Oh, and what was the signal?

Beats me.

***VUPT!***

**"Follow my lead!"**

"Screw that!" We both leaped at the same time. Ludger with her wind-cutting wings sprouting from her lower spine and my dragon jets by my back, Rhongomiant at hands!

"**[BAEL! SEKKIRYUUUUTEI...!]**" the golden dragon roared at us, as several golden runes appeared by it's back! From them, several, thousands of holy weapons and relics were shot against us at the speed of the sound! I took the lead and spin my sword to shield is from that light barrage as we gain proximity! Time to work this Boosted Gear now!

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

"**[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY] SLASH!**" With enough power, I stopped the weapon at us with a barrier of lights coming from the edge of my sword! Then, With a slash of my sword, I blew them all away, giving Ludger enough time to cut the remaining distance between us and unleash a true hell of power of destruction on Miyama!

**[REFLECT!]**, but he was faster, and soon enough roared with such force that it created a barrier that shielded him from that black flames of annihilation! Now Ludger was defenseless against him! I tossed my sword against the barrier and shattered his defense completely, giving Ludger enough time to pick Rhongomiant and deal another blow against him! It wasn't much, but enough to put him off balance and break one of his horns!

"**[JET!]**" I announced again, using my own blast engines to reach Ludger. I crashed myself against the fallen Golden Dragon, kicking it on the face, as I caught Ludger in my arms. I blasted on Miyama's face one more time and boosted out of there, landing on a safe distance from him. "And there we go. No bad for the failure of Berolina Gremory, eh?"

"**Be quiet. I didn't request for your assistance."** She said, a small blush creeping on her face. I was about to snark at that, but suddenly something came for us. As fast as I could, I picked Gremory and jetted the hell away, a road of holy swords and other magical objects forming on our way.

'Ichijou...!'

"Mizuki-san...?" I heard inside my head, as I again created a shockwave to counter Miyama's wave of power, and Ludger blew against him another wave of power of destruction, either vaporizing the weapons or making them lose their power. I stopped to try to listen to her, and then...

'Duck down and kick upwards!'

"Wait, w-...?"

''Wait, what,', whatever! Just do it!'

"Okay! Okay!" I said, doing just that, ducking down and, when I was about to kick it, a black figure appeared right away! In the end, I kicked it without any mercy, and that black dragon armor flew away and landed a few feet from me.

"Ishishishishi~. It hurts like a summer camp in the middle of the winter. Yahooooh~." I remember her, Matsuoka Kiruko, the girl from my classroom. I turned my attention to her, as she did the same for me. "Oyah, oyah. The Sekiryuutei has arrived."

"Actually, you're the one who blasted against me."

**[I'm so sorry for this, Ddraig. Kiruko-san doesn't have much of a control over anything.]**

**[IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT, VRITRA. I HOPE WE CAN GET INTO AN AGREEMENT ONCE THIS IS OVER.]** the two dragons sealed in our sacred Gear said to each other. However, Kiruko-san didn't have the patience to stand that little chat, as she leaped towards me and unleashed several Absorption Lines against me!

"Hera, Hera, Hera. You all talk to much. Just die!" She said with a hint of conviction, as I jumped away from that shower of leeching whips. I can't even touch them or else I'll be burned alive and my own energy served as fuel. I can't take the risk! However, *BAM!*, when I thought I could finally counterattack, something clashed against me in high speed, taking me away from Kiruko-san's grasp! I looked up, and I saw it was Miyama who caught me in a crushing grasp, as Kiruko-san was now wrapped on Ren's arms in a fight!

"**[DIE! DIE! DIE! ICHIJOOOOOOOU...!]**" I heard he desperately scream into my face, gripping me tightly while doing so. I tried my best to get free of that grasp, but even with my current power, I wasn't able to break out, which worsened the situation even more as he came down biting me! My armor is now breaking! He'll crush me at this rate! "**[DIEEEEEEE...!]"**

***STAB!***

**"[GYAAAAAAAH...!]"**

"**You forgot something.**" But before further damage could've been done; something came flying to us and stabbed the Golden Dragon's eye, making him let go of his bite to scream in pain! Under further inspection, I noticed it was his own broken horn from earlier! Taking advantage of his sudden weakened grasp and reflexes, I headbutted his ugly face, breaking again his nose horn and giving me enough time to jet myself away! He came down crushing away, as I landed on my two feet, Ludger doing the same next to me. "**I guess..**. We're even, now."

"Think... Nothing of it." I said, summoning again my sword and blasting another wave of energy at him. *BAM!*, even with that, he was strong enough to wipe out that and come like a jet towards us! I tossed my Rhongomiant away and punched him right in the face, as he also came and did the same, creating a powerful shockwave around us! We stayed like that for a while, shocked due to the powerful impact of our own attacks, but then we broke apart and leaped toward each other's neck in a series of punches!

"**[GYAAAAAAAAAH! DIEEEEEEEEEE...! DEVIL!]**" he roared, still punching me with a horn stabbing his eye and part of his armor broken. He's that determinate to finish me off! I lost no time, and in a open moment, I activated my jet and flash-punched him in the face! And I did not stop there: when he was taken back, I came closer and uppercut him to the fake sky! "**[DAMN YOU, DEADMAN!]**"

Still in midair, he recovered his composure, and summoned several, countless golden runes by his back, all of them on the brink of shooting against me their magic weapons and treasures. However, like I was expecting, he was so obsessed with me, it was only too late when he noticed the waves of black energy vanishing away his own runes. When he knew better, Lugder already landed a blow on his angel wings with Rhongomiant, his pure white feathers flying around all directions! I activated my Jets and launched myself upwards, crushing him on the crest of his chest!

"Ludger, All together!"

**"Don't tell me what do to.**" We said to each other, putting ourselves besides the Golden Dragon to begin a barrage of blows and spheres of power of destruction, with him countering us using his wings and claws, as we fight midair. Blood, cracks, feathers and sweat, all of that raining down on the sandy ground. No matter how hard we tried, even with all the cracks on his armor and helmet, Miyama Refused to give up. Me and Ludger, however, would receive every blow like a bitch. We were dealing more, but his were dealing worse!

We crossed punches, and Miyama received both a bone-breaking blow on the ribs and a face-melter attack from us, but he simply shrugged them off and punched both of us with the force of a truck! Like meteors, we came down crushing to the ground, and then opened craters of destruction there. I'm glad I've been training around, or else my skull would be a jar of mincemeat by now.

"S-Shit... That one hurt. A lot..." I said, standing up but stumbling on my feet as the cracks on my helmet and chest-plate were giving in, exposing my chest and face. I felt a trail of blood running down from my forehead, and spat a little on the ground. I think I lost some teeth. Beside me, Ludger was also having her time to stand up and tremble a little. Her hands were bruised and dripping blood, her clothes were a ripped mess(still with the black set.), and parts of her arms were covered in black burn marks. That already happened both with Nemesis-san and Gremory: she's overusing the power of destruction, and her body is breaking down with the contained energy. "Hey, Ludger, are you okay...?"

**"Curses. I can certainly use Power of Destruction at it's full potential, yet I'm still so weak... So weak..."** She repeated, the shadows casted upon her face showing how much grief she's feeling right now. I'm feeling powerless myself regarding all of that, and my knuckles are Starting to give in. I'm so frustrated I'm even trembling, this is bad, he's only getting stronger and more like a dragon as time passes on, and if this continues, we'll be facing a true dragon King in no time.

***PLIM!***

"Hey, Ludger... I got an idea." I snapped my fingers, as an assholish realization reached me. She turned to me with a hesitant stare, and seeing my own devilish grin, even with the stoic face, she shivered. That maybe won't be a good idea, maybe it's an bad idea at all, but like last time, I got no other alternative.

**"No... Please, spare of one more of those ideas."** She said, her voice noticeably weaker as she took some steps away from me. "Pervert, rapist, molester. Don't touch or else I'll order my servants to...!"

"Too bad! We'll be doing this!" I said with a scream of determination. Then, I stepped hard and pulled her by the arm! Taking advantage of her confused self, I positioned her in front of me, and so I supported myself on her back, my hand adventuring inside her shirt and bra, while the other, my Boosted Gear, picked her other hand and aimed at Miyama! I lightly squeezed her breasts, and she yelped at that. It was cute. "Okay, Ludger. That's our new technique:** [HOMUNCULUS DRAGON ENGINE]**! I'll suck on your tits and use their energy to** [BOOST**] up and transfer it too you for you to use it! Are you ready?!"

"No! Not in a million years, Sekiryuutei!"

"Well, too bad! We're doing this shit! DDRAIG, YAGURA! **FULL POWER**!"

**[Hey Ddraig, ever thought of something like that ever happening?]**

**[I THINK I'M GETTING USE TO THIS. STILL, I'LL NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE LATER.]**

**[Kah, kah. Typical...]**

"Let's do this!** [CLOTH EATER!]**"

***RIP!***

**[BUST!]**

"Kyaaaaah...!"

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

"Now,** [TRANSFER!]"**

***DOOOOOON!***

**.**

~~x~~

.

**"DORA! DORA! DORARARARARAH**! End of message." I was forced to escape every kick that Azure dragon was trying to land on me. No matter how strong I am, those kicks will still hurt like hell at the slightest touch because of that Karma Chaos Dragon ability! She's manipulating my senses, and as such, one hit can hurt me like a Avalanche. "Tururu~, Aria-dono, please forgive me for that. I might end up hurting you, and for that, I apologize. DORA!"

"Don't sweat it, Sarah-chan! I am a trained dragon, and something like that...!" And in a second of distraction, she left herself wide open, and so I tripped her from her supporting leg and with it, picked her up by the kicking hand and hammered her on the ground! I did that a few more hundred times, and in a final move, headbutted her, cracking her helmet open. "Isn't much of a trouble for me!"

"Tch, not bad, end of message." She said in a lucid moment, and gatherin enough power, she pulled her free leg and tried to kick me with it. I dodged it, but unfortunately it scratched my arm, her Sacred Gear taking effect and worsening the wound, opening a true cut there. The pain made me let of of her, and then Sarah-chan used her wings and jet to take distance from me. She landed not far away, her head and mouth bleeding, as the wound in my arm healed without much problem. "Phew, impressive. Aria-dono sure makes justice out of her lineage as the descendant of the Hero of the Underworld. End of message."

"Tcheheh! Yep, you don't mess with big sis Aria Argento unless you wanna beatdown to the bone. And believe me, if it wasn't for my brother Going all JD, you'd be history by now, Sarah-chan!" I made a 'we-can-do-it' pose with my arms with a grin, as Sarah-chan's eyes shined in bored amazement. My wounds are still healing, but now I can see that I can still kick some ass even after my fight against Juggernaut Drive. My senses are as good too.

"Wow. Scary, scary. Thank goodness I'm not the one fighting Ichijou-kun by now, that would be troublesome in some many levels. End of message." She said, her hands up to the air in a harmless position and weakened tone of voice. No matter how much I struggle and fight with her, I can't actually dislike her, and after that gamble plan from early, I can't call her an airhead either. I smiled, and shrugged. Maybe I can make her join us and maybe Come in terms with Tiamat-sama when all of this ends.

"Hey, Sarah-chan... What about you join Ichijou's harem?" I asked with a serene expression, as I could see that even with part of her helmet on, she turned to me and blushed a little. I'm asking if a girl wants to be part of a boy's collection of H-toys, what the hell. But, why not? I mean, it's just an excuse to increase our army and fuel Auntie Alice's fetish gauge. "How about it? And just not you, but your sisters as well. Then you'll have your own awkward and snarky boytoy that will kinda treat you right, with midmanners and not very strong power. Your average guy, but will treat you... Mostly good. Best of all, you'll have your own super-busty, super-pretty and mega-powerful half-dragon sensei as a bonus, that it just so happens to be me! How about it?"

"Tururu~, I'm sorry Aria-dono, but I'll have to decline it." She said in a monotone tone, not even bothering to think a little. I mean, yes, maybe being part of Ichijou's harem was a huge turn-off, but I'm coming as a bonus, a great teacher to train her how to use her Sacred Gear even more in it's full potential! Sometimes, I don't get it. Should I include Nero's in the package too. I think Nemesis won't mind one more at night. "And it's not because is not a good offer or anything, but I can't abandon Rei-chan like that. He's a lost child, and I have to take care of him."

"Even after that way he treated you? Why's that? I'd like to know..."

"It's because... I'm his big sister. And big siblings should always support and help the their younger ones, no matter of they're right or wrong. End of message."

"..." I stayed quiet after that. Big sister, big brother. Yeah, I can't really say I understand that. Regardless of what people think of me as, I'm an only child. I have no real brothers or sisters, only those surrogate ones. I won't ever understand how Nemesis is shocked about Rina, or how harsh was Ichijou's relation with his sisters. I can't understand how Sarah-chan's words can make sense, but I'll try to suck this up. After all, those Miyama runaways are crazy bastards. And as such, I put myself on a battle pose, ready to take another piece of her. "Very well. Do as you please. I won't judge you, but be prepared to face me as my enemy, Sarah-chan..."

"Tururu~, couldn't wait for less coming from you, Aria-dono." She smiled, and then her helmet was back on, the lights and jewels on her Armos shining like starts, all the gravity around it doubling with the power of a true dragon. "Also, don't be offended, but my armor is giving me the strange urge to jump on your neck. End of message."

"Heheh, must be Tiamat-sama sealed on it." I smiled, and soon grinned. Okay, time to give some hell around! "Here I come, Sarah-chan!"

"Tururu~, bring it on, Aria-Don-...!"

***SLASH!***

"A-Areeee~...?" But before we could leap at each other, a centipede-like tentacle emerged from the ground and slashed Sarah-chan's back in a second, sawing her back with it's sharp legs and segments. In the end, the poison soon took effect, and she landed on the floor, immobile. "So... Sorry, Aria-dono... The message couldn't be... Delivered."

"Well... Wasn't that anti-climatic, Nemesis." I said, as My King appeared next to me, her newest Alastor form vanishing as she wrapped Sarah-chan in spider web coming from her mouth. Honestly? I won't ever be able to get used to this creepy thing. Our current Lucifer be damned, but this power is freaky, even worse than what Absinthe-chan did. "What a kill-stealer."

"Aria, this isn't a game. We're fighting for Kuoh academy. You know, the school Lady Rias and your great-grandparents fought to protect?" She gave me an annoyed/annoying look, as I could only look away and sigh. Huh. "Also, you would get tired of fighting them. They have a especial power that respawn them after one death. The better way to deal with is by restraining."

"Bleh, still. Joy-killer." I spat with my tongue out, but regained myself so that Nemesis could stop staring me like that. I turned to her. "Hey, Nemesis..."

"Huh..." She turned to me with a confused look. I know we should be doing some stuff by now, but there's something I want to ask her. Sarah-chan made me think a little about our relationship, but... But...

"Hey, Nemesis... Do you think me as..."

***DOOOOOOOON!*** I was cut off when the ground began to shake uncontrollably, the whole artificial dimension we're in suddenly trembling with a powerful force, two pillars of golden and Crimson lights emerging from a distance. Me and Nemesis turned to that direction, and we could see, from here, the source of such power: in one side, there was the golden Gigantiss Dragon King, Or at least a Juggernaut Drive rip-off of it, summoning countless, innumerable golden portals behind it's back and gathering energy in it's mouth. By the other side, bro and Rudger, side-by-side, summoning also a black vortex of power of destruction of massive size, as the word **[BOOST]** was announced by the voice inside the Crimson gauntlet by infinite. The two had such level of energy that just approaching them would definitely cause instant death, and by the look on it, both parties are at their limits!

Also, for some reason, Rudger is flat and her clothes ripped to pieces. Nemesis-san would kill a dragon tonight~...

"What the hell is that?" Nemesis asked, taking a few steps away from where she originally was. Myself am trembling right now. In the end, the worst scenario happened: in a instant, the two pillars of light vanished, as the individuals causing it summoned them back, and then...

**"[PLUTO GOLDEN ASGARD CANNON!]"**

**"HELLSTAR RED PRINCESS DRAGON!"**

From the Golden Dragon's mouth, came a powerful barrage of weapons and swords of absurd holy energy boosted by a gigantic golden blast; and from Rudger's hand, came a true black hole of supermassed Power of Destruction, that turned itself into a dragon and clashed against it's rival! Even if this is a artificial dimension apart from everything, the contact between those two powers opened rips on the fabric of space itself! So powerful, even from this distance I was forced to back away with Nemesis. Everybody also, from Serena-chan to Kiruko-san, also took backseat to that as none of the powers in the clash would give up! The power of the Gigantiss Golden Dragon King Versus a portion of the Red Dragon emperor and the descendant of our True Great King Zekram Bael and Our Demon Lord!

The skies blackened, the ground shook, realty itself was faltering and crumbling away around the two clashing demons! The [BOOST] were being called in loud and clear tone, as the screams of the Dragon King were almost exploding my eardrums! Black flames and golden armories scattered in all directions, but no signs that it would stop! No call-outs or showing of weaknesses! No, both dragons were at each other's neck, like true dragons should! It's so powerful and frightening, Even I am scared.

However, after some time, I noticed that, even with his crumbling armor and bleeding geysers out of his body, that Miyama bastard wasn't giving up, instead, he was even growing in power and pressure, his attacks and blast even pushing Rudger and Ichijou's own away. Her firing arm was all burned and bruised due to both the power of destruction and pressure, and the scale mail armor around Ichijou's body was crumbling away like ash, his own muscles and skin exploding in gushes of blood, as his** [BOOST]s** wouldn't stop for nothing! If only... If only I could do something about it! But I can't even approach them! Shit... Again... I'm sorry... Ichijou...

**"GOLDEN DRAGON! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"** I heard Ichijou's voice inside the screams and roars of both the parties. What? Is he... Trying to contact the Golden Dragon Fafnir? I don't think... This is possible! **"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! PLEASE, THIS IS THE SEKIRYUUTEI SPEAKING! YOU'RE NOT LIKE THAT, DRAGON KING FAFNIR! PLEASE WAKE UP!"**

"**[ROAAAAAAAR!]**" Was Miyama/Fafnir's response, as they pushed both Ludger and Ichijou even more to the edge. They were on the bring of a breakdown, but Ichijou even so continue to call for him, going step by step further into the golden light!

"**FAFNIR, I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! PLEASE LISTEN TO REASON! REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! YOU CAN DO THIS! MIYAMA CAN'T CONTROL YOU LIKE THAT! JUST REMEMBER**!" Ichijou continued to scream with all of his forces, still being pushed away as the golden blast was just a few meters from him! Rudger was already giving up, but not Ichijou! Instead, he summoned with his Sacred Gear the old sword Rhongomiant, and picked with his now Free Right hand. What is he planning to do? He picked it, and then tossed it against the giant dragon! **"SO REMEMBER IT...!"**

***TOSS!***

The sword came down rolling in midair as it approached the Golden Dragon, being completely ignore by the two clashing powers! Is he going to try whack the dragon back to consciousness?! that's an inconsequent move even with the power of the Boosted Gear! Ichijou and Rudger were at the brink of total destruction, and like expected, Rhongomiant simply was bashed away as it came closer to the golden dragon.

However... No, it can't be! I see! So that's he was going for! No deeper speech, no violent approach! Ichijou simply knew the best! Indeed, as the sword retreated on air, from the tip of it, something slipped off! Yes, from the tip of Rhongomiant, slipping away and coming closer from the golden Dragon...

... There were **panties**. Innocent, cute, pure and virgin white panties.

...

**[Meanwhile, at the room of the student council, a gentle breeze passed by. All the present students and Devils didn't feel much of it, but invisible for the eyes, a certain mixed-blooded exorcist shivered, feeling a colder blow in between her legs.]**

**"... AND TAKE THOSE PANTIES OF A CUTE, LOLI FOREIGN GIRL!"**

***Ziiing~...!***

**[Mine...]** And we all heard from inside the dragon, as suddenly his blast of golden energy turned weaker, and it's ugly face turned to the flying white panties on air! At first, probably the Miyama bastard's side tried to fight, but as the blast turned weaker and weaker, Fafnir couldn't contain his fetish no more! In a bold move, he simply halted it's assault against Rudger and Ichijou, and leaped towards the air, extending it's claws to reach it's pure, white treasure! **[Mine! Mine! Mine! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE! THIS TREASURE IT'S MIIIIIIIIIIIINEEEEEEEE...!]**

**"NOOOOOOOOOOO...!(Miyama.)"**

And so, with the dragon so distracted to even react to anything else, Ichijou flew away from the spot he was on win Rudger and, positioning himself under his obvious target, aimed right at it's stomach, and then, together with the black-haired girl, amassed a sphere of power of destruction and dragonic energy, and punched it with another [EXPLOSION!].

***DOOOOOOOOOOON...!***

**"NOOOOOOO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"**

* * *

**_[Lost panties..._**

**_White and pure as snow..._**

**_The scent of a maiden..._**

**_Soft fabric.]_**

**\- Fafnir, the poem of life.**

* * *

And after another finishing haiku, the golden dragon turned ashes, it's wings losing it's power, it's silhouette losing shape. In the end, the only thing that left from the previous incarnation of the Scale Mail armor of the Gigantiss panties golden Dragon king was in the air, as the body of Miyama Rei fell to the floor. After that... Silence. No scream, no battle cries, no enchantments, nothing. Complete and utter... Silence.

It's **over**...

And we won.

"I guess... We won." I said, sighing in tiredness and fatigue, but shining a bright grin of pride. That's... That's my bro. He might not be an Hyoodou Issei... But I guess he's something better. He's being what he was suppose to be... Tsukino Ichijou, and I couldn't be prouder...

"Finally... We can stop..." I heard from under my feet, turning around there just to see a crying Sarah-chan, whose body could only twitch now thanks to Nemesis' poison and web. She's happy. Even with their defeat, with for the fact that they might never get their revenge... She's happy. "We can't stop now... We can ask for the help we need... We can... Be a family again."

"And this is how it ends." Nemesis said, standing tall next to me. Soon, That Esper girl contacted us via mental speech, and according to her, she, The Ninja and Serena-chan could restrain the rest of the runaways without a problem. That's good. "Good job, Aria. I guess... We can finally go home."

"Yes... Let's go hom-..."

***SLASH!***

"Eh...?"

***SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!***

.

~~x~~

.

And we did it. I can see Miyama's armless body on the floor, uselessly crawling like the roach he is, as he would mumble something with his remaining forces. His body all burned and bruised. Even with all of his gimmicks, he can't stand like that, he can't no longer fight, he's finished. We've won.

"I guess... This is the end." I said, supporting myself on Ludger as the rest of my Scale Mail vanished to the wind. My body is at it's limit, and according to Ddraig, it's nothing less than a miracle That I'm still standing. But... Here I am. Standing up, against Miyama. I won, again, I proved that I'm not weak, I'm not a simple pawn, that I'm... I can be better than I thought I was. "Thanks for the help, Ludger."

**"..."** She turned to me, and sighed. Maybe she's still upset about part of her clothes being ripped off of her? Instead, she said nothing, and helped me to stand correctly. I stumbled a little, but after a while, I finally could stand up on my two feet. **"I was wrong, Sekiryuutei. You're... Strong. Far stronger than I am."**

"Heh... Can't say if it's true, but I'm glad to hear that." I said with a faint and weak grin, discarding my burned-up jacket and passing it to her. "Here. Can't let the heiress of the Great King Bael walking around naked, now. Also, your breasts will grow back in a few hours, so those are safe, too."

**"Oh...!."** She said, picking and wearing it. She held tightly on it, and again turned to me. I can barely stand, and my vision is start to get blurry, but I'm still here. **"Sek-...** Ichijou... -kun... What... What was with that name? That... Name you chose to yell during our spar?"

"Eh...? That?" Huh, so she noticed. I was so concentrated during the match that I thought shouting something random would annoy her. Instead, however, she seemed both curious and... Hopeful? Eh, she doesn't know better, so why bother hide? I took a deep breath, and said it, my voice going out with the breeze. "It was something... I thought with Gremory?"

"Eh...?"

"You see... When we were still a young group, she decided that everyone should pick a codename so that everyone could know who we were. That thing I shouted... Was the name of what we chose combined."

"But why... Why?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'm an idiot." I honestly said, still smiling, but still also feeling all the grief and regret. I can't let her know that news is still on me, so I braced myself and continued to smile, even if... Even if... "An idiot that thinks that, if I shout something really loud, I can make it reach for Rina somewhere in the afterlife."

"..."

"Heheh... Just... Just forget what I said."

"Ichijou-kun..."

"Eh...?"

***Chu~***

And then, blank. Maybe I'm still conscious, maybe this is my dream world, but regardless of that fact, something unbelievable happened: Ludger Bael... Kissed me.

It was just a simply touch. Nothing lewd, nothing more happened. She just landed her soft lips on my own, and we stayed there for a while. Her kiss... Was the worst. It was so hollow, so filled with nothingness, so devoid of anything that resembled an emotion. It was like just kissing a rock wall. Regardless, it felt something wet with it. She was... Crying. Soon, we broke apart, and she continued to cry, her stoic face expression nothing. That was... The **worst** kiss ever.

"I can't... I can't..." She said, now coming closer to hug me. She was trembling. "I kissed you, and I still... Can't feel nothing. I can't... Feel nothing..."

"..." I said nothing, only returned the embrace, and waited for her to calm down. She said she gave up on her emotions, and so she's devoid of any joy, any happiness. I know that was her choice, but it was still a cruel thing to do. I don't know how to deal with literal emotionless girls like her, so I could only pat her own the head and said. "It's alright, Ludger. Let's just... Go home."

Yeah... Let's go home.

...

...

"This... Isn't the end... **Sekiryuutei**!" I heard from the ground. That scream startled both me and Lduger, and so we both turned to that specific part of the ground, where Miyama Rei was standing up with his sheer determination alone. "Even if I don't have my arms and legs anymore... Even if my allies were already defeated, I must... I must go on! I'll defeat you! I will defeat you! I will...!"

"Miyama, that's enough! Just stop!" I screamed back. What's with this guy?! This isn't determination, it's pure and blind suicide! I know he thinks he's in a manga or something, but this is too much! His sisters aren't a problem anymore, he himself isn't a trheat anymore either, so what drives him?! This is insane! "What will yours sisters feel if you die here?! What will they do if They discover that their little brother rather die than accept defeat?! Didn't you think any of this?! Are you that DENSE TO SEE THAT THEY WANNA YOU TO STOP!"

"You don't understand..." He repeated. This again?! How can I not understand?! What does he mean?! "You don't understand! You still don't understand! I'm the hero! I'm the one who should win! I am the one who must stop...!"

***DON!***

"Gah...!"

_"No, my dear son Rei. You're the villain who was defeat pathetically, and now, the true mastermind will show itself on the your defeat."_ Suddenly, surprising is all, Miyama's chest exploded open, revealing a void inside of him, and from it, I heard a voice darker than any abyss.

That's not all, from inside the black hole that was now Miyama's stomach, a violet dragonic claw emerged, and soon pushed itself out to reveal it's full body. A small, tiny body of a little pale, violet-haired girl that wasn't older than twelve, wearing only underwear and a labcoat. The most distinguishing thing about her, however, was the big open wound in the middle of her chest, revealing a pulsating black heart, from where the voice was coming from, with her own face frozen in a expressionless void of emotions.

"What the... What is...!" I tried to again kaybe act a little against it, but that little girl lifted her hand and, in a second, *SLASH!*, several cuts and slashes appeared on my and Ludger's body, so deep and brutal we were forced to our knees. The voice inside the black heart laughed maniacally. "What the... Who are you?!"

"**Suruga**... -chan?" I heard Miyama said, his own body bleeding gallons and his face frozen in a expression of horror. The little girl turned to him, and he soon frowned in rage. "No... This is... This is..."

_'That's right, My son Rei. A little... Trap I put on you and the others.'_

"The... Others?" Miyama said, confused and in the brink of tears. The black heart said nothing, but it's host snapped it's fingers and, in the blink of an eye, all the other Runaways flew to our direction. Kiruko-san, Sarah-san, Onizuka-san and Kurisu-san, all landing in front of us, and putting themselves in front of us besides the little girl and the black Heart. I tried to call for Onizuka-san's or Sarah-san's attention, but I froze the moment I saw the lifeless, hollow light in their eyes. They're... They're not themselves now. Miyama gasped, so did I and Ludger! "F-Father...! You bastard! Don't tell me... This whole time...!"

_'Yes... My dear son Rei.'_ The figure said, turning around to see the defenseless golden Dragon on the floor, approaching him still with an expressionless face. Miyama tried to crawl away, but in the end, the little girl sticking her finger to inside his Skull in a very painful way!_ 'Did you really think you all could escape me! Kahahahah! Silly, too silly! I was just waiting for the right moment for you all to gather around in one place and them be too defenseless to escape again to then use this special trap I placed on your souls. I think little Rei-chan and the others should be punished~...'_

"No... No!" Miyama screamed, as the little girl removed her finger on his forehead and left there only a small green seal. Miyama then had an spastic attack, as his skin began to turn pale and his eyes, to lose colors. "Bastard... You even used Suruga-chan as your vessel instead of showing your ugly... Face! She's just a child! Coward! Coward! **COWARD**!"

_'Well, at least I'm a winning coward~! Kahahahah...!'_

"No! I'll... I'll...!"

'_**Activating brainwashing seal: Code yellow.'**_

"You... You... You...! ICHIJOU!" And with his final moments of lucid thoughts, Miyama then turned to me, and with eyes filled with tears, yet turning more and more expressionless, he said. Begged. "Please... I've failed! Please kill... This... Bastard and... And..."

_'And done. I've rearranged his little head so that he's completely a doll. My little, cute, useless and failed doll.'_ The little girl said nothing, just kicked the fallen Miyama on the face, making him spit blood and fall backwards. The voice in the black heart laughed maniacally, as I tried to launch a [DRAGON SHOT!] at him! However, when I tried, my hand bursted in a explosion of blood! I cried in blood, as Ludger tried the same, and the same happened!_ 'Oh-hohohoh? Trying something, Sekiryuutei? Sorry~, I just so happened to cut all of your magic circuits, sooooo, no magic for you~? Kahahahah! What a pity!'_

"You... You are... You are Miyama Enma... Right?" I asked. The little girl turned around, in a way I could stare at the black heart of hers, which laughed.

_'Yep, that's me. The adoptive father of those troublemakers and professional mad scientist~! Nice to meet you!'_ It said, it's nonchalant and light tone making my blood boil in rage. What is this? Is he playing with me?!_ 'Also, Sekiryuutei-kun, I'd like to... Thank you. Thank you and lady Nemesis for your plan. Kahahahah~, if it wasn't for you and your little crazy plans, I wouldn't be able to gather and retrieve all of my little precious Rebels! So, for that, I thank you all~!'_

"Tch...!" I spat at him, my fists trembling in rage. Who he think he is?! Does he think we are his toys or something?!

How... How do you did it?! Kaichou and Nemesis-san said that the barrier would reject anyone more than the predeterminate bunch! So how!" However, Ludger was faster than me; and asked those important questions, as I shut myself up to listen. The little girl, still surrounded by the other runaways, simply made a cutesy pose, despite the stoic face.

_'Silly, silly demon girl~! I am the **ultimate Evil** in Kuoh!'_ The heart in the girl simply said._ 'If you want a more elaborated question, here it is: I'm the worst enemy, the enemy from within. Have you watched one of those western movies where the enemy was the protagonist all along? So, it's more or less like that: I placed a small trap inside the soul of those little shits, that would go off when, and only when, all the five of them were defeated next to each other! The spell would set free a small portion of my body, and then summon this little vessel of mine to collect them and bring them back to me~!'_

"So... You're the ultimate Evil Miyama was talking about!" I screamed at him! Yes, this guy's a monster, there's no way he is anything but what Miyama has been saying! However, the little girl shook her head negatively.

_'Nah! Actually, the ultimate evil is **Kiruko-chan**. Or more specifically, she was the final piece for me to pick them all like that. I just said for Rei-chan that the key for my defeat was here in Kuoh because the brainless Kiruko-chan wouldn't gather with the rest of them.'_ I heard the black heart sigh, only making me more angry. However, the loss of blood and tiredness was catching up with me. I couldn't stand, I could maintain my strength for too much. But I... I must...!

"Wait... If the others are here... What happened to Nemesis and the others?!" Ludger said, trying but failing to stand up. The little girl gesture a shrug, and again the voice inside her simply laughed.

_'Oh, you mean little headmistress and her friends? Well, since a portion of my soul was around, and they were in the way, you can say I just... **Cleaned** the path away.'_

"...!"

**"YOOOOOOU...!"**

**[BURST!]**

"Gaaah...!" My body exploded! My blood turned lava and I was ready to kill him! But when I tried to activate my Boosted Gear, it happened again: I faltered, I failed, and in the last moment, the announcement made my body weak, and soon I was just as pathetic as I was before. To make things worse, the black heart, Miyama Enma, only laughed as I fell in Ludger's arms.

_'Kahahahah~. How pathetic. So... This is the legacy of the Hero of the Underworld? Pathetic, useless, imaginative, like any devil, Angel, supernatural and religious creatures of yours!'_ He said with a spiteful tone. And then, the little girl with the black heart lifted her dragonic claw and, from it, she began to form a small light sphere, that grew and grew until it became a true mini-sun! The Heat and light was too much for us, as I could feel my skin burn from here! It hurts! It hurts so much even with my dragon immunity. What is this? _'I was planning to just retrieve my idiots back... But I guess killing one or two Devils will be a bonus for me~! A hundred thousand points for killing the Sekiryuutei for me~!'_

"Kh...!" I spat, as Ludger held me tighter. She again tried to use her power of destruction, but she only managed to explode her arm in another bloody mess, and fell on me, holding my shirt. I picked her hand, and closed my eyes. This is... Is this... The end.

_'Now... Feel the power of the Meteor Blazing Dragon **Tannin-chan~! [SHOOTING DRACO STAR!**]'_

Curses, here it comes... And I can't do... Anything... Only close my eyes... And wait...

J**ulia...**

**Nina...**

**Mom...**

**Everyone...**

**Gremory...**

**I'm... Sorry.**

_'Kahahahah...! Die, Sekiryuutei!'_

***VOOOSH!***

***ZOOM!***

_'What the hell~...?!'_

***DOOOOOOOON!***

...

...

I wasn't dead. It took me a few seconds to realize I wasn't dead. What... What happened? I just felt the heat and impact for a few seconds, and then nothing more. I was a little hesitant, but I opened my eyes to see what had happen. The first thing I noticed was Ludger's horrified face and the smell of ash. I turned my eyes to that direction, and saw something that I won't ever forget...

... **Nemesis**-san... Protecting us from that attack... With her own body...

"Ah... Ah... Ah... Ah...!"

**"NEEEEEEEMEEEEEEESIIIIIIIIS...!"**

* * *

**So... Half comedy half drama. Maybe I'm getting a hand out of it, maybe I'm just randomly writing this up. But I liked the results, and I hope you all are enjoying this too. Also, One-piece rerference to use as a... character sacrifice, that can only end so welll. ell, that's enough for this chapter. Probably updates will be faster now. As always, stay golden and tuned.**


	49. Seasons Яe-birth one by one

**...S'up, fandom, miss me? So, not many people are happy about some decisions here in this fic that I've been making, but stories are like that, so I hope you all like this chapter, because, even if it's the shortest in a while for this fic, I out as much as effor as any other chapter so... I hope you like it!**

**As always, dxd doesnt belong to me.**

* * *

...

...

Shit, what was that about? I just remember something coming from Sarah-chan's stomach and then, in a blink of an eye, cutting me and Nemesis and all of our mazou circuits. My blood is tinting the artificial floor red, and I can't move. Shit... If only I could just have the magic circuits of my left arm back... Maybe I would be able to summon... That.

What about Nemesis? Where is she? Where did she go?! If she's up to something stupid, I'll kill her myself! Moreover, what is this feeling? Not only another barrier was lifted, but this eerie feeling... It's like something is trying to rip my soul apart. I dunno why... What...

***DIG! DIG! DIG!***

"...?" Since I had my ear on the floor, I could feel from it a strange vibration , together with some troublesome sounds and panting sighs. Moreover, it was coming in my direction! I tried to escape my current situation and maybe fight that imminent danger back, but that last surprise attack... It crippled me for now, so I couldn't move, only wait as it came closer and closer. Suddenly, something popped out of the ground, but fortunately, it was just a certain blond esper, who looked just as bad as me, but up and good to go. "Mizuki-... Chan..."

'S'up, Aria-San. Like I've said to Izuki, I don't mess around with my powers. Sometimes, my psycho powers won't save my sorry ass.' She thought, coming out completely from the ground and showing off some sort of armor under her usual uniform. It was cut to the brink, but she wasn't bleeding. A... Protection gear? From her pocket, Mizuki-chan picked something like an ointment, and rubbed some of it on my skin, which began to heal, and I could feel my arm again. 'Here, a special medicine from the Hot Spring village ninja handed me. But your wounds are still very deep. We should just...'

"No... Time for that." I muttered, cutting her off. My arm and body are still healing and all bruised and cut, but I need to go now. I stood up from the ground, and like I was expecting, Nemesis wasn't anywhere to be seen. That... Idiot! She was probably after Rudger! I looked back at Mizuki-chan. "Mizuki-chan, how about the others? Serena-chan, Ren-kun? Bro and Rudger?!"

'I teleported both Serena Sitri and the Ninja Ren back to the Student council room. They'll call for backup, since it's the only thing they can do with their current state. While with Nemesis-san, Ichijou and Ludger Bael... I have no idea.' She observed with a sharp eye; stretching her body and dusting her body from the dirt and sand. Serena-chan and Ren-kun are at least safe and will call for backup, this is good, this is smooth. However, how about Nemesis, bro and Rudger? Those Miyama bastards are still here, and I'm having really bad vibes just by being here. I need to find them! 'I know, Aria-san, but please understand: the mental interference here is too strong, and despite my Kevlar, that... Thing still cut part of my magic circuits. My read isn't the best now...'

"Okay, whatever! Mizuki-chan, I need your assistance here!" I said to her, as she only nodded back, confident even for that fact she was sweating a lot. I guess she knows of what I'm referring to, and so, even with the bruises, even with the hurt body and still healing wounds, we ran for the closest source of energy.

As we run, I began to think about a plan how to deal with them. It is possible that they received the same 'service' me and the others did, ao the priority here is to take everyone out. I looked at the esper girl by my side, and she nodded as she read my mind. First, we'll take Bro, Rudger and Nemesis out of this place, and then, we'll deal with those runaways later! Maybe I can distract them so that Mizuki-Chan can move them away! Nemesis... Bro... Rudger... I'm comin-...!

**"NEEEEEEEMEEEEEESIIIIIIIS...!"**

My heart froze as those words reached my ear, from the voice I didn't hear any emotion from for the longest time. All of my determination, all of my powers, all of my strength suddenly sapped away from my body, but even so, I forced myself to walk on that path, Mizuki-chan also walking to that same direction. What is going on?! What happened?! In a burst of energy, I leaped with enough strength to rip part of the floor, and with the boost, I saw the source of that concentration of energy...

Six children, the five Miyama ruanaways wearing their Scale Mail armors, around a violet-haired young girl who also smells like a dragon. However, what truly shattered my soul was what they were facing: on the floor, Ichijou and Rudger holding each other, cuts and bruises all over their bodies, the boy being unconscious and the girl too shaken to do anything. And in front of him, a figure shielding them, her back and centipede-like tentacles oozing black smoke, as they would ash away with the wind, returning her to her original state...

That figure... Was Nemesis.

...

...

No...

Oh, no!

**NO!**

**"NEMESIS...!"** I almost lost it right there! I unraveled my dragon wings and fast as a lightning, kicked the living shit out of that little girl in front of me, the impact being so violent and strong the other dragons were forced away from their original positions! But I didn't care for that! I landed right next to my burning King, and took her in my arms! "Nemesis! Oh, God! Nemesis, what happened?! Hang in there, Nemis! They're getting help...!"

***TSSSS...!***

"Kaaaaaooh...!" I hissed as I tried to pick her, only to burn my arms and hands on her back! This is sick, she's not only burning, she's **melting**! If it wasn't for her Alastor appendices, she'd be deadmeat by... No! You mustn't think of that! I must act, and fast! I picked from my pocket the drop of Phenex Tears I stored for situations like that, and opened it! I hope it's not too late! "Here, Nemesis! It'll hurt a bit, but bear with it, okay?! You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be...!"

***ZING!***

***CRACK!***

"Eh...?" It happened so fast. I didn't notice when it happened. I was just about to drop that healing potion on my king, but then, fast as a lightning, something crossed my fingers. It didn't cut me, it didn't even aim for me... It just crashed on the bottle of the Phenex Tear, breaking it apart...

...

...

***DROP.***

"No! No! That's not fair!" I said, aimlessly trying to pick the remaining wet sand on the ground and dropping on Nemis! This has to work! This has to work! I tried and tried, but it was no use, the tear lost it's effect the moment it dropped on the floor. But in that moment... I just forgot that. "C'mon! C'mon! Nemesis, you're okay, right?! Nemesis! Speak to me! The tear... Is working, right?!"

"..."

"C'mon, Nemesis! I'm screaming here! Say 'Shut up, Aria'! Stay mad at me! Say... Say anything... Please..." I hugged her, not even caring about the burn marks on my arms and hands. This... Isn't happening... Please... This isn't fun... Nemesis... I heard a marching sound coming for me, and looking there, I noticed the Miyama runaways, all lined-up with dead-fish eyes and blank expressions, lead by a little girl with a black heart wide open in her chest. From there, I heard a maniac laugh, which contrasted with the blank expression of it's host...

'Kahahahaha~! So rude~. So rude. Aria Argento, isn't it?' It was heard inside that black heart, a masculine voice at that. They were approaching here, but I was too concerned about Nemesis to care. I could only growl. This guy... Can only be. 'Let me present myself, Devil. My name is Miyama Enma, the father of these little troublemakers. I'm soooo sorry about them bringing trouble to you all~. But you attacked me, and as a fair person, I destroyed your little tear. Fair, fair...'

"So... You're Miyama Enma, the cause of this all! The reason why Sarah-chan and the others are so obsessed about revenge!" I screamed back, putting Nemesis down to put myself on his level. The heart only laughed.

'Yep, that's me~! But their reasons and actions are their and their alone! After all, I'm the kind of parent that knows when my children are responsible for their own mess!' The black heart laughed again, making my blood boil. So... This is the monster Sarah-chan and Eiko-chan were talking about. The inhuman experiments, the kidnapping of lost children, the profane researches. He is... The responsible of this all. 'I just wanted to create super-soldiers in order to... Destroy all those abominations that took away my wife from me.'

"Your wife... The angel..." I repeated.

'Yep, my dear, dear Ophelia... Since her death, I'm planning to create those little brats in order to destroy every single supernatural abomination, every religion in this world, so that things only we, humans, can see remains!' He said in a rather upbeat tone, making the little girl clutch her fists. My body was already at the point of lava, but he went on and on. 'But one step at the time. Killing the daughters of the current Demon Lord shall be my signal for the rest of the world. I was aiming just for the little one, but the older one... Oh, well, she'll be an extra.'

"Extra... Extra... **EXTRA**?!" I screamed. He just laughed.

'Yep, and that look of despair and rage in your face is really something, better after I made you drop that said Phenex Tear! Such good extras.'

"...!"

'But of course, just killing her and the Sekiryuutei won't be enough for me. Maybe I'll beheaded them and put them in display in hell. Yeah, that seems just about right~!'

***SNAP!***

...

...

...

"Mizuki-chan... Take the others with you and get out of here."

'Aria-san, I can't! There's another barrier here, and the interference here is too str-...!'

"Then teleport the farthest you can... And lift a barrier too." I turned to her for a last stare, and she shivered, evolving the others in a black sphere of energy and then... Vanishing away. It's all clean... I can't harm them... I can't hold back.

'Hey, hey, hey! Putting yourself in disadvantage like that? Maybe the heat from your friend's back is messing with your devilish brain. Are you Devils that stup-...?'

***DOOOOOOON!***

**"I'LL SMITE YOOOOOOOU...!**" I screamed at the top of my lungs, punching that damn heart with a dragonic fist, the shockwave causing the others runaways to be thrown away! This is it! Fuck everything! I don't care anymore! TODAY HE'S DEAD!

'**WOOOOOOH! CODE YELLOW! CODE YELLOW! ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK**!' The heart screamed at full volume, and all the other five gathered around me to attack! I unfolded my dragon wings and slash them away! No holdbacks now!

**[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]/[BALANCE BREAKER: DARK ALCATRAZ!]**

***BREAK!***

"Out of the way!" I was so enraged that I completely ignored the fact that some swords pierced my own arm and I damaged my own soul by breaking free from Vritra's restrains! Like a jet, I cut throw both the golden and black dragons, and getting closer and closer to that little girl!

***KICK!***

"Gyaaaaaaah...!" But when I was about to reach that black heart, the Azure dragon came to my way and kicked me! The effect of the chaos karma Sacred Gear made me feel like I've been punched by a Titan! I rolled, I broke, I opened a road of destruction on the ground, hearing that irritating laugh again! The Dragon of the end then opened fire against me! ***BOOOM! BOOOM!*** her bombs exploded next to me, creating a true ground zero! Well, two can play this game!

***VOOOOOOSH!***

"Imminent danger. Imminent danger." I blew against her a true inferno of red flames, exploding midair the rest of her shower of bullets! She was engulfed by the flames, and tried to fly away from me. In a instant, *CRASH!*, I smashed both of her arms and wings, making her crash into the floor! I landed and made a crater there, my arms turning into claws and scales growing in my face and body!

***SPLASH!*,** but I couldn't react in time, I was engulfed in a blob of green energy, with a dragonic helmet hovering around me! I expanded part of my energy and exploded part of that amorphous jelly. However, it froze in place, and I caught myself immobile! Curses!

**[BALANCE BREAKER: SOUL EATER!]**

**[GOLDEN PLUTO ARC!]**

**[CHAOS KARMA KICK!]**

And I was hopeless against the barrage of attacks against me. First the black daggers that would take my energy away, then a shower of weapons, followed by a finishing kick with the force of a meteor. I was blown away by the sheer force of them all, and could feel my bones breaking and piercing my organs. Yet, I didn't give up! I stood on my two feet and boosted myself there again!

*ZOOOM!*

*RIP!*

'Gaaaaaaaoooh...!' I heard that heart scream, as I ripped part off her jugular, making a fountain of blood come from that area! The boost was too much for my tired body to take it, so I tripped and fell to the ground, scratching my face as I slid through the floor. In the end, O tried one final blow, but when I turned around, *PUNCH!*, that same little girl punched me right in the gut with that dragonic claw, making me come down to the artificial building and crack some walls! 'FUUU**UUUUCK YOOOOOOU...!'**

***BAM!***

"D-Damn..." I muttered. I was... Losing conciousness. The rage gave me a hell of a power-up, but even so, I couldn't take those guys for too long. They're... Way too powerful together. The fatigue caught up with me, as I slid down the building and let my body fall...

Shit... I couldn't avenge Nemesis... So, this is how being powerless feels like... It sucks. The moment I hit the floor, it's over. If the shock don't kill me, those Miyama bastards will. It has a very bitter taste... But at least... I know that either Nemesis will be waiting for me... Or I'll be Waiting for her...

Nemesis...

I love you.

***CATCH!***

"Huh...?"

"Aria-san, if you even think of making my dear husband sad, I'll haunt you down in the afterlife." This voice... I know this voice. My fall suddenly soft up, and the now speed was reduced to a gentle breeze. More than that, little by little, my stamina and energy began to recover. The fatigue and pain went away from me, and soon I was full and well-rested. This sensation... This is senjutsu! Once with enough power, I opened my eyes, and stared deep into golden eyes.

"Yoko-chan?" And really, there was bro's little fox girlfriend, her feet on the wall like it was nothing, probably gluing there thanks to her sage arts. Her nine tails were dancing by her back, and a soothing, calm and warm aura was covering us, like a baby in the womb of it's mother. Nothing less from the fox spirit protector of Kanto region!

"And not just me." She chuckled, turning her head to a certain area on the ground. I gave her a question mark, but followed her small signs of direction, looking down and gasping in silence...

They're here!

.

~~x~~

.

_'Nemesis, darling! Guess what, you're gonna be a big sister!'_

I remember when mom first announced I was going to get a little sister. I was... How can I say it? Elated... But at the same time, afraid. Yes, the big, condensing little princess of the Gremory house was scared. Scared to be the so-called 'bully big sister', afraid that she wouldn't place a good example for her baby sister, afraid that... She'll be hated by her little sister. I was afraid that I would be hated by my future little sister, and day and night I would think of how to make Berolina have the best big sister ever.

Then she came. Berolina Gremory, my little sister, the one I would protect with my life, the one and true family that I'll love and support. Ever since she came into my life, I tried to make her happy. I would watch Oppai dragon with her, read stories for her, teach her how to behave and eat, share a bed and bath, and giving my best in order to make her happy. I wanted to be the big sister she would be proud of, the big sister that helped her become a successful devil in our clan...

But it came the day, it came the day she lost her identity. She tried to be like our relative Lady Rias Gremory, the one and only idol for her. Hearing stories and stories about her and her many trials, all besides the Sekiryuutei who became the hero of the underworld, she alienated herself from the rest of her friends in order to pursue her dream. She became obsessive of Rias, no longer training after she mastered her power of destruction, refusing to listen to anyone, and rejecting the blood of our father Lucifer, born a simple Alastor from the extra Devils, because he was unworthy of both the title of our previous Lord Sirzechs and the hand of our mother, a genuine Gremory.

I couldn't take it anymore. Something would have to be done about such behavior. As of it, before she could to anything about it, I retrieved her own Evil Pieces and stored them away from her, claiming that she'd received them back when she were ready. For the first time, we fought, and after some struggles, she stole her pieces back to created her own peerage, recruiting those poor, unaware young ones in order to complete her sick, stuck dream...

We fought, we discussed, and everything ended in a Rating Game, with a little handicap so we wouldn't have any collateral damages for those little fools. I won it, and then... She decided to abandon us. No turning back, no more Berolina. Up to this day, I always wonder... If she would understand my point of view if we could only stop and talk. I wanted her to see, I wanted her to reach her true potential... I wanted her to see that everything I did, everything that she cursed and condemned me for... Was for love.

I wanted her... To understand. But maybe... I was just being **selfish**...Maybe I was **jealous**... Jealous of lady Rias... Being a better role-model than I would ever be. Well... Even so, I just want her to do what she finds the best now... After all, It should be big sister's duty... To make the younger one happy... No matter what. Maybe... I was the one misguided.

"... I don't want to be a Bael anymore...!"

Huh...?

"Ne-..., forgive me!"

That voice... Couldn't be. I slowly opened my eyes, and noticed that I was still within the barrier. My wounds... Didn't hurt anymore, but the rest of my body is also numb. I can see from here The unconscious red Dragon being slowly treated by the esper girl, no sound from them. But... How can I see them from this angle if I can't even move? I feel myself being hugged, and after a while, I noticed black hair touching me. Is she...

"Nemesis, I'm so sorry! I don't... I don't want to be a Bael anymore." Yes, is her again. She's crying, she's suffering, she's hugging me tight. I can... Feel the warmth, the warmth I didn't feel for a while now. It's so... Nostalgic.

"Y-You..."

"...?!" She apparently heard me, as she got some space from to stare at me with those crying big purple eyes. I blinked a few times, and she grimaced again? Who is she now, I wonder? "Nemesis! You're... You're alive! I need to... I need to call for help! Don't worry! I'll help! Hey! HEY! ESPER! HELP ME, PLEASE! HELP...!"

"Don't... Don't worry." I said, making her gasp and turn back to me. Hehe, I know that I'm screwed, I can't even feel my legs, and My vision is turning blurrier and blurrier. It's no use now.

"What are you saying?! You need help now, Nemesis!" She screamed at me. Huhuh, not even screams are bothering me that much now. That's even funny when you think about it. Still, now I don't know with whom I'm talking to. Not that it matters, now. "If we don't help you now, You will! You will... You... Will..."

"If you want to help me that much... Then put your hand in my pocket... There's something there... I want you to pick..." I said. Her eyes shined in hope, as she removed my melted jacket and shoved her hand into that pocket. She was so in a hurry, she practically tossed that away the moment she reached it. However, what was inside there was...

Five tickets to a water resort.

"Ah... Ah! What's... What is...?" She was at loss of words, looking at those tickets with trembling hands.

"Those are... For you." I smiled. She approached me and stayed next to me, the only thing I wanted now from her. It's so... Warm. "I wanted to give them to you after our Rating Game... But after what happened... I couldn't decide what to do with them, but now... At least... You won't have that bitter taste in your mouth anymore."

"..." Something dripped on my face, and it was also warm. It's so good to feel that. I looked back at her, and for the first time, her of now was crying and grimacing, firmly holding those five pieces of paper, to them hold my hands tightly on her own. "Why... Why are you saying and doing this... Right after what... Right after what happened? After everything I've said to you?"

"Because... I'm your big sister." I said back, holding her hand with my remaining forces, seeing her wide eyes turning back to her own purple. Not the magically green ones, or the Bael violet ones. But her own pretty purple eyes I used to love so much. Huhuh, this death sure is a warm one. It's nice. "I sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. Maybe... I was just jealous. Jealous that... I couldn't be a better role-model for you... Heheh... How pathetic of me, not even be able to help her little sister. I hope that one day... You can forgive me for my arrogance..."

"Ah... Nemesis..."

"But don't forget... No matter what I've said... No matter what and who you choose to be... No matter which name you choose for yourself... And whatever path you want to walk... It doesn't matter... Because no matter what..."

..**. I'll always love you, my precious little sister.**

"N-Nemesis..."

And everything now is turning black. My grip around her hand loosed, but her own on my didn't. I love this sensation, and it's a good parting gift for me. I don't need anything else...

"Nemesis...? Nemesis...! Nemesis!"

My only regret is...

"Nemesis! Sister! Please! Forgive me! I don't want to be Rias or Bael now! So please...!"

... I couldn't see her grow up, whatever path she would choose from now on.

**"NEMESIS...!"**

...

...

...

_'Nemis-nee! Let's watch Oppai dragon again!'_

Yes, let's go.

.

~~x~~

.

***ZING! ZING! SLASH!***

"If you can shoot anything against us..."

"... The Quarta siblings will just find new ways to cut you down!" I heard two blue flashes slid and cut down the golden dragon. The said golden portals were still launching swords and treasures at high speeds, but Basara was fast to dodge and block them all with a fan move. Coming from behind, Shion cut down his angel and dragon wings, and hit with hard with her sword!

***BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!***

"Akio, do you wanna bet who's gonna take this bitch down first?"

"Sure. Seeing your pathetic loser face will be better than any reward, anyway." In another corner, Yuno was showering the Jade dragon with a barrage of ice and fire, which were boasted by her own dragonic and Nordic powers! Soon, that blob was reduced to a minimalistic and weak green armor. However, before it could transform again, Akio shot her down with a massive lightning coming from the artificial heavens! "Too bad they're nothing but dolls now. They can't scream, what a pity..."

"I really need to start training, because I'm feeling so powerless nowadays..." I heard Yoko-chan mumble under a sigh, and I could only chuckle. However, things got complicated when the Chaos Karma dragon flew towards us and blew an inferno of blue flames! "Oh no, you don't! Sage art: **Yasakani no Magatana**!"

And before my eyes, Yoko-chan created something like a circle of eight tomoes from eight of her tails, and then tossed it against Sarah-chan flames! Like a true stone in the middle of the river, it cut through the blue inferno and cleaned the path until it hit the dragon, making her fall to the ground, defeated. Wow, talking about super protective girlfriend.

The black dragon appeared in front of us soon after, but then a wheel of white flames, driven by Nashiro-chan, appeared and hit her away! Yoko-chan then let herself land on the ground, and let go of me, letting me support myself on her shoulder...

"Wow, Aria-chan. That was close, nyan." Nashiro said, Landing right next to me as the black dragon also landed right beside her in a very painful way. She didn't give a shit. Instead, she came closer and tapped my forehead. I'm still hurt, but my body is stronger now. "Glad that Serena-chan called for us. But it was such a pain to open a rip in here, nyan."

"This place is indeed jammed. Unless we defeat the one who placed the barrier, no one can enter or exit this place with ease." Yoko-chan finished. I looked around, and one by one the said five dragon kings would fall. Of course, with a well-rested and savvy group of the dxd children, everybody against us is doomed to failure. However, no signs of the that Miyama bastard! Wait, no! I should be worrying about...!

"Nashiro... -chan..." I mumbled, my organs still not fully recovered from the shock and damages. This is the worst! I have to tell them so that they can help nemesis and the others!

"Nashiro-san, I can feel Ichijou's scent here! He's also extremely wounded!" Yoko-cha. However said in time. Yes, this is it! Yoko-chan is the kind of ultimate girlfriend! The fox girl sniffed the air a few times, and nodded! "They're at the edge of this reality, but we can reach them if we just...!"

***DOOOOOOOOON...!***

"Kh...!" Before she could even finish her sentence, something happened! An explosion akin to a star happened in the middle of the ground zero, and from there, it was that little girl... The girl with the black heart! The impact was enough to push everyone and everything back by a few miles, and create a crater. We all took a step back to that.

"Wow, wow. That was scary. Was that little chick the cause of that?" Basara said, a little hesitant as he gripped his sword tighter. Yoko-chan and Nashiro-chan gripped on me in a defensive mode, as everyone put themselves in their battle stances, waiting for the worst. This scent... This aura... Are so foul and dark... It smells... It smells... Like a human.

'Soooo... Little dragon assholes think they're stronger than my own little shits? Ahah... Ahahahahaha! That's a joke! A JOKE!' The black heart laughed, while the little girl danced and contorted herself in painful-looking and disturbing ways, all while oozing that foul aura. In the end, that heart shined a black light, and ascended to heavens! '**YOU'RE NOTHING BUT ILLUSIONS, TYRANTS! BEINGS THAT THINK THAT ARE HOT SHIT AND TOY WITH THE HUMANS YOU RANK SO LOWLY ABOUT! I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER... OF HUMANITY!**'

Suddenly, five pillars of light in different colors also ascended from the heavens, only to gather in that single point that was the little girl on the skies! Everyone had that same sensation of dread, and tried to attack back! The shock of all that magical attacks caused a massive explosion in the air! However, that foul aura didn't disappeared, on the contrary, only grew and grew! In the end, that single point shined a bright light that blinded us for a moment, and after that... Something landed on the ground zero of the previous explosion.

It wasn't human... It was an abomination... A five-headed dragon of different head colors, oozing what I can only describe as 'rotten existence', and blowing black and golden flames from it's nostrils and mouths, a shining violet armored shell shaped like an even bigger dragon head serving as a body, and with jewels encrusted in it's scaled skin in a very painful way. This... Is this the fusion of all that children?!

'**BEHOLD, CREATURES FROM HELL! THIS IS THE ULTIMATE FORM OF THOSE LITTLE SHITS! THE ULTIMATE CREATION TO DESTROY ALL THE GODS AND BELIEFS IN THIS ALIENATED AND ROTTEN WORLD!'** I heard that same disgusting voice coming from the central shell, as the dragon was ready to take position! My cousins could only wait and prepare themselves as that abomination that was once humans and dragons charged!** '[INFINITE SAMSARA HYDRA!], CHAAAAAAAAAAARGEEEEEE...!'**

This is... The end of the world...

***DOOOOOOON!***

**'GWAAAAAAAAAH...!**' But before more damage could've been done to this world, something happened. Something faster as a shooting star, but black as night, flew towards one of the dragons head and, in a single explosion of purple and pitch black flames, vanished it without a single remaining cell. The dragon stopped it's small tantrum, and turned it's gaze to that specific side. 'What the hell...?! Who did that?!'

We all turned to that direction, where that power of destruction was shot, and saw a small feminine figure, only wearing Kuoh's male jacket, her long black hair oozing black energy, her bangs covering her eyes as the gravity grew tenfold next to her. Rudger? No... This smell and energy, it's not Rudger's... Could it be?! But.. I thought Mary-sensei said the procedure was irreversible!

'Hah! Petulant devil! Trying to harm this heavenly creation?! I have you know, in this form, I've surpassed the power of those six, and become the True King of dragons!' The corporeal dragon said, as the black dragon head began to gather flames and was ready to shot! ' **NOW DIE AND PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE FOR THE ONE AND ONLY MIYAMA ENMA...!"**

"Ah...! Watch out...!"

***ZING!***

***BANG!***

"Don't make me laugh..." I heard a voice from that black haired girl, as some kind of supernatural force shut the black dragon's mouth, making it implode in a violent way! However, it didn't end it there: a thin line of power of destruction formed a guide and ran towards the dragon's black head, making it explode and finishing the service! That was sick! " 'true king of the dragons'? Don't you dare call yourself like that, you worm."

This power...

This control...

Is that... **Rudger**? I wondered to myself. However, no... This smell, she isn't Rudger anymore. As the aura around her grew exponentially, her hair was blow upwards by sheer force and power alone. Not just that, little by little, her strings turned from pitch black to pure, shining Crimson, as her pure purple eyes, her true eyes, were crying. However, the bigger surprise was when two shining, bright and beautiful butterfly wings of Crimson light unfolded from her back, revealing once and for all her **Alastor** lineage. Yes, she wasn't Rudger Bael anymore... Now... She was the one and only...

**Berolina Gremory**.

**"Now, dragon, come and taste the power of the Real True King... And the current demon Lord!"**

* * *

...

...

**I guess I have nothing to declare. Really, I've been dropping bombs one after another, and in all honesty, this truth was foreshadowed since ludger joined the group. hahahah... I hate myself for building all of this drama, but I hope you all liked this twist and hope for more. As for Nemesis... Well, you can expect everything, now, really**

**P.S.^I'd like to thank the guest known as "san" for returning from his journey and not only keep the harem list in order, but for discovering who ludger really was. I salute you, Mr. San, and thanks for your support.**

**As always, stay golden and until next chapter.**


	50. Proud of you

**Hey! How are you, guys~! Happy late Christmas and happy Late new year! Man, this chapter sure is a roller-coaster of something, and to be fair, I kinda almost cried writing this as a whole. It was... Interesting, going all emotional. Sure, not close to what real writers have, but... I'm kinda blushing Just for remember it. Anyway, anyhow, have a good read~! **

**As always, DxD doesn't belong to me!**

* * *

**[Well, this is how it is now, Ichijou. We did our best, but things can never always turns out fine for us.]**

"Shut up... Shut up..." I said, crawling on the hard floor, feeling all of my energies being sapped out of my body, bruises and cuts all over it. Mizuki-san passed out right next to me, and Ludger is nowhere to be found. And that light by the horizon. That disturbing, foul and hot light... I can't be anything good. I'm trying to reach it, only to play the legless cockroach here. Shit... Curses... Curses... "Yagura... Please... I need your help..."

**[Even if I wanted, which I do, if we change places, your demonic circuits would still be fucked up. Worst hypothesis, I might end up killing you by excess of power.]**

"Shit..." This feeling is the worst. Powerless, immobile, suffering for my mediocrity and weakness. I hate this, I hate this feeling. There must be something..: anything I can do; even with my shutdown system and weak only... If only I could... I know a way to help to defeat that dragon stuff... If only I could... Yagura...

**[Ichijou, I really like you. I won't let you die just because you're being stubborn. No deal.]**

"I know, but..." I gathered the rest of my energies to make myself roll and end up with my stomach and face pointing to the artificial sky, all cloudy and dark due to the flashing powers around. I know she won't help me, but at least... "Yagura... Could you help me reach my left pocket?"

**[...? Oh-hoh, so you're finally using that? I thought you were saving for that date with that Kamiyama chick.]**

"There won't be any date if I die here." I whispered, not having time to deal with her shit-talking. Yeah, time to use that. I closed my eyes, and tried to gather enough strength in my arm. "Please. Just help me... Reach my front pocket..."

**[Okay. I'll see what I can do.]**

"Thanks..." Maybe... Not everything is lost now...

.

~~x~~

.

"More force into the barrier! We can't let him escape!" I shouted, doubling my own power in order to strengthen the barrier around the five-headed dragon. Akio was helping me out controlling the force field as the Quarta siblings were inside trying to deal with the monster inside. *SLASH! SLASH!*, the twins were fast as lightning, trying their best to damage that dragonic abomination.

"**DAMN YOU DEVILS! DIE DIE YOU ALL!"** One of the heads screamed, as Basara-kun cut it down with his grandsword. A barrage of black flames and lightning escaped from another head, but he was faster to dodge it.

"Weesh! That one was clos-..." Too late. Lines of black energy suddenly captured him, as they sucked the energy out of him. Fortunately, he was strong enough to withstand such power until his sister comes to his aid, cutting the rest of the absorption lines. "Thanks, sis."

"No prob, Basara-nii." The youngest of the twins said, creating herself a barrage of magic bullets against the monster from the tip of her rapier. They both landed right next to rah other; and resumed their attacks.

"That's good, those two are holding him good." I said, sighing and trying to maintain my own flow of energy in order to stabilize the barrier. That fucking dragon might have an absurd healing factor thanks to both the Evil Dragon Vritra and the Jade Dragon Yu-long, but I believe in both of those idiots. They'll find a way, just like gramps. But...

"Yes, but how about her?" Akio said, such words making a chill run down my spine. I gulped, and without losing the control over my portion of the barrier, turned my head around to land my eyes on the second problem here; and everything I saw was...

"Hold her down! If she escapes, not only she'll destroy the barrier, but also Her own body!"

"Gremory! It's me, Yoko! Can you hear me?! Please, stop!"

"This won't bring Nemis back, Berolina! Stop this! You'll kill yourself!"

**"GYAAAAAAAAAH! LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HIM! NEMESIS! NEMESIS! NEEEEEMEEEEEEEESIIIIIS...!"**

Red, red all over, just like her hair. In just an instant, Rina-chan lost all that resembled consciousness or reason, and began to fire at all directions against that Miyama dragon. Not only she broke free from Lady Beelzebub's 'surgery', which would be impossible by any means but miracles, but she activated the perfect form of her Alastor Lineage, shown by the bright butterfly wings on her back, giving her another pair along her devil ones.

But things turned for the worse as all of that rage began to affect her body. Her burn marks grew to dangerous degrees, and her own skin began to vanish, oozing Power of Destruction from cracks on it. She's still too young and inexperienced to be using this kind of power! Not only she'll turn into pure annihilation in humanoid shape, she might forever lost her physical body and die! Fortunately, we have two senjutsu users with her to 'drain' the excessive energy out of her. But for how much long?

"Whoa!" I heard from my side of conflict, and *BAM!*, a sword came down flying right onto me and landed on my feet, as another dragon head fell, only to be substituted by another one that grew almost instantly. Basara-kun called for me. "Hey, Aria-nee! Backup!"

"Right!" I summoned another sword from my pocket dimension and tossed to him, taking advantage of the situation to cut a chunk of that dragon's carcass! The swordsman picked it up in midair and slashed a beam of energy against the beast. However, in that moment of hesitation, the dragon charged at me, breaking part of my barrier! I dodged in time, and Akio blasted him with her lightning technique!

"Yare, yare. Dragons sure are troublesome, aren't they? However, this dragon has the limited mind of someone who didn't live even a century, so of course it'd still be a premature and inexperienced one, with so much to learn, yet, thinking that stands a change against us Devils descendants of the Hero of the underworld that has been training since young age. This kind of suicidal overconfidence is adorably ridiculous, if I may~." The good old sadist Akio said, taking flight away from the charging dragon. I landed right next to him and punched another of his heads, with so much strength it exploded in a bloody mess. However, with this, thanks to my fucked-up circuits, I ended up breaking my arm! Shit, I was thinking about Nemesis with this one, and it came stronger than I thought! I gotta stop going personal and go for the kill! I need to remake the barrier and avoid anything else to face the real issue here...

"Aria-san! Watch out!" Something suddenly tackled to the ground, and with it, I escaped for a nail a ball of pure destruction! It was Ichijou's little fox gal who saved me from total annihilation, as Rina was now trying to escape Yuno's magical chains and the Nashiro's constant assault. She's so vicious now, I'm even scared of her. And if this continues, I'm afraid that lord Cohen will destroy a least two worlds. "She's completely out of control! If we don't do anything, she'll destabilize this dimension and destroy the real world as well!"

"Thanks for the obvious exposition, Obvious-woman! This is pretty solid now!" I said back, standing up with Akabane-chan and creating two magic runes in opposing directions, all unleashing a barrage of energy shots and freezing miasma to both sides. The first for the dragon and the second for the rampaging girl! And soon enough, both the twins and white-haired girls escaped against them. However, those weren't enough to deal much damage, and both are coming to each other. "Shit... My energies are in a pinch... I'll have to lose both arms..."

***VOOSH!***

"Huh...?"

"Don't think you're the only one who has some inherited powers." I lifted my head and stared at Alabane-chan, both hands extending against the dragon, firing a true inferno of fox flames! It was so hot, yet so calming for me. However, such power was harming the dragon beyond all I could do. The four of the five heads Basara and Xion tried to cut off weren't regenerating as before, and the main head was screaming and struggling against! "What are you doing now? Go save Gremory! I hate to admit, but seeing her like that leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Thank you. Akabane Yoko!" I nodded and forced all of my powers against Rina, who only now was losing the strength and recomposing her humanoid form. Still, her arm wasn't truly recovering and it was marked with black burns and bruises. In a moment of welness, I dismissed the rune and ran towards her struggling self. I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm about to burst, yet Rina must be suffering even more. "Rina-chan! Please, stop!"

**"GAAAAAAAOOOOOH...!"**

"I know you're upset, but please! If you destroy this place and yourself, **Ichijou** will be sad!"

"..." And like a flick of a light, her berserker mode went from ten to zero. All of her monstrous aura vanished, and while her being was still emanating an abrasive force of deatruction, it was far more tamed and weaker than before. Did she come to her senses. The others took a distance out of her, as little by little her own power was vanishing in thin air. "Ichi... Jou... -kun...?"

"Yes. Remember him? And not just him. How about that ninja, that witch, the fox girl and that monkey girl? Remember how you used to laugh with them? At them, maybe?" I said, trying my best to come closer, her eyes shifting from the slitted pupils from the Alastor to the regular true purple ones. It's working! I just need to stay calm and question her! "They're your friends, remember? I know you're upset, and you want to burn that fucker Miyama to the core, but if this is gonna cost your life, the one you use to hang and share moments with them, so it's not worth it!"

"But... But I'm not... I'm not the Berolina Gremory they used to know..." And it was the end of that. All of her animosity and power came to a complete stop, and she finally deactivated her Alastor form, her wings turning back to being only a pair of devilish ones. Berolina Gremory was now sobbing, completely unconsoled. Ah, Rina-chan is back. The one we love, the one who can love us back. "... Aria-nee... I don't know who I am anymore... **Berolina Gremory**... **Ludger Bael..**. I... I just don't know..."

"..." And with that, I sighed. Yep, I won't ever understand This kind of conflict, but I'm feeling right now a mild version of her own pain. Nemesis is... Ichijou is... But at least... She's fine, she's back. And she can now learn more as herself. "I know."

"...?"

"You're you, and that's all you need to know." I heard brother saying something like that before. It is and sounds really lame, but for some reason, she gasped in silence, and lowered her head. I guess... This is how you evolve as a person. "The Rina-chan that I love like a sister that I never had. The Rina-chan that Lord Cohen loves despite everything. The Rina-chan... That can learn how to love herself..."

"A... A-Aria-nee..."

"Rina-chan... Let's go-..."

***DOOOOOOON!***

"What...?!"

And everything went so fast. The warmth that I felt before in such moment with my little sister was abruptly cut as suddenly a explosion happened. The heat, the impact; the sound, everything crippled my senses for a while, and in a second, nothing. No sound, no smell, no sight, nothing, that explosion private me from my senses, as only white and silence was left. The last thing I remember was a really hard impact reaching for my back, and then, nothingness.

After a few seconds of blind confusion, the world began to turn colored and echoed again. My body was now worse than before, I felt like Uncle Cohen had hit me with a nonchalant punch, and immobile. Not just that, as I scanned around with the corner of my eye, I could see that I wasn't the only one who fell victim of such attack: Basara, Xion, Nashiro-chan, Akio, Yuno, Akabane-chan and Rina-chan were also bruised and unconscious next to me, their clothes ripped apart and with no signs of life. This is... This is hell...

"Oya, oya. It looks like the children of the said Hero of the underworld are indeed as pathetic as others says he was." To my complete horror, the voice that came to cut all of that silence wasn't coming from any of them. I forced myself to stand up, almost breaking a bone or two by the weight of my stance, and there he was, the bastard known as Miyama Enma, in the form of that five-headed Hydra abomination, which was scorched whole, burned chunks of flesh decaying from his body as only one head was still standing, now colored purple with two golden devilish horns. He dares to use the power of Master Tannin. Unforgivable. "I can already see the name of the chapter: 'The End'. But this isn't the end of this story, Oh no! This is the end of the Kuoh Arc! As I'm about to show you, you're just the mooks in those other shows that I'll defeat without any effort! The real adventure starts next, when I go to the underworld, the heavens and all the other dimensions to Kill all the divinities and kings in our way! Yes! The ultimate paradise! No gods not Kings, only men! The perfect creation!"

"Y... You bastard..." Was All I could muster, as I heard a crack from my arm, causing a pain so great I was forced to stand down again. Shit... I can't... I can't move... My reserves are low... And I can't even touch him. Is this... Really the end?

"Are those your final words? I was expecting anything more than some cheesy lines coming from one-shot villains, but oh Well, suit yourself and burn now!** [SUNLIGHT YELLOW OVERDRIVE]!**" He screamed to high heavens, loud enough to almost explode my eardrums and cracked part of this dimension as well. Suddenly, the heat in here began to rise. And rise and rise. The air became a gust from hell, everything vaporized to nothingness, and the area around that monster was turning into lava, as the central head was now glowing golden, as a true Sun in the sky! Soon enough, the heat reached me, and my skin began to burn. Not even my dragonic skin was enough to protect me, as it was now forming small bubbles of burn and almost melting my clothes! "Now, Devils that refused the light, die by the hands of the light! Not the one created by the cursed God in the sky, but from a man, a man that will prove once and for all that Humanity has surpassed the realm of fairy tales and religion, and shall not tolerate your toying and manipulation no more! When I'm done here, the world of the supernatural shall see the terror of the so-called lowly Humans! Now, **PERISH FOREVER, DXD CHILDREN AND DAUGHTERS OF THE DEVIL KING!"**

Shit! This is how it ends, right? Even if I could move, his power is too hot to even get close to a hit! My arm was now red and exploding in bursts of flesh and pus, and everyone around can't do a thing to stop this. Curses... Sorry Nemesis, I hope I can find you on the other world... No... Wait, how about Ichijou?!

***DRIP!***

"Eh...?" Suddenly, something unexpected fell onto my arm. Running through my already black member, for some reason that wet and cold trace was instantly healing my arm, skin and everything. Also, not just me, all of the arena became darker, and a bright lightning cut through the black frame. "Is it... **Raining**?"

***DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!***

"What the hell?! What is this?! **GAAAAAAH**..!" And it was true, it was a fact. Inside this arena, this artificial reality, was pouring a true storm. A rain in this place... What the hell? Not just that, the falling drops were slowly recovering my wounded body, and the moist atmosphere filling my lungs was curing my insides and restoring my energies. However, the biggest surprise came from the other side: the five-headed dragon was now a soaked mess, all of his heat energy now dead, and suffering in the rain, that was pouring like acid on his scaled skin, melting his carcass in big chunks. **"GYAAAAAAAH! WHAT IS THIS?! I KNOW A FINAL ARC BATTLE SHOULD'VE SOME CLIMATIC INTERFERENCE, BUT GYAAAAAAH...!"**

What's going on? How can it be raining like that? Not even Yuno can make a climatic spell of this magnitude! Not to mention, this rain has healing properties, but is completely trashing that asshole Enma. I can now stand on my two feet, and my bones weren't crushed and broken anymore. What the... Is this the student council's work?!

***ZAP!***

**"HYOOOOOOOH...!"**

"Huh...?"

"Yare, yare. I might be a little upset that a Deus Ex Machina saved our asses today, but I must be grateful that luck was on our side today, since it proves that not even destiny wants to work with that asshole Enma. But again, who would, honestly?" Those methodical and passive-aggressive comments, followed by a powerful lightning attack directly against the Dragon Miyama made me realize who wasn't unconscious anymore too. I turned around, and not just the descendant of the Priestess of Thunder and lightning, and the descendants of the Holy swords, the white Nekoshou sage, the rogue valkyrie, the ninefox and the daughter of our lord Demon King were standing against the dragon, healed and recovered and ready to go. "I'll tell you something, maybe that was one of the reason why he adopted so many children: to make company for his lonely and pathetic self. What do you guys think?"

"I think you talk too much. Shut up for once, stupid Akio." The white-haired Valkyrie said, snapping her fingers and opening a barrage of powerful electric shots, their affectedness only enhanced due to the storm. Inside the whirlwind of thunder and Ice, I heard a hoarse and powerful scream of agony and pain! Now we have the upper hand!

"Yare, yare. Now that's just rude, Yuno."

"Don't fight, you two. Caring is sharing! This goes for both lovers and victims, nyan~!" Was Nashiro's word of interruption, as she jumped in front of us all and launched several homming energy missiles against the agonizing dragon. Several, innumerable holes were being opened in his scaled flash, as his voice was now only a plea of mercy! "Don't you agree, Yoko-nyan~?"

"As long as I'm the main girl, Ichijou can date anyone. You're kinda right!" And from my side, Akabane-chan summoned two torpedoes of massive fox fire and launched against the dragonic beast. He was launched in midair. "Not that I care that much. I know he loves me enough."

***VOOSH! VOOSH!***

"Yeah, you all are right. Sharing..."

***ZING ZING! SLAAAASH!***

"... Is caring!" Were the Quarta siblings' final. Fast as Akio's lightnings, they cut through the storm, barrages and runes, and by under that falling dragon, they cut the rest of their carcass, heads and claws alike, only remaining the body shaped like a head of a dragon.

However, suddenly, I felt an enormous pressure against this place. An eerie, disturbing yet powerful aura was surrounding this place, and before I knew it, I looked up to see the reason behind all of this power, only to see an gigantic sphere of power of destruction above our heads, with enough energy to drawn the clouds closer to it. And the only using it was no one than Rina-chan, all of her wings unfolded on her back, as she was so viciously aiming against the dragon.

"No... Nonononono! This can't be! IT CANT!" The head of the dragon said, crawling like a worm to look at the heavens and the power of annihilation above. **"YOU CANT KILL ME, DAMMIT! I AM THE HERO OF HUMANITY! I AM THE PROTAGONIST OF THIS STORY! IF I DIE, THE RATINGS WILL FALL, AND WE WILL BE CANCELED! DONT YOU DARE...!"**

***SNAP!***

"**GYAAAAAH**...!" Before he could spit even more nonsense from his mouth-body, something akin to a string rolled and bounded him to the ground, closing the thing that resembled a mouth and making him uncomfortably wrapped in a single point. From where I could see, that powerful string was attached to Rina-chan's arm. She was looking at the monster with nothing but contempt.

"**Would you shut up? I'm trying to concentrate here**." Was all she said, before sharping her eyes and launch that sphere of pure destruction against her victim. "**[ANNIHILATION NOVA]!"**

"**GYAAAAAAAAAH! NOOOOOOO...!"**

***DOOOOOOOOOON...!***

And it happened. With nothing to protect him, the dragon that was an unholy combination of the six runaways was engulfed in black light, as the power of destruction devoured them whole. It landed, it destroyed, it annihilated, it's massive power strong enough to explode in a pillar of pure death, which impact was enough to shove the clouds away and slightly clear that artificial reality. In the end, where Miyama suppose to be was now history, a massive crater of nothingness in the middle of the false school ground. Rina-chan descended from her place, and didn't fall face-first thanks to Yoko-chan, who picked her in midair to safely land them both.

Everything was so fast. But I think... We won this time. Total annihilation, and death. This is the end of Miyama Enma... For now. The first to cut the silence and the pouring was Basara, who nonchalantly said...

"But~... Doesn't matter. All of my girls can share me instead. This includes Xion-nee's harem. Isn't that right, sis?"

"Meh, shut up."

"Guys..." I couldn't stand this anymore. We were... We were so close this time... I felt despair, I felt fear, I couldn't stop shaking and I really thought I was going to die. I couldn't maintain my stance no longer, I fell on my knees and... "**WAAAAAAAH~!** We were so close! I was so scared! Fuck! Shit! This was so **SCARY! WAAAAAH...!**"

"Wow, what the fuck, Aria-nee!" I could hear Yuno scolding me, as they came closer for my aid. Akio was the first to aid me in this pathetic state, hugging me tightly as I was still fountaining out of my eyes! Holy mother, that was the shit! "Err~! C'mon! You're not like that! Recompose yourself, Aria-nee!"

"**WAAAAAAAH~!** Shut up! I can't be the only one who was scare shitless by that thing!" I said back, as everyone, including Rina-chan and Akabane-chan went all 'eeeeh~?' With awkward faces on me. Wait, they planned something... Without me?! "Wait... Guys, what are you..."

"To be fair, Aria-nee, we're not stupid as you assume we are." Basara scratched his cheek with an awkward smile on his face, as he's both trying to talk to me, yet going smooth and hesitantly in order to avoid offending me. Too late, I'm already offended! The others did the same, including the stoic Xion.

"We were faking our defeat in order to launch a surprise attack against that asshole Miyama. However, the plan quickly changed as he was about to burn us alive." Xion recalled, crossing her arms. The rest only nodded. "If it wasn't for that sudden rain, well, you can say we would be some BBQ by now."

"Speaking of which, does anybody knows from where that came from?" Yuno asked. Indeed, what as that rain about? It couldn't be Yuno, nor Akio. Both are really good mages, but to make it rain like that with all of that magic circuits? Unthinkable. I don't even think I saw a pour this big since we met Hwan Jin-young for the first time... Wait. "Does anybody care, actually?"

Everybody also shook their heads. And that's that.

"Anyhow, I'm glad that everyone's okay. Specially you, crybaby Aria-san. Wait until Ichijou hears this one." Yoko said, coming closer to me to pat me on the head, as I dried my tears up. I don't know if I should be relieved or angry at that gesture, so I could only sigh. Yep, Nemesis is... Ichijou is... But at least it's over. And I'm... Not happy about it. I heard steps coming closer to me, and so, I lifted my head, only to stare at the crying face of my another beloved redhead. This one calmed me down a little. Yes, after all of that, at least... Someone has improved a lot. "And I brought someone who wants to say something to you."

"Aria-nee..." Rina-chan. I can't feel any animosity coming from her now. She's back in being the Berolina Gremory everybody... Some people... People that matters love and respect. Her flow Crimson red hair, her innocent and simple face, and gentle, fragile stance. She sighed, and opened a weak, timid smile, extending one of her hands to me. "Let's go home, now."

Yeah... This is it. It was painful, full of losses, and I lost a great friend of mine. But still... But still... This is over. We won, that Miyama idiot turned into dust, and now, we shall began everything again, flip a new page. Yes, first let's go home...

"Yeah, let's..."

***BUM!***

"What...?!"

***SLASH!***

"Ah...!" And in a blink of an eye, something happened. It was too fast for even me to keep up, but in a second, no, less than that even, the sole abruptly opened, and from it, I could only see a flash of light ascend to the skies. However, this wasn't the first thing I noticed. The first thing was... Rina-chan's right arm came flying off, as there was only a bloody mess where originally was. It landed not too far away from us, and as expected, it took her a few seconds to realize her loss, as she came down screaming in pain. "Gaaaaaah...! My arm...! My arm...! Aria-nee...!"

"What the hell?!" Shit! T also took me quite a while to properly react to that. I called for Yuno and we both tried to stop the bleeding and heal the wound as we can, as the other circled around us to protect and detect any possible threat that could do harm to us. "What the hell... This was... This was... Ugh! What's going on?!"

*BAM!*

"Eh...?!" But before someone could give me an explanation, something really heavy came down crash-landing next to us, the impact almost putting everyone off-balance. When the dust cleaned off, we saw another abomination exalting a dragonic scent: it was a tall, really tall, humanoid dragon, with class for feet and arms, colored all black and purple, shining jewels all over it's metallic body that resembled a more intimidating Scale mail armor, and instead of eyes, there was six jewels incrusted on the helmet, forming a six-pointed star. And this smell... This is... Master tannin's scent! "Guys! Watch out! This guy... This guy is...!"

"Yo, missed me, you little shits?!" The armor roared at us, his voice strong enough to tremble this entire space. This voice is indeed from that asshole Miyama, as he stood up and clenched his fists a few times; as he was like testing this new form of his. What is that?! "That one was a close call. If it wasn't for my plan to escape that carcass from before and morph myself into this new form,** [ADAM SINNER BURST]**, I might've died! But alas, the protagonist can only die so much only to come back stronger than ever! Now tell me, DxD children and co., tell me this... Do you have anything at all to counter this my new form?!"

"..." I came out as a mute as he extended from his back six dragonic rainbow wings, and from his arms and legs sprouted tentacles and extra arms. That thing wasn't anything that I ever see before. This smell, this power, it's not something we can't defeat with a few sacrifices. Shit... If only Lord Cohen was here...

"Nothing? Not even a joke or a sentence? Very well then!" And so, he dashed against us, leaving nothing but destructing behind him, as he came closer and summoned every possible weapon and rune behind his back! This is gonna be tough, but I'm all healed now! This time... I won't go down so easily! We all stood against that monster, with the exception of Akabane-chan and Rina-chan, and wait led for the worst! Here he comes! "Perish from the realm of man, **SUPERNATURAL SCUM**!"

***BAM!***

***CRASH!***

But before any of us could do any drastic move, something far more sinister happened: the artificial sky above our heads suddenly crashed whole, not only unmaking the barrier, but also entering this artificial reality without any drawback! We all looked up there, as the artificial purple atmosphere turned back to the usual night black one, and saw only a shining white point.

"Another of your friends, Miyam-...?!" I couldn't finish my sentence, because a chill ran down my spine, worst than anything I've aged before. I already faced against dragons, monsters and even some pretty high-class Devils, but nothing has ever made me like this. This is... Fear. I looked around, and it wasn't just me: everybody was equally as shocked! "What is this... My body... Is trembling..."

"Huh, so this is your backup, DxD children?" I heard from the other side. That Miyama bastard was looking the same thing as we were, turning all of his attentions to that point in the sky. By his tone of voice, he was both excited... Yet hesitant and even scared? "I knew that you had the Sekiryuutei in your army of hell, but to think that his biggest rival was also in it... I'm impressed!"

"Biggest rival?! Wait, don't tell me...!"

I turned again to that same spot on the sky, it's blinding silver shine dying out, revealing what was hiding all along: white shining scales as armor, claws of a true dragon for hands and feet, tail, head, torso and legs all covered in blank silver armory, his piercing blue eyes cold enough to hit my deep soul, and last but not least, a pair of white dragon wings made out of light, shining like a second moon on the night sky! I can't believe it! I dunno know if I should be fearful or enchanted, but there it is, Gramps', and now Ichijou's, biggest rival, the soul of the Light wings of the White dragon emperor, the [DIVINE DIVIDING], one of the thirteen legendary Longinus sacred Gears and sworn enemy of the Red welsh Dragon emperor Ddraig...

The white English vanishing dragon emperor **Albion**!

"The one and only Hakuryuukou!" We all screamed, as the dragon descended from the sky to the floor. Even from here I could feel an immense strength coming from it. So chilling and powerful, I wonder if Lord Vali has something to do with this kind of power even though this is a completely new host. The white dragon then chose the line between us and the Miyama asshole, as the flap of his wings came to a stop, and he was about to put his claws on the floo-...

***BAM!***

"..."

"..."

...

It fell face-first on the floor.

...

What?!

"Sorry, sorry! I'm not used to land, so I always fuck it up! Sorry, sorry! It won't happen again!" And comically standing up and putting it's arms on it's hips, probably to look as cool as possible after that freaky accident, a female voice echoed inside the armor. Huh, a girl is the current host. I was kinda expecting this since people love to turn Lord Vali into a chick in fanfiction. The tense aura suddenly befell us again, and she turned to the dragonic armor that used to be Miyama Enma(PhD in Assholeness, a minor in bastardy and a bachelor in studies of being a douche.). "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I could sense an extremely powerful presence coming from this place around, but a good friend of mine said It was coming from a different dimension, so I passed by to check it out. I assume it is you, am I right?"

"Huh, so even the Hakuryuukou acknowledges my strength, this must be something." Mused the hydra dragon, which speech was dripping on pride and arrogance. "Yes, indeed, I'm the strongest here! Not even the descendants of the Red dragon could take me on!"

"Awesome! Let's fight! I'll totally deck you in the shnotz!"

...

Pardon?

"Huhuh, what a vulgar language, something I wasn't expecting from the White dragons, one of the two heavenly dragons, only under the infinite ouroboros Dragon God Ophis and the True dragon of dreams, Great Red." Chuckled the Hydra Dragon, now adopting a fighting pose, his body glowing in pure energy and the brinks of his body exhaling pure power, the ground under his feet trembling from the massive magnitude. "But if it's a fight you want, I'll gladly show you my power! I'll show you that not even the strongest dragon is match against the power of my intellect and human will! I'll show you that-...!"

***ZOOM!***

***DON!***

"Gh...!" And by the mother of all ironies, in just one seconds, faster than I could keep up with, the vanishing dragon simply blinked from in front of us to the other side of the arena, leaving no sound or image behind, like she was there the whole time. I turned my eyes to the Hydra dragon, and he was just as bewailed as me, but with a twist: his whole left arm was ripped off! "Gah! Bitch!"

"Kah, kah! Got your arm, Mister~!" Laughed the vanishing dragon, tossing the arm in her possession to a random direction, and unfolding even more her wings, turning her full attention to it's adversary! "My turn!"

"As if! Take that, you lowly minor character scum!" And growing another arm where the ripped one used to be, That Miyama asshole made a double-punch motion in front of him and created a massive barrage of golden, purple, blue, violet, green and grey runes, that launched several magical shots from within! Again surpassing our expectations, the White dragon flew into the heart of that monstrous attack and so-nonchalantly dodged against all the treasures and energy spheres that was been thrown against her! This robbed a gasp from the Hydra Dragon! "Impossible!"

"**Pow**!" That comical sound effect the dragon muttered was muted by the sheer impact of her punch against Miyama's guts. So powerful, it blew a shockwave that affected is too, and which sent Miyama up to the skies! It cracked part of his torso and armor as a whole, as it was now crumbling into nothingness! Strong! "Tch! Look at this, I thought you'd be up for a challenge, but you're just another inconvenience I have to face, like cow shit stuck on the road."

"**WHY YOU! DISAPPEAR...**!" Apparently, Miyama got fed up to deal with it, as he summoned all of his six pairs of rainbow wings, and began to gather energy above his head. Extending his arms to the skies, he began to form a massive ball of dragonic power, so massive, it was pulling small objects in like a true black hole! If that hits, it won't only destroy us all, but the whole Kuoh city with it! "Now, disappear! **WHITE DRAGON EMPERO-...!"**

**{DIVIDE!}**

"WHAT...?!" But it wasn't over. I heard from inside those wings a powerful voice announce a command, as the White dragon was reaching a hand for the flying morphed dragon. The ball of destruction suddenly got smaller and weaker, and descended even more into the realms of mediocrity as the wings wouldn't stop it's special calls! That is he special ability of the [DIVINE DIVIDING], the ability to cut the power of all that it touches in half and feed on it! In the end, no power was left in Miyama to control and maintain such power, vanishing in thing air in a dust of light. "No! No! This can't be happening! This never happens to the good guys!"

**{DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE!}**

**{DIVIDE!}**

**"NOOOOOOOO...!"**

"And now... Away with you, mister!" Without losing any time, the white dragon emperor soon boosted herself with the stolen power, making the Scale Mail armor shine silver and glow with such massive power, and took flight to put herself on the same level as Miyama. From it's claws, it summoned a pair of glowing silver spheres and without losing any tempo, threw them against the Hydra dragon, their power I could feel from here! Take this, **{INFINITE BIG BANG STORM}**!

**"NOT SO FAST! I AM INVINCIBLE! SUCH ATTACK WONT EVEN...!"** Too late: the dragon even tried to block that attack, and while he did it against those two spheres, when they came in contact with him, instead of disappearing, they exploded in six smaller spheres and dispensed themselves, only to turn back and attack him from behind! "What the...?"

Too late! This time, he couldn't block it, as the six hit his back and exploded in a bright flame! But it didn't stop there! The six spheres then began to rotate and encircle his body, all while hitting and exploding specific parts of him! In the end, those spheres were now taking the shape of an atom, with Miyama as their center, as they grew denser and denser, forming now a ball of light! Miyama was screaming all the way, but he was soon muted as the balls grew so dense they became a single sphere of pure blinding light, that popped in a massive explosion!

We were all dumbfounded about that. Is that... The power of the current Hakuryuukou? So much power, and total control over it too! Damn, if she turns out to be our enemy, tough times might come, worse than today. This is the third time I'm trembling today, and for a good motive. Maybe Even I won't be able to beat her without some more training. From the dust of that explosion, suddenly, came now the five runaways, all unconscious and posing no threat now, and the last that it came was a little girl with her chest wide-open, revealing a black heart, that was still beating, but in a very slow pace, almost stopping...

"This can't... Be... This... Not... Last... Timeeeeee~..." I heard from inside that black heart, the voice of that bastard Miyama, which continued to curse until it died down, leaving us to the silence. Is this the end? I'm not so sure now. With everything that had happened so far, I don't know what is normal anymore. I gulped hard one more time, and closed my eyes. What a day.

"Hey~! You guys~!" That voice came suddenly to my ears, so I opened my eyes, only to see a white dragon Scale mail in front of us, it's arms crossed, golden eyes shining at us, and an eerie aura towards us as a whole. "Tell me, now that old man is gone, I just have you guys to fight me! How about it?! Let's fight!"

**{ELIZABETH, FIGHTING THEM IS NOT THE WISEST IDEA NOW.}** I heard from inside the wings, a voice I can only assume is from Albion, the Vanishing English white dragon emperor. So, this hostess is also a battle maniac? I wonder how close she is from Lord Vali. {THEY'RE STRONG. I WONT GUARANTEE YOUR VICTORY, NOR YOUR LIFE IF YOU DECIDE TO CHARGE AHEAD. WE SHOULD RETREAT FOR NOW.}

"But, you know what, Arubin~..." She said, bending her legs to them, in a flash, dash against us, both claws ready to fight! "This only pump me up even more to fight them!"

**{ELIZABETH!}**

**"Tch...!"**

***ZOOOM!***

"Eh...?" But before she could come clashing onto us, something even stranger happened: coming out of nowhere, something akin to a hook suddenly reached for the hakuryuukou's neck, and pulled her away from us, dragging her all the way to a third individual, a tall and beautiful platinum-blond young woman of spectacled silver eyes, fair skin, hair pulled in a single braided ponytail and wearing a silver suit, and carrying some like a mummy on her arms. Once there, she let go off he white dragon, who stood up to bitch-up about it. "What the hell, **Arthuria**!"

"Lisa, you should heard Albion-sama more frequently. Bringing you here was an already arduous task. I wouldn't be able to help if things would to turn into a bloody mess. We should retreat for now, since you already had your fun." The blond one said with a sigh, suddenly turning her attention to us. However, I was more concerned about the weapon she was carrying. That thing... Is even more powerful than the Scale Mail it hooked. At first I couldn't tell since it was taking the shape of a hook, but after returning what I assume it is it's original form, I cold-sweated. That shape, that blade, what suffocating and powerful aura... There's no mistake, that blond girl is the hostess of that...

The holy spear of the setting sun, the weapon that pierced the King of King**s(Christianly speaking, of course.)** and it's considered the mother of all Sacred Gears, carrying the original name of the strongest ones. The True Longinus.

"Psh! Joy-killer!"

"It's the only thing I'm allowed to kill; anyway." Came that sheepish reply. She then turned to us, and came closer, sealing away her True Longinus seeing the horror in our faces; only to smile a serene one and hand to us that mummified thing. "I'm sorry if my little idiot brought you all trouble in any way, shape or form. And I hope this little present can somehow make up for the damage, I've encountered her nearby around this place, so I've decided to help. So long, Devils of Kuoh, I hope we see each other again."

"And I know you all are hiding the sekiryuutei somewhere! Tell him that if he wants to fight, he shall seek for the one and only Elizabeth!"

"Hush, you." The so called hostess of the True Longinus, Arthuria, sighed deeply and summoned again the Lance of destiny, forming with it a bubble from the tip of her blade. Both she and the so called Elizabeth then entered it's spherical form and in a second, pop!, like a soap-bubble, it popped in thin air, leaving no traces behind.

That one... Was indeed a uncommon day. Not only we fought the cause of all troubles surrounding Kuoh, his adoptive children and by consideration the six Dragon Kings, we also met and saw the power of the current Hakuryuukou, and her partner, the hostess of the strongest Sacred Gear, the True Longinus.

"Huh~... Huh...!"

"Aria-nee! That mummy! It's moving!" Suddenly, snapping me out of my stupor, Basara suddenly said, pointing at the bandaged thing in my lap. That's right! That Arthuria girl said something about 'repay', but what that suppose to mean?! This mummy now is moving on it's on! "It's alive! Quick! Let's open it!"

"Y-Yeah! Calm down, now! I'll take you out!" I said, ripping the bandages off as quick as I could. The first thing I saw was fair skin, light as milk, easy to touch. That freaked me out a little, since it was apparently a human being or something like that, but as I ripped and unraveled those layers of bandages, something inside of me ticked me off. First, skin, then... Body... Then... Red hair... Wait... This... This can't be! This can't... I turned my hands into claws, and ripped the bandages whole! I was ready for everything, but in the end, that Arthuria girl proved me wrong... It was... It was...

"**N-Nemesis**...?"

"Aria...?"

...

...

***DRIP!***

"Ah... Ah... Ah...!" I couldn't see. My vision was blurry. I couldn't get up, my legs were shaking, I couldn't speak, all the words in my mouth died out. This is... This is... I don't know what this is... My chest hurts... I don't know what to do... Nemesis... Nemesis... **NEMESIS! "WAAAAAAAAH...! NEMESIS! HUAAAAAAAH...!"**

"Ehehe... Shut up, Aria. You're being too loud."

"Shut up! You died! Let me be loud just this time, you bitch! **WAAAAAAAAH**~!" I said, punching her in the face only to hug her with all of my strengths! Waaaah! She's alive! My Nemesis is alive!

"Huh, okay then, you crybaby."

"Nemesis..." We both heard a very familiar voice from behind. I stopped with my crying, only to turn around and see a very shocked Rina-chan standing next to us. First, she was shocked, completely, but then her face began to twitch, as her now purple eyes were crystallizing and letting run small drops of salty water. By the end, she fell on her knees, completely shaken and desolated, while Nemesis sighed, and put herself sat on the floor. "Nemesis... Nemesis...!"

"Hey, welcome back home... Berolina Gremory." The older sister said, extending her arm to Rina-chan's face, only to then pass her fingers on her now Crimson hair. In the end, she faintly smiled. She smiled. "I'm so... **Proud of you**."

"**NEEEEEMEEEEESIS**...!" And we all break down crying, hugging our dear redhead for dear life. Even with her right arm missing, Rina continued to hug her sister just like me. I'm... I'm so happy!

It dirt took long to Akabane-chan to show up with both Bro and Kyouka-chan, all somehow beat-up, but completely alive nonetheless. The same goes for the Miyama runaways, as the Devils in charge of healing said that they'll live, and no longer under the control of Miyama Enma. So... This is finally the end of this long, hellish day. And by the end of it, we won, completely.

But, with the White dragon now revealed, together with the current hostess of the True Longinus, I can only wait for worst days to come. Huh, for now, I'll just forget about it, and enjoy our victory... Yes, this is... The end of this long spring.

...

...

"Wait, are you telling me that Nemesis died?!"

"Yuno-nee, don't ruin the moment."

* * *

**And that's the end of the Miyama Runaway arc! Wow, what a ride, and 50-chapters later, we finally see the White dragon emperor showing up! This is... Maybe going too fast? I dunno, I hope you all are liking this trainwreck of stuff happening. Next chapter... Maybe a lemon? Stuff happening again? Nothing happening at all? I'll try, that's all I can say.**

**Now, seriously talking, I've been pondering this idea up until now, so I'm gonna ask: should Berolina be one of Ichijou's girlfriends, or she should be just an acquaintance of his? I dunno, maybe it's because their relationship is still new, so maybe trying to work it out won't work like I'm expecting. Then again, they're somehow the Rias and Issei of this new story, so maybe I should give them a shot? What do you guys think? Berolina as one of the 'Ichi-hoes'(what?): yay or may?**

**Regardless of that, stay golden and have a fantastic year, everyone!**


	51. Arc epilogue:new Gremory girl

**Hey, there fandom, how is it going? I'm going all smoothly, thank you if you asked(I know you didn't, I'm so lonely.). So... Nothing much about this chapter, just a little epilogue and a bit of fanservice for fun? Did I go too far, maybe, maybe not. But this chapter. Yep, epilogue. Now, to the upcoming arc in this fanfic and happy new year!**

**Also, someone told me that apparently someone mention my story and my name in a forum, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I think that's awesome... But kinda scary because... I dunno what they think of it. Hiiih~, so scary...**

**As always, DxD doesn't belong to me. 'face to face', by daft punk(just wait.).**

* * *

And finally, my everyday life came back to normal. 'Normal', as in, the 'most normal it can get'. A few weeks already passed since the last Miyama incident, and as such, a lot of things happened. Not much...

First, I was happy(kinda) to know that **Gremory** didn't really die back then. Instead, she went through a rather 'special' surgery from **Beelzebub-sensei**, changing all of her 'identity' as Berolina Gremory in order to become '_Ludger Bael_'. However, for some reason or another, she broke free from that curse and returned to her former self. Even the Demon King of Beelzebub was shocked by it, and really mad because she said lord Cohen couldn't stop rubbing it into her face.

So, Gremory was Ludger this whole time? I gotta say, I was upset at first, enough to punch her really hard on the stomach, but so used to this kind of thing that I simply decided to forget about it. Besides, it's not like I'm not partly to blame for this transformation. She said it herself as Ludger: she wanted to get away from the **pain** of being weak and rather get rid of her emotions in order to grow as a genuine devil. At least is what I've been told. And thanks to Nemesis-san... Uuuh, that's kinda awkward to think about... She was able to return to normal. Of course, she went through a lot of exams, and in the end, Beelzebub-sensei said that Gremory can never go back to the way she was before, a small string of black hair on her to prove that. But at least... I got my king back.

My king... As in, I'm hers... Wait, no.

Speaking of her...

***DON!***

***VOOOOOSH!***

"Huh...?" I heard again the echoing sound of a baseball bat hit a homerun; and accordingly I saw a white ball cross the sky and disappear from sight. Nice one.

From the higher ground here, Eating my lunch in peace, I turned my eyes down in order to see the baseball camp, where a high curtain of dust crossed all the bases in a instance, leaving a part of the crowd either dumbfounded, bewailed or hysterical. In the end, the teacher declared win by Blowout, as the whole blue team cheered and stood up to run for the silhouette behind all of that dust. Soon enough, that dirty cloud was getting weaker and weaker, and then revealed the girl behind it...

Curvy figure, ample and dangerously big breasts, fair skin covered in sweat, big bright purple eyes with slightly slit pupils and... Short, shoulder-lengthened hair in a strong Crimson tone with a small black highlight on one of her bangs and wild sideburns. That she is, now one of the 'ascending idols' from Kuoh academy, the 'Crimson first-year', smiling like an idiot as she laughed behind the baseball bat on her mouth and pulled her bloomers up in order to loose the grip on her ass.

_'You did it again, Rina-chan! We won!'_

_'That's Gremory for you! I hope she can join the team someday! That'd be great!'_

_'How can she move with that extra weight?! You're incredible, Berolina-sama!'_

I heard from here, as the crowd practically swallowed the redhead. Yep, that's right, there she is. Berolina Gremory; the ascending redhead idol of Kuoh academy.

Who could've thought? Despite her size and feminine charms, she can be quite a monster in sports. According to Nemesis-san, Gremory always had this monstrous strength and stamina to be an impressive athlete, but in order to be more like Lady Rias, she kept this qualifies hidden during school periods. Now without such boundaries and mentality, she went from an unknown redheaded first-year student to the athletic, charismatic sports idol that everyone adores in just a few weeks. It's kinda ironic when you take her name in consideration. She's more like Lady Rias now, yet different...

"Meanwhile, I'm stuck as just a someone." I sighed, picking a fried egg and eating it, seeing the redheaded idol going from baseball to Basketball, doing a sonorous dunk in just the first minute. I tried to pick another piece of meat; but my bandaged hand violently reacted to the movement, making me groan in pain and let go of the chopsticks. Oh Right, Beelzebub-sensei said hay it'll take a while until I'm fully healed, even with Phenex Tears. The worst part was convincing my mother that I Was okay and avoid her calling the cops on Kuoh. sighed again. "I'm kind of jealous of her, really. It must be nice..."

'Do not say that when you're aware we're here, Izuki.' I heard in my mind, such voice making me frown a little. I picked a piece of meat to eat, and then turned to the corner of my eye to see a certain blonde sitting next to me, drinking on her juicebox and playing on her portable, and Ren standing tall on my back, also watching the game. Yep, I'm stuck in the loser team, people who can't ever reach the popular kids even if they wanted to, which is sad.

"Still, she is Nemesis-san's little sister and a Gremory, descending also from Lord Bael. It's only a given for her to have such charismatic traits." The ninja said, sitting by my side to pat my shoulder. I dunno if he's saying that to cheer me up or praise Gremory. I don't mind, to be honest. "You better take care of her, or else the entire school will be against you."

"As if. We don't even interact anymore since we came back." I said with a sigh. That's right, since we got back from the underworld to treat our wounds, Gremory haven't spoke a single word to me: every time we meet in the corridors, she's always surrounded by new friends and fans, so as when she's having lunch, and in all this time, she didn't visit us in the slightest. Being completely honest, I miss that a little. Still, I'm glad that she has her own personality now, even if this means I'm not part of her world anymore. "Only a few weeks passed... And now, she's one of the most popular girls on the entire first-year, while I'm stuck here in the loser ground. At least I'm not alone, guys."

'What do you mean 'guys'? I just have you know, I avoid people so that they don't find out I'm an **ESPer**.'

"And I'm a ninja. Secrecy is part of the job. As you can see, Ichijou, you're on your own." Came their harsh, harsh words onto me, making me feel like a complete fool. I'm used to this, so sucked it up quickly. Yep, months of training and hell itself, and I'm still a Social Zero. It's not bad, at least... This is my life, after all. And hey, I got from those something even more awesome, so I can't complain. I felt someone hook we to a direction, and soon enough, I noticed it was Ren; blushing a patting my head. "Still, we kinda are acquaintances for this job, so... Yeah, I'm stuck with you, whatever I like it or not."

"Huh. Thanks, Ren."

'Don't be so down, now; Izuki. Like you've thought, you got something even more awesome with those adventures of yours.' I heard inside my head, Mizuki-san coming closer to me to pick my chopsticks from my bandaged hands and pick for me a that tricky piece of meat, which I bit it off. 'Besides... Aren't you glad that things turned out better than expected? This is the most important part, y'know.'

Things turned better than expected. She's right, actually...

**Miyama Rei** and the other runaways won't be an issue anymore. Not only Miyama ended up in a shell-shocked state after his defeat, the girls now have the missing piece, that little girl with a heart as a sacred gear based on Master Tannin, for the location of Miyama Enma, the mad Doctor behind their suffering and pain. They promised no longer bring harm to other supernatural creatures or schools for that matter, and someday, they'll get their revenge now that they know where their 'mastermind Villain' is hidden... But since Sarah-san has my mother as her editor and Kiruko-san still has to attend school, they'll settle their base in Kuoh for now, which means now and then I got to meet and greet them. They even said they'll try to bring Miyama back with a better attitude regarding everything, which is a great step.

With them out of the way, the preparations for the Devil-Vampire meeting are almost complete. **Ren** and I will still take care of the rest of the '**Seven wonders of Kuoh**', but after all that shit we've been through the last time, I think a few joke chapters will be breeze. **Aria-san** got her job as both **Nemesis-san's** assistant and secretary, so she has the excuse to spend more time around Kuoh and her beloved King. Speaking of which, Nemesis-san got a little more cheerful and easy-going within those past weeks, and now and then, I caught her and Gremory talking about something...

**Kaichou's** group decided to manifest itself and find any more suspects and/or chain of events that might put in risk the safety of Kuoh city as a whole, and since **Yoko** needs to give her report about the events of this part of Japan, the whole Kanto region, back to the yokai central, maybe soon or later we might get a backup from other youkai factions, including from Kunou-sama, who Yoko said she have met senpai a long time ago. Also, **Sally-chan** became part of the school staff as a scanner and radar thanks to her abnomal mastery in sage arts, and as such, once in a while, I can met her for us to train**(aka, sharing some perverted bullshit)** and be a little cutie for me. Of course, people look at me thinking I'm a lolicon.

All in all... Yeah, things worked out better than expected. I'm alive, so are my friends, apprentice and Nemesis-san, Aria-san, Gremory and, well, Kuoh as a whole. Besides, if things go smoothly, they said they can find Annie in no time. I should be happy, for the first time in a long time, I got everything under control, and everything is working just fine... But something is making me uneasy. And since I talked to Aria-san, I have pretty good idea what might be causing this...

**The Hakuryuukou**.

The English vanishing white dragon emperor, the one with the Sacred Gear** [DIVINE DIVIDING]**, the light wings of the white dragon emperor, and the spirit of the white Dragon Albion, the other heavenly dragon besides Ddraig. She was the one who saved everyone from Miyama's trump card**(even though I believe he was screwed since the beginning.)**, with little to no effort at all. Moreover, she had total control over her sacred gear, and just like Lord Vali, ended her match without even breaking a sweat, all while making jokes and doing bizarre things. Basara-san even said that she wasn't even that bright, but if she defeated that bastard Miyama, which forces sums the power of all the dragon kings combined...

Not to mention, she has also a sidekick... Or she is the sidekick, of the current host of the Sacred Gear **True Longinus**, the mother of them all and the biggest weapon against Devils. Fortunately, she seemed more controlled than the battle-maniac that is again the Hakuryuukou, and if she can control her like that, this means I and everyone else am safe for now. She also resurrected Nemesis-san, so so far, she's good on the books...

"Still... I better get stronger or else I won't be the sekiryuutei for too long. I was an idiot for thinking That problems wouldn't arise after one after another." I Sighed, now walking my way down to my house after class. I have no clubs to attend... Eh... Nor chores to do, so better hit the sack and rest for what I care, just like I've been doing the past days, in order to heal my wounds faster and not suffer from them too much. Well, at least I'm half-prepared to what can happen, specially during the meeting. I turned to my sacred gear. "Hey, Mister Dragon Ddraig, do you think that the Current Hakuryuukou is being taught by Lord Vali? After all, they're both battle-maniacs, as I was being told."

**[HUM~, IT'S QUITE AN INTERESTING THEORY, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT LUCIFER WOULD BE HAPPY TO TAKE PART IN A FIGHT WHICH HE'S NOT PHYSICALLY INCLUDED.]**, said the dragon in my arm, his tone of voice making me think he's pondering the situation in hand deeply**. [STILL, MAYBE THE WHITE ONE'S TEACHING THE CURRENT ONE WHAT HE SHARED WITH THE LUCIFER, OR HIMSELF IS TEACHING THE CURRENT ONE BATTLE TACTICS. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF HIS SOUL INFLUENCING THE CURRENT ONE WAS ALSO A POSSIBILITY.]**

"It's useless to complain, is it? The only answer now is to get stronger and deal with her later. Maybe she won't be evil or antagonist to me, but I can't take the risk." I said, stretching my arms in midway my way home and looking again at the green glow on my left arm behind all of those bandages. "After all, I can't call myself Senpai's successor if I can't handle a Hakuryuukou, right? But for that, could you lend some of your strength, Red Dragon?"

**[OF COURSE, PARTNER. I ALSO WANT TO TEST THE STRENGTH OF THE CURRENT ONE, TO SEE IF SHE IS REALLY THE RIGHT SUCCESSOR OF THAT LUCIFER AND THE WHITE ONE.]** Came the powerful voice inside my Gauntlet of the red dragon. This kind of confidence is really pumping me up to do my best. Maybe it's just me fanboying a little over senpai and lord Vali's rivalry, but hearing that the Hakuryuukou is around makes me want to grow even stronger. And if she's as strong as she seems, I don't have other choice then. A small grin creeped on my face. Why do I keep smiling like an idiot in such inappropriate times and situations. Maybe I'm not as calm as I thought I was, and maybe that isn't a bad thing.

"Great. Next time, let's test our strength." Yep, definitely I have changed a lot. Maybe it's just an impression of myself, maybe is the feeling of relief and comfort about Gremory, but I feel a lot more alive, and I don't feel this sensation of warmth and serenity since...

***ZING!***

**[PARTNER, I CAN FEEL A PRESENCE FROM BEYOND THAT WALL!]**

"Yeah, I felt it too." I said recovering from that small spark of awareness that triggered not long ago. Huh, problems came earlier than I was expecting, and I'm all alone now. That might be a messy fight if I have to give it a shot. But after everything I went through, I can't say that I'm not somewhat experienced. I put myself on a battle pose as a shadow creeped over the street turn. Ready or not, here it comes!

"Oh-hoh. Oh, hohohoh. Take a look at that, Ichijou-kun being all confrontational and bold. Sure brings some memories." I heard a familiar voice behind the said wall, as soon revealed itself a new figure: a certain redheaded Kuoh idol, walking on her tip-toes and with her arms crossed, looking at me with those big and bright purple eyes. Seeing her made me dismiss my sacred gear and battle pose, as she turned to me and waved a hand. "Yahoo~. How's it going, Ichijou-kun? Long time no see."

"Yeah, long time no see, Rina." I said with a sigh, also waving and coming closer to her. So is her this time, eh? Can't say that i didn't want to talk to her for a time. I crossed my arms and took a quick scan at her new look. Her short red hair with a pitch-black bang, bright purple eyes that were her original color and a fully bandaged right arm, the one she lost against Miyama and got a new one from Beelzebub-sensei and Katallia-san, made entirely of Katallia-san's 'malleable' cellular structure and the rest of her original arm. "So... How is your arm? Feeling better?"

"Well, yeah. **Beelzebub-sama** is a genius regarding those things. It still melts a little from time to time and I can't feel much with it yet, but I guess it'll get better with time." She said, lifting the said arm and clenching it a few times. The grip is strong, and the movements are good. Unlike me, who almost bursted his own arm to reach his front pocket, she's doing pretty great. However, she hid it from my sight and turned again to me. "However, this isn't why I'm here for. I'm here for you, Tsukino Ichijou-kun. And I have something to give you back."

"Huh...?" I tilted my head to a side, mildly confused. She didn't give me any explanation or further info, though. Instead, she nonchalantly tossed something shiny in my direction, which I picked it in midair. It was cold and cutting, I wonder what it is. The answer came soon after as I opened my fist, making me hum in surprise: "what the... My **keys**?"

**"Yep, I'm giving those back."** She said with a smile, shrugging and doing a glance pose, which further threw me into confusion. What does she mean by that? I thought it was her dream to be close to the Sekiryuutei. Unless... Maybe it is.** "Because, you know what Ichijou-kun? I came to the conclusion that I don't need you anymore!"**

"Ah..." Jackpot, I was right.

**"Yeah. After some thought and self-awareness, I came to the conclusion that I don't need to stand up to your shit anymore."** She said in a such nonchalant and calm yet euphoric tone, it's kinda jarring. Wait; what did she say? That's my line. **"You're moody, rude, violent, ignorant, stupid, doesn't take any hint, perverted, uncaring, idiotic and overall unpleasant. Seriously, I think I would even avoid you if you were a normal human. No wonder you got no friends."**

"..." My lips curved in a uneasy half-smile of awkwardness and anger. It's again that feeling of punching someone square in the face, something that I wanted to do with Gremory a long time ago before this whole Rating Game started. "And you withstood those this whole time because...?"

**"Because of your Sacred Gear, of course. I was stupid and naive, thinking that someone such as yourself could help me become stronger, but I was completely wrong!"** She shrugged and opened a smile towards me. With that smile, even I grinned under my eyes.** "I don't need you to grow stronger, and I don't need you to help me become independent. Therefore, you have no use for me, Berolina Gremory, so I don't need to fed up to your shit anymore. In fact, I think I hate you."**

"Heh, I **hate** you too, Rina." I said with also a shrug. This is really strange, it's like I'm actually liking what she's saying to me. Not that it matters, but somehow, I feel proud of her. "Yep, that's right, I'm not a knight in a shining armor, I'm not a protagonist of an OC fanfiction, I'm not senpai. I'm just Tsukino Ichijou, a normal guy with a bad personality, bad grades, no reputation and completely worthless and weak in this world, that was only lucky enough to have the Boosted Gear. And nothing else. However, Unlike someone I know, I have a complete grip of who I am, instead of going back and on in personalities."

**"Well, that sucks, because your current personality is horrible!"** She said, crossing her arms and turning around, giving me a SHAFT turn and aside glance. **"Well, whatever. It's not like I'm going to have to stare at your face for too long from now on. You might be my Queen, but that doesn't mean I need to stay glued to you. In fact, since this is all I needed to say, I'm going now."**

"And I'm glad for that. Go back to your bimbos and zombies, for what I care." I personally don't, really. I made a dusting-waving motion with my hand, in clear sign for her to leave. "At least, unlike you, I got my own friends. I just hope you don't push someone into your mess again like you did with everyone in your peerage."

**"Bleh."** Was all she said as she pushed her eyelid down and stuck her tongue to me, the last thing she did before summoning a magic rune and disappear from my sight. And there she goes, without even saying goodbye.

Huh, that was an interesting conversation. We did nothing but point at each other's faults, yet the feeling of left was of total relief and even pride. Maybe that's the feeling of seeing someone you know mentally grow, which is saying something for someone as Gremory, even if it hurts a little. I don't actually hate her, far from that. It's just that I have other problems to deal with, and as soon as I finish one, the better. Still, maybe one day we can maintain a longer conversation, and by that, I mean one of those again, instead of just passive-aggressive insults like those I'm so sick of. That's the closest we ever had to a normal conversation since we met.

I snapped out of my thoughts with a sigh, and put the keys into my pocket like they should. Entering my house, I noticed there was no one home, but since it's so early in the evening, my sisters are probably still working or at college, Yoko is still attending that youkai conference and Tasha and Ryuubi-chan are probably helping mom in her work. I looked over a folded paper on the dinner table, and I was right: Mom is away to help and work with Sarah-san at the hospital, while my sisters aren't around. This means I'm completely alone now.

What to do now? I'm all alone in this big house, no sisters ordering you around, no mom to care for now, no partners to try to escape kinky situations from. Again, for a long time since, I'm complete and utterly alone. Just me and the silence with the occasional break of it by nearby nature. Maybe I'll hit the sack for now, I'm tired and that's what I was planning to do, anyway. Leaving my shoes and bag by the entrance, I went upstairs to reach for my room, the normal one with my bed, a bookshelf, some toys and my school things, just the way I like it. There is still some time left for dinner, so I just laid on my bed and closed my eyes for a good nap...

Yes, silence and rest, those are the things I'm going for now. No matter how many people I care about, no matter the dangerous I'm suppose to face, there's always a good time for a me time. All I want is some silence and sleep, then I'll be prepared for what is yet to come. I can even be more eager about it, too. But let's not thing about that, let's take a break. Yes, let's res-...

***ZOOM!***

...

...

As I was saying, let's res-...

"Alright, he's asleep. It's time for that."

***TIP-TOE TIP-TOE TIP-TOE!***

As I was saying, let's res-...

***SLIP!***

"Kyaaaah!"

***DOOOON!***

"Waaaaah! I screw up!"

Goddamn it!

.

~~X~~

.

Tsukino Ichijou just wants a quiet life, and yet things like that happen: I'm now facing a certain redhead across the mini-table in my room, her face as red as her hair since she slipped on my getter-robo figure and hit herself on the table. There is so much and nothing that I want to say in this situation, but since I don't want to overload her, better start with the simplest one:

"**Rina**, what are you doing here?" That's the first question, I asked it with a hand waving in her direction, trying my best to look as disinterested as possible. I'm actually curious to hear what she has to say, but better not let that get the best of me in this situation.

"..." Came her silent response, as she fiddle with her fingers and was doing her best to avoid my gaze. No answer, eh? I won't press her or anything, but damn it if I'm not curious about it.

"Rina..."

"Can I... Can I say what I'm thinking through a song?" She asked, bringing me the biggest question mark of my life. Wait, what? Isn't that a bit random even for what I've been doing those past weeks? Instead of waiting my answer, she already summoned a magic rune and pulled from there a small electronic music box, the ones only guys past thirty or twenty would remember, and turned it on. "I have no right words for this, the only thing I can think of right now is this song. So... Let me express what I'm feeling right now through this song. Is that okay?"

"Uh... Okay...?" I am the one who got no words now. What? Are we a songfic now? But whatever, maybe this won't be so bad. But I'm curious what kind of music she chose. I hope is not one of those J-pop opening songs they choose for light novel adaptation's opening sequences. I nodded and waited for the best...

She faintly smiled as the beat began. Up, down, up, down, she bounced in her seat as the beat would go one after another. The moment the rift started, she jumped on my table and began to shake accordingly. This techno-pop-wave kind of music... I think I know this song.

By the way, she's now wearing black frilly panties... What the hell am I thinking?!

_"What's going on? Could this be my understanding?/It's not your fault I was being too demanding~."_ She began to sing with the song, still bouncing and shaking to that suave beat and doing a shrug motion. Damn, the song is on the tip of my tongue, yet nothing is coming for it. Wait, is that the music she chose to talk to me? Gremory then turned to and pointed a finger at me._ "I must admit it's my pride that made me distant.../ All because I hoped that you'd be someone different."_

More beat, more bounce. This song is surprisingly relaxing...

_"There's not much I know about you./Fear will always make you blind._" She continued, following the beat now with swift movements but with abrupt ends, she would move smoothly, than strike a pose by the end of the beat. Wow, is that natural or she did trained it?_ "But the answer is in clear view ./It's amazing what you'll find **face to face**!"_

I'm starting to get it where she's coming to. Then again, I could be wrong, so I just sighed and continued to see her dance and sing that song. Face to face, huh?

_"I turned you away 'cause I thought you were the problem./ Tried to forget until I hit the bottom."_ Wow, that's awkwardly accurate, and the song became a little more tense. She's also getting tired, as her bounce and dance became a lot more slower, just like in the music. Now, the next line is: _"But when I faced you, in my blank confusion/ I realized you weren't wrong, it was a mere illusion!"_

Wow, now that's scary. I sighed under my breath, as I could feel that she had become unquiet and nervous. It's not that I feel ashamed or guilty... Maybe a little.

_"It really didn't make sense/Just to leave this unresolved..."_ I guess this is the turning and decisive point. I get it now, what she meant by singing this one. I sighed, now that's the time to be responsible again. Crap. She's almost fainting. Better stop her before the worst can happen._ "It's not hard to go the distance./ When you finally get involved **face to fac-**...!"_

***CLICK!***

***SLIP!***

"Wah...!" And then, with just one flick, I turned off that little musicbox, making her lost balance and fall on her back, in a way that she was splattered all over the table, looking at me from upside down. We stared at each other for a while and her face blushed, turning her eyes to the other side. "Huh~... So yeah.. Well..."

"I get it, I think. You regret everything you've done to me and forced me to do." I said, taking a deep breath and sighing, crossing my arms and looking at the ceiling. She also put herself sit on my table, looking at me with low eyes. She's kinda down now. "Right? What about the whole 'I hate you' stuff?"

"Huh~... Yeah. I am. I am... Feeling bad about it. I hate you, I really hate you, but for some reason... I don't dislike the idea of you by my side." She said, sighing and gripping tightly on her skirt. Her eyes wondered over my room, and her head tilted to a side, still with her gaze away from me. "I want you... By my side, even if I hate that side of you. Because I can tell ten motives for me to hate you... But... But... I have no numbers for the motives to really... Really **like** you."

"..."

"...?"

...

Oh, crap. Is that a confession? How can I handle this kind of thing?! It's just... How can we... I gulped under my lungs, and took a deep breath. I hate this feeling... Of having nothing to do or say. I'm tapping my finger on the ground, waiting for something to happen. And in the end, I have nothing to do... I can feel... Blood?

"Ichijou, you're bleeding."

"Eh...?" Before I knew it, I snapped away from my stupor and felt a trail of blood running down my mouth. I bit my tongue again, and it's bleeding. Shit~, I'm coming down again. I sighed, and stood up again from the floor.

"Ichijou... Is that okay? I want... I want to stay that way. Is that okay? I'll... I'll understand if you say..."

"Rina." She stopped, I stopped her. Okay, okay, again, time to be a man. Things like that would happen sooner or later, so the only thing I can do now is suck it up and face it like the only man in this orange feast. "Do you remember what you said back when we first met?"

"That I am your cum-bucket, your Dutch wife and your walking condom?" She said now unbuttoning her shirt, partially revealing her black lacy br-... What the fuck! "We can still do it! I can still be your whore! If that's what you want, we can hav-...!"

***WHACK!***

"Owiiie~..."

"And we're back at the damn square one! Goddamn it, Rina!" I said now with a fury-boosted fist on her little head, which had now two serious bumps. Okay, where was I? Oh, right. Be a man. Be careful with words and avoid any harsh moves. Like a melody, you must synchronize with the situation, pattern, her feelings and yours own, in order to come as pleasant for the ears, otherwise a single broken note can damn the whole orchestra.

**Fuck yeah**, poetry classes!

"What I mean is... I'm your queen, Rina. Remember? Your sidekick, your partner." I said, a lot calmer now and with the situation in control and based around. She stopped caressing her head and looked at me with surprised eyes. I remember: the first time we met, how I hit her, how forceful she was, how I... Died by shoving myself out of the window to fall for my death**([Kah, Kah...]).** Everything happened between that and now, and I can say with all words now: it isn't so bad. "So... Even if you come to hate, despise, loath or even think me as a dummy... I'll be always by your side. But just so you know... I'm not **senpai**."

"And I'm not **Rias Gremory** either." She said, sniffing a little and looking at me yet again. "But... But..."

"Yep. Let's live our lives as ourselves. Because I don't think I would hate you like I do if you wasn't anyone but Berolina Gremory."

"Ichijou..." And finally getting teary, she jumped on me, landing on my lap, and hugged my body, burying her little head on my chest. I don't know if she's happy or regretful, but I can say this: she's back. This warmth, this sensation, I'm at peace, and so is her. "I'm... I'm **home**."

"Yeah, **welcome back**... Berolina Gremory."

And that's that. No great revelations, no confessions and no big final end credits. We can't act like we were suppose to, but how we feel like it. Yeah, no matter what people say or compare us to, we're gonna live the way we want, being who we are. Because life is not a manga, anime, light novel, movie or even a fanfiction, so we don't have roles on it. So what? That can only we can always change and choose our paths, and write our own story. And that's th-...

"What are you two doing?"

"...!" Shock! Both Gremory and I jumped after hearing that voice, that familiar, yet ominously different voice. Wait, what?! I thought... I thought her conference would last at least today! Both of us, like broken machines, turned broken and slowly to the direction we heard that voice, next to the door, and I was right! There she is! Wearing her ceremonial kimono of powerful white and red in a true shrine maiden style, it was Akabane Yoko, so menacingly looking at us I could even see an ominous _'Go... Go... Go...'_ Hovering around her head! Also, she looked kinda dizzy and red! Don't tell me she **drank**. "Ah... Ah! Yoko! I thought... I thought your conference would last the whole day... Ahahahah..."

"..."

"Yoko...?"

***STRIP!***

***TUM!***

"...!" And that's the sound of clothes dropping! She said nothing, but in an instant, the fox girl stripped herself from her garments, leaving her topless and wearing white panties, and walked towards me, but not forward, but backwards, all while shaking her ass and tails in my direction until she touched my face with them to them sit on me! "Mmmph...!"

"Ah! Yoko! What are you doing?!" I heard Gremory say in a exasperate tone. After a quick moan when I accidentally bit her tail, Yoko huffed.

"Huh! Look at you, thinking that you can have your way with my husband while I'm away. Huuuh~..." I could feel the scent of her panties as she snuggled her posterior in my face, all while unbuttoning my summer shirt to caress her hands on my chest. "I have you know... Haaaah~... Ichijou and I... Heeeeh~... Already did a lot of lewd stuff... Hah~... Together!"

"Ah!" Wait! No! Shit! This is really dangerous! What the hell is Yoko thinking?! Maybe she's really drunk! Shit, I got no choice! I'll have to break her again!

"Lewd things... With Ichijou?!" Gremory said with a gasp of surprise. I tried to push Yoko away to explain the situation better, but before I could do that, I could hear her also huff, and then, the big one: "You... You cheating fox! I should be the one who do lewd things with him! I'm his king!"

"...!" What the hell?!

"Huh... Again thinking you're hot stuff because you're a Gremory. Okay, fine. Let's have a duel." And then Yoko stood up and removed herself away from me. I thought I was save for now, but then Yoko came closer to the redhead with a daring face and soon I discovered what she meant by duel. "Let's share him and do all sorts of stuff with him. No external help, no blocking and if it has to be in group, we'll do it one per shot! The one who he chooses shall be the lead. Is that right?"

What the hell does she means by 'one per shot'?!

"I accept it!" And now it was Gremory turn to strip, revealing her new set of black lingerie before dismissing her bra, making her juggles out it's grasp. She then pinned me to the ground and sank me into her cleavage. Don't tell me she got drunk by influence too! "Does... Does it feel good, Ichijou~? My breasts are better than this cutting-board fox, aren't they?"

"...!" I couldn't say anything since I was in Gremory's cleavage, but for some reason, my head was getting more and more cloudy and dark. Before I could pass out, something landed on my lap, rubbing itself against me.

"Huuuh~... Does it feel good here, Ichijou~? Look at my butt, look at my tails~. They're so needy and eager for you." In a moment of lucidity, one of my eyes that could see anything but breasts caught a glimpse of Yoko, who was sitting on my lap and shaking her hips, up, down, left and right, rubbing in a certain spot that made me grunt. "Haaaah~, haaah~, I love this~, rubbing myself on my beloved dragon~!"

"Ah! No fair!" Rina said, finally getting her breasts out of my face to go lower, now rubbing her chest on mine, licking my neck and all the way down, while one of her hands were going lower than that. I can feel her nipples, I can feel the softness of her breasts, rubbing against me, while her hand was going too low! "It's not fair~! Ichijou's my queen~. My queen~...!"

"Haaaah~, haaaaah~... Ichijou... Ichijou~..."

"My queen... My queen~...!"

"..."

...

"Can...?"

""Huuuuuh~...?""

"Can't a guy have one moment of rest or at least a moment to reflect his life... **WITHOUT BEING ATTACKED BY HUNGRY SUPERNATURAL GIRLS?!"**

***BOOOOM!***

"Kyaaaaah~!"

"OOOOOOOOWIIIIEEEE~...!"

And then, I knocked them both out with a good and well-done [DRAGON SHOT], that fortunately didn't triggered any unwanted attention. Maybe the moment they wake up, things will be back to normal. Sheesh... Yeah, I forgot about that. That's my life, one incident after another, and apparently, there's no breaks in it. In it, and in the girls that are in. Still...

"Haaaah... I love you... Ichijou..."

"My queen... I wuv yuu~..."

Sigh. Maybe it won't be too bad, after all.

But next time they're forceful like that, I'll do worse...

.

**~~[ELSEWHERE]~~**

.

"Hey Artie~, I'm bored! Let's go make some **chaos** and find someone to fight!"

"You already fought the entire ogre forest and the descendant of the ASH Dragon **Quasar**. I think that's enough for today."

"Bleh! Those guys were weak. I even held back and nothing good came out. I want a good fight, not some toothpick contest!"

"Well, I heard that in Kuoh there'll be a Meeting between Devils and vampires, plus an entire ninja Village to serve as bodyguards. How about it? You can fight vampires, Devils, ninjas and I heard that the sekiryuutei might be there."

"Whoa! So awesome! Great! Not only I'll get to meet my eternal rival, but me, Arubin and Vali-nii-chan can see how much of a challenge he can be to us! Isn't that right?!"

**{AS MUCH AS I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS NEEDLESS FIGHTING SPREE, IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO MEET THE RED ONE AND HIS CURRENT HOST.}**

**{Hyoudou Issei proved to be worth the name of the Hero of the underworld despite his origins. I'm also curious about the outcome of this new host.}**

"Right? Right?!"

"Whatever. As long as it can make you happy and quiet, I'm can't complain. Very well, we'll be there for the meeting."

"Yes! Demonic meeting and Sekiryuutei, here we go~!"

**{LET US GO.}**

**{Heh, I can't wait...}**

**MIYAMA RUNAWAY ARC: COMPLETED.**

* * *

**S'up... So yeah. Things will have an interesting turn now that the Hakuryuukou is in the picture. Now what Ichijou will do to deal with such an idiotic rival? Let's think this through...**

**-be Ichijou, who hates idiots.**

**-Hakuryuukou in an idiot.**

**-even if you die, your soul is still on the BG, same as DD.**

**-Forever cursed to see idiot even dead.**

**It's suffering, I'll tell. At least Vali is around now, and He had his share of fanservice. So, with this epilogue, I bid you all goodbye for now! Stay golden, y'all!**

**BTW, the song in Berolina's dance? 'Face to Face' by Daft Punk(remember upwards?). So... Yeah, totally relatable, almost scary to think about it.**


	52. Rina's box!(Not a lemon)

**Hey, there! Not time no see! ready for some dxd craxzies from this author? I hope so.**

**To be fair, I never expected to get attached to this fic at all. It was only a parody to make fun of the series and the people who thought this was going to be some kind of full-flected story... But I got attached to it and became one of it'sas readers. So, anyway, new chapter, new development, new characters and plots, and PLOTs IYKWIM and a lot of gags. I hope you all enjoy this fic and thank you for your interest up until now!**

**as always, dxd doesnt belong me!**

* * *

**And guess who's back...**

... Into the world of the Boosted Gear?

Looking at the blank ceiling from my seat in my own mental place, I was in my thinking pose. I think I should be happy, Gremory is back to us, to me, and Miyama Rei and his little harem were defeated by ours truly, thus, for now, my only worries are probably the remaining seven Wonders of Kuoh academy**(three down, four to go.)**, the Vampire-Devil conference and the Hakuryuukou. Yet, those shouldn't be considered minor problems. After all, such events might attract bad and worse things one after another; and in the end, more is yet to come. Something tells me that as long as I live as the sekiryuutei, problems shall follow suit, just like Nemesis-san says. Dragons are... Troublemakers and trouble-magnets...

"Don't be too harsh on yourself, Ichijou. Life is full of ups and downs. You look only at the moon, you'll miss the stars." And to snap myself out of my stupor, there she is, the resident redheaded spirit inside my Boosted Get besides the welsh dragon Ddraig, Yagura. To my surprise, however, I could see that she was carrying with herself a crimson bouquet of roses. What the hell~...? "Be happy, at least for now, mr. Grumpy bear. You have your girlfriend back, the Miyamas are down and under custody, and only a few weeks separates you from finding your other girlfriend. So cheer up."

"Shut up. Gremory... Is not my girlfriend, much less Annie. They're... My friends." I said with a little of uneasiness oozing out of my mouth. I don't know what to say now, I'm so confused and even a little scared. Not for that, but for the fact that Yagura is carrying such a pretty bouquet. I scratched the back of my head, sighed and pointed at it. "Huh~... What is this?"

"Oh, so mr. Denser-than-black-matter noticed. Good to know that your head is still kind of intact even after Rina's revelation." She gave me a cocky grin, tilting her head to a side and sticking her tongue out, while I rolled my eyes and sighed a pitiful one. Gimme a break, will ya? In the end, however, she lightly blushed as she walked towards me, in a madam's walk no less, and extended that bunch of flowers to me. My eyes went wide for a second. Eeeeeh~?! What the hell?! "But, huuuh~, anyway... Congratulations for surviving the dragon trials. First Akio, then Yuno, Nashiro and the Quarta twins, and then Aria's last trial. I'm kinda proud of you for surviving them like that. Maybe father would be proud of you."

"Hey, speaking of which, there's something I want to know, Yagura." I said, picking that bouquet and placing it on my lap, as I supported myself on my seat and looked at her straight in the eyes. Okay, this time, since there's no urgent matters to worry about and my head is in the right place, I'm gonna ask. I dunno why, I dunno how, but she's to be something more than a pixie fairy in my head giving the directions. Not to mention, her hair is in a very bright red, not unlike the Gremories', so unless she's a previous Mixed-blood Gremory-human Boosted Gear-user, I got another theory for that. "I meant to ask this earlier, but due to some... Unfortunate events and the fact that my head is probably a trouble magnet, I didn't."

"Yeah, I understand. So...?"

"Yagura... Who are you? You can't be just the Navi floating around my head or simply a random spirit that just didn't want to sacrifice herself to save senpai. So, who are you? What are you?" I said with a serious face, as serious as I could anyway, while she blinked once, twice, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She hummed a song, and looked at me again, as I mimicked her bored look.

"How you wanna do that?" She asked, still staring at me with a bored tone, as I blinked in surprise. Now what? Don't tell me she's giving another archetypical choice, like when we did when we first met! "I can be as blunt as possible, or passive as possible. I can be all mysterious and say a bunch of sentences that don't make much sense initially, until you simply snap and say 'don't tell me...!' Or something, for me to then give you the final answer. _'It's always like that'_, like you said when we first met, remember?"

"Huh~..._ 'Well, aren't you a savvy one. Smartass, this isn't a shounen light novel, y'know!'_... Or something like that. Remember? It was the first thing you said to me." I paraphrased her with a click of my tongue. She frowned, I frowned, but in the end, we shared a laugh. Hahahah! We're such idiots, her specially(in a good way, of course.). In the end, she clapped her hands a few times, and huffed a puff of smoke, her hands on her hips.

"Okay, okay. You want to know how I am, I shall tell you." She said with a smirk, flipping her hair a little and sighing a relieved one. "My full name is **Yagura Gremory**, the second child of Issei Hyoudou, with his wife Rias Gremory, and the residing spirit inside the Boosted Gear."

"..." My predictions were on spot, she is descendant of a Gremory, but... Senpai's daughter inside the Boosted Gear?! What the hell?! I could feel blood running down my mouth as I almost chopped off my own tongue! Calm down, calm down, she can't read your mind once you're here. Just pretend it's nothing. "Senpai's... Daughter. What a surprise. And with Lady Rias, too, with all that it worthy. But you said 'Second Child'..."

"Yep. **Himejima Kurenai** was his fist child." Oh, so his first was with Akeno-sama, can't blame him. She chuckled, then looked at me with a serious-mocking glare. "However, being the descendant of Bael, Gremory and the Hero of the underworld, himself with both the strongest identities sealed inside, I was the one most fitting to be sealed inside the Boosted Gear."

"Seal inside? So you sealed yourself inside my Sacred Gear? But why?" I asked her. The daughter of senpai and Lady Rias, possibly the strongest of her generation, and she looks so young too. Why would she turn down the opportunity to live freely? My left hand clenched a little on reflex. Yagura made a shrug, and turned her eyes away from me.

"Would you believe me if I say it was purely out of curiosity? Old man Ddraig, old man Albion, mr. Barlor, all sealed inside sacred gears and quite enjoying it?" My frown said everything, grunting a little with Yagura returning her gaze towards me. Tch, seriously? No, she can't be that stupid. "Nah, of course not. You and I are smarter than that. To be true... I wanted to protect whoever would inherit the Boosted Gear."

"..." I said nothing, but nodded. I'm now understanding from where she's coming to. The hero of the underworld, whose fame was only possible thanks initially to his Sacred Gear, not to mention that the Longinus-tier themselves have the power to destroy the world. However. "But protect who, and how? Protect me from my Boosted Gear... Or protect others from me, who has the Boosted Gear?"

"..." Like me, she said nothing.

That's the kind of question that is really hard to answer. Who knows how many years or decades she spent dormant inside the Boosted Gear, the time The Ouroboros Dragon Ophis and Great Red were reconstructing the universe and the Human World after the Great Apocalypse and the Singularity was putting order in the Sacred Gear system. With Ddraig also in a comatose state, I dunno if she wanted to guide whoever would inherit this gauntlet, or stop that same person from rampaging like a madman. She already proved that she can stop me whenever she want, but that didn't stop her from almost killing during out first encounter. So that's the answer I want. If she sealed herself in here, she wanted to protect me... Or from me.

"Ichijou..." She softly said, as I lifted my eyes to meet hers, only to flip my nose. Ouch! What the hell? Before I could protest in any way, she went ahead and hugged me, burying me on her flat chest. A Gremory with a flat chest, it's kinda funny. "What do you think?"

"Huh...?"

"If you want an answer, then give me yours. What do you think? For you, am I a loving and cool tutor, or just a judge, an emergency self-destruction button?" She said, as her cheeky tone didn't taint the motherly feeling in my chest. I don't know anymore. I really want to believe she's the one to guide me and help me discover more about my Boosted Gear, but at the same time... I don't know what if she is genuine or just using me. Can I trust her? "So...? Any answers, you little shit?"

"Shut up. That's not fair at all, Yagura." I whined. Fine, whatever. She's nice, she's good, so I'll... I'll trust her. She's Senpai's daughter, and the spirit on my Boosted Gear, so I'll have to live with her, regardless. But I... Like her. A lot. I'd be lying if I say I don't enjoy her, even if our relationship is shallower than I think. Hahah... Just like Gremory and Yoko, and everybody else. "Fine, I'll have to live with you, anyway, you liking it or not, so it's no use any of that."

"Right back at you, Ichijou." She said, her voice now softer and rubbing the back of my head. That's nice, no wonder she's a Gremory: this cozy, warm feeling of fraternal love. Kinda makes sense since I'm spiritually part of her father... Or something. "Well, whatever you think of me, regardless What you think of me, I can say that I'm very proud of you. Congratulations, Ichijou. I love you."

"Now, now, you're going way too far, Yagura." I shot her an half-assed smile, and she did the same. Huh, it has been a while since I'm so calm like that. Like I said, it's very nice.

"Yeah! Yeah! Master has raised another flag on his harem! Congratulations!"

"What the...?!" With that sudden screaming, Yagura and I broke our embrace and scanned around to search for that new, yet well-known voice and clapping that echoed inside my own mind. Soon enough, we landed our eyes at the same time on a loli with blond hair, blue eyes and wearing a shrine maiden outfit. There she is! "**Sally-chan**?! What are you doing here?!"

"Wow, so that's your little harem apprentice? I'm impressed." Yagura said nonchalantly, as my little... Apprentice, jumped down from her seat on one of the tables and walked towards us, while I was freaking out about how in the world she was able to pull that one off! "Hey, there, little girl. So, you're this onii-chan's apprentice on harems? Nice to meet you."

"Yep! The name's Salvatina Veritas, rank-B exorcist and harem extraordinaire, apprentice of the one and only Sekiryuutei!" The little girl said so excitingly, I sighed in misery and face-palmed. I don't care if Yagura just called me 'onii-chan'(it felt kinda nice, actually. I think it's because I've always been the otouto.), this whole 'harem teacher' ordeal it's just wrong! "Since it has been a while since the last lesson, I decided to use my Part-Succubus powers to invade master's dreams and learn even more!"

"Part-Succubus...?" Yagura said, turning to me.

"Apparently, her grandfather was also a harem King, and he scored big with some supernatural creatures. Ren said she has potential to senjutsu and whatnot." I sighed, feeling disgusted and dirty just by saying those things about a Shinto priest. I dunno how those kind of things work, and actually, I don't want to. Yagura gave me and amuse grin, and turned back to Sally-chan.

"Oh, what a big surprise. Guess what, Sally-chan: my father was also a hotshot. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two I learned from him!"

"I'd be honored!"

"Oh, hell no!" I broke those two apart putting myself in the middle of them. No, I already have to deal with the girls on the real world, I don't need that here as well! Sally-chan pouted a little, and Yagura chuckled under her breath. I turned to the little miracle and patted her on the head. "Sally-chan, I'm very tired right now, and you know how much stamina is important to maintain a harem, right? So... Uh... Carry on and we meet at Kuoh, okay?"

"Stamina is important to maintain a harem... Got it!" She said returning to smile, as she picked a block of notes and wrote down just that. Sigh. She bat me a little salute, and I did the same, as well as Yagura. "Okay! Rest nicely, master! Until we meet again, and nice to meet you too, master Yagura!"

"Hahah! Yeah! Nice to meet you too!" And with that last goodbye, thankfully, Sally-chan disappeared in a small ball of light, while I could finally break this facade and grunt under my breath. Sheesh, I was right, I can't escape my position even when I'm sleeping. Sigh. At least some of those I can control. Suddenly, yagura's arms held me in a lock, and she grinned, resting her chin on my shoulder. Now I know from where she got that clinginess. "You're right, maybe you do have a weirdness magnet on your left arm. An apprentice, eh? I think Millicas would be proud of you."

"I don't think grandmaster would be proud of me for... Nevermind." Reason hit me once again, I'm talking about a devil here, so everything is possible. I want to meet the Grandmaster one day, since Yagura and him are related(let me see... Cousins.) We broke our embrace and I walked towards the exit, picking the bouquet of flowers and stretching myself a little. I guess it's time to go back to the real world and wake up. I got my answers and a pretty souvenir, anyway. "I'm going now. See ya later, Yagura Gremory."

"Okay, see you later, Ichijou." And with that, I slide-opened the door of my center mind classroom and walked into the light. My hands still holding that pretty bouquet with dancing petals flying all over the place.

After all, I still have some unfinished business in the real world as well...

.

~~x~~

.

The first thing I did once I woke up was to stretch myself, yawning a little and scratching my nose. I keep forgetting that just because I'm sleeping, doesn't mean I won't suffer some fatigue for spending some time inside my Boosted Gear world instead of resting. Something something mind must also rest something something. But I am getting used to it, surprisingly.

The alarm-clock began to ring, announcing my time to wake up despite the fact I just did that. I yawned one more time, realizing that I still have school today, and turned around to reach and turn that damn thing off, my wandering hand trying my hardest to find something since my eyes were still getting used to the sudden clarity...

***FOM!***

"Uwah~...!"

Soft, cute, erotic. I remember this soft and fluffy sensation from somewhere, somewhere very nostalgic, but instead of good memories, I can only twitch one eye in build-up frustration. I fully opened my eyes, and the thing I noticed was someone else in my bed: there she is, my King **Berolina Gremory**, wearing nothing but black lingerie, which were only covering the most important parts with frills and transparent cloths, while everything was exposed, her long, milky legs snuggling on my own. Like I predicted, I was groping one of her breasts, but by the look on her eyes, she wasn't bothered by it. It seemed she was actually enjoying it...

"Good morning, my queen~." She sing-sang with that sweet and suave voice and those big bedroom eyes with long eyelashes. We stared each other for a while, and she approached herself from me, as my hand sank even further into her bosom. "I hope you had a good night."

...

...

"Yeah. Morning, Rina." I said with a yawn, as I stood up from my bed and began to pick my things on a nearby chair I used as a temporary supporter. I heard a confused and disappointed hum, Gremory putting herself sitting on W on my bed and looking at me with a confused and sad expression. I stopped myself and turned to her, as she looked at me.

"Areeeeh~...? What's with that reaction, Ichijou?" She asked, leaning a little forward to show me a nice view of her cleavage and flashing a convincing, yet trembling and awkward seductress smile. One of her hands began to wonder around her own body, making everything bounce, some confidence building on her smile. "I mean, waking up besides a cute, hot lass such as myself, wearing such scandalous and sexy outfit and whispering words inside your ear like that, doesn't make your heart skip a beat?"

"..." This is a joke, right? It has to be a joke, since it's Gremory we're talking about. I have to be honest, I'd be a lie if I say this isn't a massive turn on. But, all in all, I'm not really that surprised: "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Rina, but I've already seen you naked so many times, it kinda lost part of it's novelty."

***STAB! STAB!***

"Ugh, Ichijou's light of judgement was just too blunt and aggressive for me to handle. My pride... It has been shattered..." She said like she just got stabbed by two arrows of reason and shame, looking like a abuse victim, twitching on my bed. Oh, man. The status quo shall be maintained. I sighed, picking my clothes to change myself while picking her own that were neatly folded on my desk.

"Good luck next time, Rina. Now, change." I said with a sigh patting her on the head and putting her clothes on the bed for her, her eyes shining a little and a smile creeping up her pretty face. Wait, did I just say that she can try this again? Ugh, maybe I should get more sleep.

She nodded, and with a final yawn, I left my room, expectations for another one of those days filling my head a little. After all that shit I've been through the pass weeks, however, something tells me that everything else will be a breeze. And I just jinxed it, didn't I? Sigh, I'm thinking too much unnecessarily, maybe a shower will clear my sleepiness awa-...

***BAM!***

"I knew it! I just knew that you're nothing but a perverted molester, brother of mine!" Came the voice of my deeeeear sister **Minatsu** as suddenly a bottle of shampoo came down flying in my direction! It almost sank my nose back to my skull, and quickly enough I was showered with several other bathing utensils, all of them hitting me on the right/wrong spots! Finally, I was ejected away from the bathroom out cold, as the mixed-blooded half-sister closed the door with a bam! Soon enough, my other sisters came, and walked towards the bathroom, totally ignoring my current status to stomp on me like I was a carpet...

"Ichijou, your lunchbox is on the table. Also, don't forget to give Yoko-chan some headache pills." My oldest, Tsukino **Satsuki**, said as she stomped me with her typical social shoes, entering the shower room.

"Good morning, Ikkun. Have a nice day." Said the falsetto of my second eldest, **Shion**, stepping and almost piercing me with her hostess high-heels.

"Just die, damn pervert." And finally, my fully older sister **Futaba**, walking on me like the clumsy elephant she is with her sport snickers. In the end, all of my sisters were now on the shower room, while here I am, pretending to be the smashed cockroach, filled with grief and pain, mostly pain, and footprints all over.

Just another day on the Tsukino household...

"Morning, Tsukino-chin." Looking up from my miserable state, I saw two young and pretty ladies now wearing a school uniform of Kuoh and... A suit. One of them was my fellow Bishop **Tasha Campbell** and the other, my fellow rook **Ryuubi Gentoku**(Liu Bei, who was wearing the suit.) eating a piece of toast and looking back at me.

"As always, every morning in the Tsukino household is so full of life!" Said the Chinese brawler, bending herself to reach my level and extending one of her hands to help me get up. I actually am surprised how well they're adapting themselves to my house, knowing that they'll only stay around for at least until the Devil-Vampire meeting. "Here, let me help you, Hong Long."

"Thanks, Ryuub-..."

"Hey Ichijou, where do you put your laundry?"

"...?!"

"Eh...?" But before I could stand up on my feet again, Ryuubi simply dismissed my hand and, in a flash, stomped me hard with her tons worth of muscles to use me as a support for her to jump! I can feel my bones being crushed again! "Yeeeeeow...!"

"Berolina-dono!" I heard from behind me, turning my head around and now looking at the Historical General hugging my King with her strong arms. "You came back to us! I thought we would never see you again! I apologize for being so weak during our first Rating Game and putting you in such disgraceful and melancholic state! Please, forgive me!"

"Right, Liu Bei! I forgive you! It's so good to be bac-...!" Soon enough, the smile on Gremory's face began to grow paler and paler, as well as her hair, since there wasn't any blood bumping into her head. Ryuubi was completely clueless about all of that, and continued to smash the redhead's bones. "Liu... Bei... Air... Please...!"

"Oh, apologies." And after a while, the pinkerette let go of our King, who stood on her two feet to grasp some air and bump her blood back to normal. I stood up as well with Tasha's help and gathered around the rest of them. Yep, almost all of our group is here, now. Ryuubi was now being a cutie and dried her tears up. "But regardless, I'm so, so relieved to see you again, Lady Berolina. It's like a dream come true. I was thinking a of you this whole time!"

"Tch..."

"Tsukino-chin missed Rina-chin, too. Family."

"Oi...! Tasha!" I said with the feeling of my cheeks heating up. Sheesh! What the hell! This is so embarrassing! I frowned at Gremory so that she wouldn't get the wrong idea, but it was too late now, she was blushing as well. Sigh...

"Well, how about we all celebrate this reunion with a bath? Let's all bond over again!" The princess of the Three kingdoms said, gathering us together in a hug. Tasha and Gremory nodded to that, but everything I could think of was to sigh.

"Yeah, I don't think so, Ryuubi. My sisters are using it now, so unless you want us to be late for school, we better forget it for today." I said.

"No worries, Ichijou. We just need to use the bathroom from **another floor**!" Said the redhead with a bright smile, as suddenly she pushed a button on a wall and soon enough, an elevator signed it's arrival, opening it's door for show and showing a small silver room.

"Oh, okay." I shrug, entering the elevator with my group, as Gremory pressed another button and made the doors close. It's kinda crumpled here, but this one is large enough for us to have some space. It's not lik-...

...

...

...

Wait...

"Uuuuuh~... Gremory-san, where are we, right now?"

"The elevator? I mean, we can use the stairs, but the other bathing room is three floors downwards, now that will slow us down."

"Okay, and uh, where were we originally?"

"The fifth floor."

"Oh, right. Now, can I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure."

"**WHAT IN THE FLYING FUUUUUUUUUUUUC**-...!"

.

~~x~~

.

And when I thought my day couldn't get any typical, Gremory went ahead and reformed all of my house overnight, without any of us noticing. Now, what used to be a typical humble home ended up as a five-store mansion in the middle of the neighborhood, standing out like a sore thumb. The rooms, the bathing center, the kitchen and others, my house looks more like a four-star hotel now. And, of course, this is too much for me to handle, I went grumpy to school with my group, minus Yoko, who had a headache and is now resting back home...

"Uh... I know that I shouldn't expect a normal reaction from you from time to time, but don't you think you're a little too grumpy for the new house? I put my heart on the request." Said Gremory. No, I'm not mad at her, and the house is really neat, one of those you can't complain about it unless it's a very specific nitpick. But believe it or not, this one nitpick is what I'm aiming for.

"It's not like that, Rina. It's just... Imagine all the cleaning, and drying, and wiping me and Go-nee will have to do. Fu-nee won't help at all, and everyone have work to do, so it's either mom or me will have to take care of everything, and the bugs eating the house away in summer and... Sigh." I sighed. Oh boy, everyone wants a mansion, but no one wants to do the cleaning. All the expenses we'll have to pay for just on soap, bleach, cleaners, the electric bill, bill and Bill. I know I might sound melodramatic, but I'm the one in charge of cleaning and cooking and stuff besides Go-nee and mum when they're out on work. Gremory pouted a little.

"Don't worry, Hong Long, we can help you take care of the mansion by ourselves. Maybe I should do the cooking." Ryuubi said with a smile, adjusting the tie on her suit. You might be wondering why she's going to Kuoh with us, despite the fact that she isn't wearing an uniform. I also thought she might end up as a student from collegial division, but no. Ryuubi is now a teacher in Kuoh academy. Yep, I complained about Tasha being my senpai, and now this. "If my position as an educator allows it as such, of course. I can't believe Lady Nemesis approved my request!"

"I can't believe she chose you as a teacher." I said, giving a quick look at her bouncing breasts that were trying to jump away from her blazer's collar. Something tells me some college senpais will have a hard time concentrating. "Not doubting your abilities, Ryuubi-chan. What subjects are you teaching, anyway?"

"Math and geography."

Goddamnit, Nemesis-san...

"Liu Bei-chin. Already school's Madonna." Tasha said with an green look, eyeing the ever-bouncing and bigger Chest of our pink-haired rook. I guess that she's becoming self-aware again. What do you think? We finally reached Kuoh academy, and like always, eyes began to fall on us, drawing too much attention due to the massive chain of mountains around me...

'Waaaah~! Look! It's Gremory-sama!'

'Tasha-chan's tits are big as always!'

'Who's that pink-haired goddess? She's pretty as hell!'

'Wow, the brunette one is also kinda cute. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.'

"I am a guy!" I shouted against no one to make a point, only to all of them turn their eyes away in embarrassment, as I did the same with my bangs. Ugh, so much work-out, and people still say I'm too girly. Better not to think too much about it and go on with my day. I turned back to them. "So, Ryuubi, did you need any help to go to the Teachers' office?"

"Do not worry about it, Hong Long. I can feel from here Nemesis-dono's scent, but thanks for worrying about me." She said as she came closer and tried to kiss me on the cheek. But something pulled me away, it was Gremory. It was Tasha who she kissed instead. "Oh, surprising, but not Unwelcome. I must say, Lady Berolina's full of surprises since her arrival."

"Rina, what's the matter?" I asked my redhead queen, and she just pouted at Ryuubi, coming way too close to my face. Okay, now she's jealous of me, never thought she would be like that. I poked her forehead with a finger, and locked the bandaged fingers of her right hand with my own, sighing. "Look, whatever it is, I'll be seeing you after class, okay? So don't worry."

"Moooh~... Okay!" She blinked once, twice, and then smiled, a bright one at that. We shared a group hug, Gremory being a lot more clingy onto me, and we finally broke apart to go to our respective classes. I don't know if I'll like this new Gremory, but it's good to have her back regardless.

Soon enough, there I was, the seat Kiruko-san used to sit, next to my crush** Kamiyama Shiori**-san, whose appearance today was fresher than ever now that she was wearing her Summer's uniform. Taking a quick scan around, I also took a noticing on Kyouka-san, right by the other side of the class. Maybe she noticed me, maybe not. Huh... Hey, Kyouka-san, good morning to you.

_'S'up, Izuki. Fresh as before, right?'_

I smiled, and just thought that so she could 'hear' me mentally, which she responded with a thumb up. I sat on my seat and turned to Kamiyama-san, who was now eating her morning sandwich.

"Morning, Ichijou-kun." She greeted me with a smile, passing another sandwich to me and tapping my bandaged hand in a soft way. "Good to see you recovering so fast. I was worried, you know."

"A-Ah... Ahahahah. Thank you... I guess." I gave her an awkward smile, but in a good change of winds, we ended up locking hands, and even with the bandages, I could feel how warm she is. Out of instinct, my hand jumped away from her grasp, my face heating up. "Ah! Sorry... Sorry about it."

"No, don't sweat about it. It felt nice." She said, also with a quick blush on her face, reaching for my hand and fingers with it again. Waaaah~! Kamiyama is holding hands with me! Her hand is so soft and warm! "Just don't try to kill yourself again. Just kidding."

"Sure." Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Hahah, she has no idea how difficult this actually is. But I'll try, not just for her, of course. Huh, how strange. Oh, right. I remember buying something for her for her own jeweled bracelet, so I picked from inside my pocket and give it to her, a small pink fluffy one. "Hey, Kamiyama... Here, I brought it for you. I know it's nothing compared to your own, but I hope you like it."

"Woah, thank you." She said, her bright red eyes now shinning brighter than ever, putting the bracelet on her left arm and showing it to me. That's so... Cute! "Look, now we're matching. Just kidding. Thank you for the gift."

A smile spread across my blushing face, as she smiled as well, touching her left arm with my own. Oh man, I can't believe our relationship is evolving so fast! Are we a couple yet?! I don't think we're a couple yet, but I think we're becoming a couple! Why am I saying 'couple' so much? Heheh, this is so embarrassing, but I like it!

Soon the teacher came to our class, and we parted our sights away, turning our attention to the class. Huh, maybe everything is turning for the best this time, and despite my wounds and bruises, all I could feel was the warmth Kamiyama left on my hand. Fortunately, she didn't see her own broken gift hidden under Himejima-sama's ribbon. I clenched my hands a few times, and sighed in relief knowing that my wounds are healing just fine. I can grasp on my pencil, write the lessons down, and still feel some sensitivity on it, so much for my battle last week. Nice, that's nice, if this continues, I'll be all nice and clean for the Vampire-Devil meeting, and I won't shatter my fist when I break Annie's legs and drag her home.

Come to think of it, I still need to know how **Haruka**-sama is like. Maybe Lord Cohen won't be there, but the Leviathan Satan instead, and since Lord Desmond is the so called Prime-minister of the Vampiric empire, he'll play an important part in this. Now, Annie's mom, the leader of the Hanzō ninja village and probably a very skilled ninja akin to an Ultimate-class Devil. Ugh, it'll be such an mess to figure this all out, and no side will apparently help me in this. On the worst hypothesis, we both are gonna die... No, I need to be strong, and at least maintain my head on the game. Both parents of the said terrorist will be there, so if I'm lucky, they'll stop her and let her live, and with Gremory's influence, maybe, just maybe... We'll all get out of there alive.

I need to stay alive...

As always, classes ended as soon as I could blink, and thanks to both Ryuubi's lectures and Yoko's help, I can now partly understand what's going on and put my homework on schedule... Hahah, and all of this was possible because I don't have any clubs to attend... It's so tragic, it's funny.

_'You sick in the head, you know that?'_

Shut up, Kyouka-san...

An announcement ran across the corridors, and like I was expecting, Headmistress Morimoto, or Nemesis Gremory as I know her, called for my name, but surprisingly, she also called Gremory, Tasha and even Ryuubi. Wow, that's new, calling all of our peerage like that. People started to stare, so I picked my things and walked towards the exit, but not before taking a bite out of Kamiyama's sandwich. Huh, chicken...

"So, any reason for you to accompany me to Nemesis-san's office?" I said walking to said room, with the esper girl by my said, eating part of her own lunch. It was when I was about to leave the classroom, she came down running after me, and now this. You know that Kuoh used to be an All-girl school, right? If they catch us up like that, they might think we're a couple.

_'And the problem being...? Relax, Izuki. It's not that hard to alter memories with my powers. Everyone will forget that in an instant.'_ She assured me with a thumb up, and I couldn't do much besides mirror her own gesture. _'About that... You can say it's morbid curiosity. I mean, Nemesis-san almost melted away last time I saw her, and as such, I wanted to see how well she's doing. I heard that she got even a scar for that.'_

"..." And I took a deep breath for that and said nothing. Yep, Nemesis-san probably got the worst of all of us during the last trial, the final battle against the Miyamas, having her back melted by that Miyama bastard and almost dying to save her little sister and me. Aria-San said that if it wasn't for the True Longinus-user, we'd have to vote for a new headmistress. All of that is already giving me the chills. I calmed down once Kyouka-san landed a hand on my shoulder and a pat on my head.

_'Don't go sweating for it again, Izuki. What happened, happened, and headmistress is back to us, in some way or another.'_ She said as she pulled me closer to hook her arm around my neck. Forceful, but for some reason, I'm okay with this._ 'Ya see, you need to know how to relax a little. Go ask Kamiyama on a date, something tells me you an only let your guard down with her around.'_

"Yeah... I mean, whatever." I said. She now knows my crush on Kamiyama. Jus don't go around telling people, it would be so embarrassing.

_'Hahah. Aren't you a little hopeless romantic lad? No wonder people keep sayin you have a harem...'_

Shut up, Kyouka-san...

"Ichijou..." I turned forward to see my har-... Peerage walking towards me like a posse, attracting all the attention for themselves and stopping right in front of the said office. Gremory looks like she just woke up from a nap, while Tasha was eating her Frankfurt and Ryuubi...-sensei? Was adjusting her glasses, that for some reason she's wearing those now. "So I wasn't hearing things, sis did call for us...*YAWN*, sorry about it, the sleepiness caught up with me mid-class..."

'Maybe if she didn't try that sexy lingerie for you at 3am or something...'

"Stop reading my mind! That's harassment!" I screamed towards Kyouka-san, who was just flashing me her troll smile without a worry in the world. My sudden outburst, again, brought confused looks from our bishop and rook, while Gremory could only grunt. Oh yeah, they've shared some acquaintances during her Bael phase. Memories. "Oh, right. Ryuubi-chan, Tasha-san, this is a classmate of mine, Kyoka Mizuki. She's an esper."

"Kyouka... Mizuki...?"

"Yes, Ryuubi. She gets that allot." I responded for the psychic, who smiled oh so sweetly and pinched my cheek in a gesture of affection. Tasha rolled her eyes and smiled, probably thinking her ero-stuffs, while the pinkerette teacher came closer and began assaulting the blonde with more and more questions, all while chatting via mental link. In between that mess, Gremory came closer and pulled my sleeve.

"Hey, are you really okay hanging around with her? She's dangerous, I know that by... Experience." She said with a grimace that said everything. Well, despite her not being Ludger anymore, maybe she does remember the heel mark on her ass. I shrugged and landed a hand on her shoulder, sighing and nodding in order to give her a safe aura.

"Don't worry, worrywart. Kyouka-san just attacked us because I was causing her some headache(I dunno why, though.). She's a friend, so we're safe." Besides, she's soft-hearted, she wouldn't hurt us mindlessly or too much, rather, she'd take us to Hawaii or something. Thinking that, Kyouka-san lifted a hand and gave me a thumb up. Yeah, she's a nice girl. Turned back to the redhead. "But anyway, do you have any idea of what Nemesis-san might have for us? I mean, you've been visiting her office everyday. Might got some idea what she's holding for us."

"Huuuh~... To be honest, I'm just as clueless as you are, Ichijou." She said, pouting and putting herself in a thinking pose, one hand supporting her chin while the other was supporting the elbow of the further, tight-closed eyes. I left myself go adrift a little too to think about it. What can nemesis-san be preparing for us, calling all of Gremory's peerage here, during lunchbreak? Suddenly, something came to me, such thought actually making me shine ever brighter... Wait, don't tell me...!

"Tsukino-chin, Rina-chin, brainstorming?" Tasha startled us by giving the ninja-scare between us. She turned both of us towards the said door, and nodded. "Don't make headmistress wait. She hates waiting."

"Oh, right..." We were so absorbed in discovering the reason why we're here, we just forgot that easiest way to do that is just go inside. Ryuubi also came closer and walked to beside us, with Kyouka-san by her side. Well, this is it. I have a pretty good idea what might happen when we open the door, but we better do that quickly or else Nemesis-san might change her mind. Let's go...

***OPEN!***

"Headmistress Morimoto...? We're her-...!"

***POP!* *POP!* *POP!***

"Hyah...!" However, betraying my expectations, what it came instead of Nemesis-san's usual stance were a bunch of young ladies and a guy popping paper crackers in our directions, covering us with confetti and colorful paperstrips. After that little jump-scare, I opened my eyes and I saw Nemesis-san and the rest of the DxD children plus Sally-chan and kaichou smiling. What now? "Err... Okay~...?"

"Congratulations for your new club, Ichijou-nii-chan! Rina-nee-chan! Campbell-San and Ryuubi-San!" The white-haired nekomata, Nashiro-san, said with her usual cat smile, jumping up and down in excitement. Sally-chan hugged my stomach and said exactly that. Wait, 'new club'?

"It's not much, but it's the intention what matters, right?" Xion-san said with her typical stoic face while coming closer to congratulate both Ryuubi and Tasha with her brother Basara. "Besides, Nemis would be embarrassed for attracting so much attention."

"It's not like my king is any different from Lord Grandmaster, her honorable grandfather, after all. The fear of showing affection, on the other hand, is pretty pathetic and, dare I to say, is what brought such detriments between the Gremory sisters." The always-acid Akio-san said with an sardonic grin towards her said King, but it was Aria-san who came closer and pinched one of her cheeks. Akio-san being descendant of the Queen of thunder and lightning however, could only moan and blush for that.

"Congratulations for surviving the trials, master! Lady Gremory said it's very proud of you all!" Said the pipsqueak exorcist hugging my waist, whose comment made the so-intimidating Nemesis-san blush a little and be consoled by her blond queen, my own master of a sorts. Gremory, who was being shaken by her blue-haired 'childhood friend', dismissed all of the festivities and turned to her older sister. Oh, man, here it comes.

"Wait, wait... Sis, what's going on?" Said the younger Gremory. For the first time, Nemesis-san put herself on the defensive, looking away a little and rolling her eyes to different directions that weren't on her sister. After a while and lot of pressure from all the parties present, she sighed and looked at Gremory directly. "When they said new club, do you mean...?"

"Rina, you know very well that everything I did so far was for you to grow, right? Saving your Evil Pieces, lecturing you to no end, pinching your ears, refusing to let you start a New Occult Research Club, I did everything of this so that you could avoid doing mistakes, mistakes that you could possibly avoid on your own if not for your childish mentality. Maybe I were too harsh on that regard as well." Both sisters continued to stare at each other, no sound from all the parties now, with the exception of Sally-chan climbing on me to have a piggyback. Rina's eyes began to glow, as her sister's face softened on a serene smile, now patting the youngest's hair lovely and toying with the black highlight in there. "But, after all we've been through the past weeks, Ludger, the Miyama's, the incident from back them that marked both of us... I can say for sure that you're mature enough."

"Nemesis..." Sighed the Younger Gremory, drying up her own tears and nodding. Suddenly, she snapped and turned back to Nemesis-san, eyes brighter than ever and her smile creeping wider than I thought it was possible. "Wait...! You don't mean...!"

"Yes, Rina. Here, it's all yours." And then, Nemesis turned around and placed on Gremory's hand... A wooden box.

...

...

"Eh...?"

"Here it is, Rina. You're now responsible for Kuoh's **suggestion box**." It was a simple, light-brown wooden box, a line-shaped hole on top of it, with a upper opening locked with a silver lock and with a note glued to one side written 'Suggestion Box'. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone clapped in excitement, while my peerage was... I dunno, what's a word for 'feeling everything, doing nothing', if there's any? "From now on, your peerage is in change for Kuoh's educational and student affairs, helping as a branch of the Student council. While Serena Sitri will take care of the supernatural portion of Kuoh, you will take care of more diplomatic matters, such as students' satisfaction and suggestions. Congratulations."

"..."

"Rina...?" And Akio-san smiled, a proud smile seeing her king break her dear little sister with nothing but correctly-put words. Gremory's head went overdrive, and as expected, she turned pale as a ghost, while returning stopped on their tracks and claps to see the broken redhead. I turned to my peerage, and they were at least facing this with dignity. As for me... Eh, it's something, I guess?

"Suggestion box? It's something." Tasha said, blinking a few times and sighing next to me. She clapped her hands a few times, and smile. I guess that's the euphoria after that storm. Ryuubi also came by and nodded with also a grin.

"Well, isn't that the start of a great Underdog tale? Ir doesn't actually matters if we need to start from the bottom if this help us in our journey." Said the pinky warlady, caressing the blond hair of my apprentice. "Besides, maybe this will be a great way to keep in touch with my students."

"You did say sometimes being original is good for your health, right master?" Sally-chan said with a smile, and I responded the same way. Yep, why maintain this echoing mentality when we be as original as we want?(not that much, but still.) Maybe this will help Gremory further? I know I'm okay with it.

"Hey Rina, everybody is okay with this. Let's start from the bottom and one day we'll get our own Occult Research club, okay?" I said coming closer of our broken leader. I can't say much since I was the one who refused victory last time, but we're past that, right? I touched her shoulder, and her gave her a light shake to wake her up. "C'mon now, you're better than this, right? Don't make Nemesis-san feel worse than she already had to feel."

"..."

"Rina, pleas-..."

"**WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAH...! I HAVE BEEN REVIVED**!" And suddenly, explosion! Gremory's fiery red aura exploded right in front of our own very eyes, as she up in from her miserable state and shining purple eyes illuminating the whole damn place! Gremory then picked the said suggestion box and lifted it above her head, like some kind of treasure chest! **"SO WHAT IF EVERYTHING I GOT WAS THIS SUGGESTION BOX?! SO WHAT IF MY GROUP IS STILL NOT MATURE ENOUGH FOR A REAL ORC?! I'LL TAKE THIS SUGGESTION BOX AND BE THE BEST MANAGER OF STUDENTS AFFAIRS THERE IS**!"

"Oh..."

"**24/7, 365 DAYS A WEEK FOR ALL OF MY HIGHSCHOOL AND COLLEGE YEARS, RINA'S VERY OWN SUGGESTION BOX IS NOW... OPEN!**"

"..."

"...!"

...

"Pfff... Ahahahah...! Ahahahahahah...!" And I couldn't take it anymore, all of this show, all of this display, everything is just... Just... Stupid! So stupid and tragic, is funny! Oh, I can't maintain my straight face like that! This is gold, more golden than last time! Ahahahah! My king is an idiot! "C'mon now, Rina! Nemesis-san gave us her approval! Don't go around shouting like a brat! You'll kill me!"

"Stop laughing, Ichijou! I'm very serious! Stop... Stop laughing!" And she began to cry, cry while pouting until her rage gauge filled and she began to smack her unoffensive fists against me! Even Sally-chan is laughing! "You jerk! Stop laughing! Stop laughing!"

"Ahahahah! You suck, Rina!"

"You suck, Sekiryuutei!"

We continued to make a fool out of ourselves with no worries in the world, and while everyone stopped just to see me laughing and Gremory rampaging over me, they soon also broke down laughing at our little display of comedy, our peerage, the DxD children and the others coming closer to hug the distressed Gremory and a laughing myself. I like this, I like this feeling, this warmth, this companionship...

Everything... Is **awesome**!

.

~~x~~

.

"And that's that! Not bad for a recent club, is it?" Gremory said as she finally put the suggestion box in the middle of an unused classroom, which was now the reunion room of the Suggestion box club(lame, I know.), the management-teacher being Ryuubi herself. I gotta say, something tells me Nemesis-san was planning this all along considering how neatly put this room is. Easily access for both students and teachers and seats for at least ten people, almost the double of our current members.

"I can't complain." I said with a shrug. It's simple as that, and makes me feel important, so that's cool by me. All the others nodded with a smile, so I pulled a chair to look at our precious wooden box. So... Our club has finally started. No big clubs like we expected, but that's something, it's an indication that I'm not just a kid who thinks is an adult. "So, we just need to see the suggestions put in this box and try to correct the problems as soon as possible. After all of that shit we've been through, this is the least I can think of."

"First one." Tasha extended one of her hands and put a small folded paper to inside the box. Typical, however, Tasha lifted a finger a smiled towards the said witch.

"I'm sorry, Campbell-dono, but as a member of the Suggestion Box affairs, you cannot put your own thoughts into the box." She said in a lecturing voice, as Tasha pouted and crossed her arms, upset. I would pity her for that, but then I remember that she can be pretty perverted when she has the change, so the only thing I did was to touch her shoulder. Nice try, better luck next time. "Now, since the suggestion box will open tomorrow, and none of us has any other clubs to attend to, let's go home and put our homework as scheduled."

"It's not my fault I didn't attend Kuoh for a while!" Rina said, also crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor. Uh, it kinda is, she's the one who wanted to become Ludger in the first place, at least. Still, that's no excuse, and by the look on Ryuubi... -sensei's eyes, I think she thinks that as well. "But you're right. I'll catch up with my homework. At least now I have an upperclassmate and a teacher to help me out!"

"Yay, I'm important." Cheered nonchalantly the purple witch, Gremory summoning a magic rune and saying for us to step in and she'll take us back home. However, I tibink I'll stay a little bit more.

"Eh...? Ichijou, aren't you coming with us?" Asked the redheaded King. I shook my head and gave her a sign.

"Not now, I'll have to go to the supermarket and buy some groceries and meat for the week. You go ahead, I'll stay a little longer. I promise I won't take too long." I said.

"Lonely time with your hand? You can always use us."

"Tasha!"

"Lady Rina...!"

"Okay, okay. Have it your way. See ya soon!"

And before I could smack the hat out of her purple hair, the witch hid behind Gremory and soon she shrugged and teleported away from here, leaving me alone. Oh boy, now to go to the supermarket. But before I do that, I took another scan on the box in front on me, and then opened it up, seeing the lonely paper there.

Huuuuh~... I know it's just one of Tasha's perverted jokes, but I'm curious now. Damn it. Okay, just one quick look, and then I'll burn this paper up before it can corrupt me. It's so neatly folded, it didn't take long for me to open it. Okay, one quick look just for a quick laugh. Let's see...

_'Please bring Annie back.' - Tasha._

...

...

Sigh.

I folded that paper and put it in my pocket. Okay, that's one request I'll try my hardest to fulfill. Those kind of things keeps reminding me that Tasha did say she loves Annie, anyway. Or maybe I'm just going astray again...

Well, Ren is nowhere to be seen(Nemesis-san said he went on a quick quest to find Annie.), Sally-chan is back on the Amamiya shrine and Kaichou is too busy with her own work as the president of the student council

to come here to try to assault me. All in all, I guess I'm good for today. Stretching myself on the chair one more time, I sighed and picked my wallet and the keys to this room to close it for another day. It's already noon, so I better get on work and pick the biggest sales while I can...

Exiting Kuoh, I could still see the mansion my house has become from here, sticking like a sore thumb in the middle of that peaceful and normal neighborhood. How mum's gonna deal with this? I can already feel the chills down my spine and her voice reaching the heavens before Gremory can do her special magic thingy on her. At least I won't have to wait an eternity to take my baths or have my moment on the toilet anymore. Something tells me Alice-san also has a finger on this. I just want to know if she planned the expenses on bleach, soap, cleaners and whatnots with this, otherwise I don't care if she's married to our demon Lord Lucifer or daughter of the grandmaster, I'll-...

***T-TUM!***

"Ugh...!" Suddenly, I felt a sting on my left arm, different from anything I felt before. It was so sudden and violent, I think I almost opened some scars on it. What was that about?! Something tells me it's the Boosted Gear reacting to something, but what? If not even with Miyama and Aria-san it reacted like that, this can only mean...!

"Oh, so this is Kuoh academy, where Nii-chan's rival studied. It's quite big and impressive, but not much for my taste." And walking down the way to Kuoh's gate, I saw a girl about my age and height, if not older and taller on those regards, wearing a black mini-jacket on a V-collared white shirt and black jeans, combing her long, wild bluish-grey hair without a worry in the world, toying with a stick in between her teeth. She's not an student from here, and the closer she gets from me, the worse this pain gets! She landed her blue eyes on me, and tilted her head to a side, grinning soon after. "Hey there, cutie pie. Mind telling me your name?"

"Who... Who wants to know?" I frowned, hiding my left arm behind my back and shaking my head to get the dizziness and the sweat off me. There's something fishy about this girl. Suddenly, *ZOOM!*, in a blink of an eye, I could feel the taste of strawberries in my mouth, as a finger was pointing in my direction, that girl smiling without the stick on her mouth! Is that... A lollipop in my mouth?! I jumped away to get some distance, growing even more worried. "Tch! Identify yourself! Don't make me... Don't make me repeat myself!"

"Kah, Kah! Sorry! Sorry! Didn't want to startle you, my bad! Joykiller~!" She lifted both her arms in a defensive and innocent stance, which didn't fool me in the slightest. In the end, putting both hands on her hips, she grinned with one eye closed, and spoke again in a tone that made me shiver. "But I guess you can call me 'Seto'."

"Seto...?" I repeated, somewhat curious. Suddenly, on the orange noon sky, two bright dragon wings emerged from her back, sparkling small light particles around and shocking me so much I froze in place. This aura, this atmosphere, it's way too different from anything I ever faced so far! And for that, I just had one hunch, that it turned of to be true!

"Yes. Now, meet my Blue-eyed white dragon."

This is her! The hostess of the Divine Dividing, the Light wings of the White Dragon emperor, and the English vanishing heavenly White Dragon emperor Albion...

The **Hakuryuukou**!

...

...

...

"Actually, my name is **Elizabeth**, **Lisa** for short,but you get it, don't you? 'Seto' as in Kaiba Seto from that manga, who has three Blue-eyed-...!"

"Yes, I get it!" Way to ruin an introduction scene!

Some things never change...

* * *

**And they clashed! The sekiryuu and the hakuryuu, at last they meet! What's gonna happen next time? Find you next chapter. Hahah, but in all sriouness, I guess I made ichijou a little too moe after his so-called character development. I think this is cool, a cute pie once in a while, just like lux arcadia, or arata kasuga... Anyway, stay golden, y'all, thanks for the support and have a nice day.**

**and before you ask, yes, Liu Bei and tasha will have character arcs. Everyone will have a character arc. 'Even Ren and Nero?' **_**Specially**_** Ren and Nero! The harem cannot stop!**

**lighter times it is for now, because they deserve it.**


	53. Meeting the unexpected

**Hey there fanon, my schedule is a little sloppy now that that arc was done, but I'll ge the hang out of it... ventually. Yeah, a mostly fanservicey chapter, but nothing too big, Ichijou's still pure and no one is unsafe... For now.**

**as always, dxd doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

I don't remember my house being this big. I don't remember having my own room, scratch that, my own floor in this five-store mansion, I don't remember buying all of those furnitures and gadgets, and more importantly, I don't remember buying this brand of tea. Seriously, this is really freaking me out, and even sitting on this big leathered sofa, I feel uncomfortable, like a lot. The only thing I could do was to Caress Yoko-chan's hair, her little head resting on my lap, as she would groan and kick in discomfort, her cheeks burning up, and looking she was having a bad dream, poor thingy...

"Hyaaaaah! How frustrating!" Someone jumped from the living room, of at least a small portion of it, and with a loud *BAM!*, I saw Rina-chan falling on her back, hands on her face, tossing a pencil aside in frustration, as her two older friends could only giggle at her misery. I'm glad to have her back, and more over the fact she made her own group of studies with a teacher and an upperclassmate. "This isn't fair! I saved the world! I should at least receive a free pass on those school things! This sucks!"

"There's no such thing as compensation, lady Berolina. Work and duties should never compensate for education. Believe me, Lady Berolina's not the first one to think that!" Ryuubi-chan said with a smirk, flipping a few pages and picking some notes the redhead let flew around the place, neatly putting them on another place on the desk. "Now now, if you finish your homework in time, maybe Hong Long will be happy for you. You may not know, but he's also doing his best."

"Tsukino-chin, doing his best, good student." And without taking her eyes off the books, the purple-haired Tasha-chan said, reaching a hand to pat the redhead on the stomach. Rina-chan blushed, and stood sit on her place again, reaching one of her notes to begin to read it. Ahah, there it is, the kind of gaze and expression. She's in love with Ichijou, how cute.

"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll try my best, too. Maximum effort." Pouted the redhead, whose face was burning in a brighter red than her own hair. I looked down on Yoko-chan, and her little movements ceased, now snuggling even more into my lap. Yep, someday I want Ichijou to marry them all. Just kidding. Speaking of which, he sure is taking his time in buying some groceries. Poor boy must be tired. None of us is getting much sleep, anyway...

I yawned, picked another can of tea, and drank it down. Huh, I really don't remember buying this kind of tea before. Must be the age catching up with me. I gently put the foxy girl on my lap back to the sofa, and then walked to the living room, attracting the attention of all the girls in there.

"Hey. Do you girls want some tea? I know it's cold, so be my guest." I said with a smile, which was backed up with their own. I blushed a little, and crossed my arms, as all girls nodded.

"Huhuh, mother Kyou sure is very hospital despite everything." Rina-chan said with a smile and sighing. I don't know what she means by that, but I do like her, she's Ichijou little... 'Girlfriend', so unless she tries to do harm to him like that other one, she's my daughter for the stay. Alice-san even said she does like Ichijou back. However, my bright face suddenly soured when I noticed the two other girls turning their looks to Gremory, an interrogation mark hovering around their heads. Oh no, now I remember!

"Mother... Kyou...?" They all said with a hint of surprise, while Gremory was now also doing that dubious face, humming an elongated doubt hum.

"Wait, you didn't know? Kyou Tsukino, Ichijou's mom...?" She asked, and I gulped hard, real hard. Oh crap, the engines on their brains are starting to spin, and as such, they turned their gazes towards me, mumbling something under their breath, as I was losing my own with all of my suspense. Oh no! This isn't happening! This can't be happening...!

"Mother Kyou... Kyou... Ichijou... Tsukino... Tsukino... Kyou... Tsukino Kyou...?"

"So... Uh... Who wants some tea or...?"

"Loch Ness!"

"Zheng Long!"

"**HNNNNNNNNG...! WHYYYYYY**...!"

.

~~X~~

.

"Hey old man! One more bowl, please! Extra pork, too!"

"Coming!" And the old man on the ramen shop practically slid a new family-sized bowl of ramen through the counter, stopping right in front of the greyish-bluenette, who was snapping her chopsticks nonstop, eager to munch another bunch of noodles. This is the fourth now, and something tells me she won't stop so soon...

So yeah, there was no epic battle, no rescue mission, no life-changing revelations or anything of that stuff when she finished introducing herself. Instead, she put her wings down and invited me to eat ramen, in this little noodles shop that is in the middle of nowhere. Out of... Politeness, I guess, I ordered a small portion while she began to eat one bowl after another. Is this also some kind of influence from Lord Vali? Well, at least she's not kicking my ass or something(let's be honest, she'd do that if she wanted.)...

"***OOF!***, so, Sekiryuutei, how is **Kurobara** and **Evelyn** doing?" She asked after drinking the soup down her system. Wait, what? Who are those? Never heard of them, but since she asked, there must be some connection between them and Lord Vali. Or some other spirit from the Divine Divid-...!

...

I bit my freaking tongue! Damn alliteration!

"Uuuh~... Who?"

"Oh, right. You probably don't know them. Nii-chan's daughters, he said they're pretty cute, so I wondered if the successor of his rival would be a troll and pick them for his harem." She laughed under her breath, tapping her fingers on the counter with a cheerful disposition. Lord Vali's daughters... I heard from Auntie Alice that Ginko-san is a descendant of the Hakuryuukou, but I never bought that up until now. As for Evelyn... It does ring a bell, but I don't know from where and why. Also, I wonder what lord Vali thinks a of her calling him 'Nii-chan', without the possibility to do anything. So is the fate of host of the Boosted Gear after life. Brrr, what a chill.

"No, I don't know them. Sorry for it." I said. Suddenly, realization hit me like an arrow! What am I doing?! "Wait a minute! Hakuryuukou!"

"Yeah...?"

"What... What are you trying to do with me?! What are you planning to do?!" I said, jumping one seat away from her and dragging my own bowl. Everything sounds wrong, this how ordeal sounds wrong! Not only she showed up like that in the middle of the day, but also invited me to eat with her! "I don't care if you're the one paying! I don't care if this place is indeed delicious! You must be planning something with this!"

"..." She said nothing, only looked at me with a blank expression and a hanging noodle on her mouth. After some seconds of nothing happening, things got awkward between us, and I regretted my outburst a little. It's feels wrong about it, and I've learned to never cut a girl's joy, even if this girl just so happens to be your destined rival of an ancient legacy between two supernatural and powerful creatures sealed inside ourselves. She sucked the string of noodles on her mouth, and puffed a cloud of uneasiness out of her mouth. "Pwaaah~, y'know... Vali-niichan was right! This place sure serves the best ramen!"

***CHOP!***

"Ayyyy~...!"

"Don't ignore my last statement!" I don't believe it! I just chopped the current hakuryuukou's head! Do I get an achievement for that? Back to reality, yes, I just chopped this girl's head, and for some reason, despite this whole dreadful aura surrounding her and the warning signal on my Boosted Gear going ballistic, doing that didn't feel any different from doing it on Gremory or any of the girls. She held her head for a while in pain, even sliding her chopsticks down. "Really now, Hakuryuukou...!"

"I have a name, y'know, and you know that. It's really rude calling me that." She said with an aside glance, picking her chopsticks back while also massaging the bump on her head. Pshah, really, call her by her name? "By the way, you didn't introduced yourself yet, I have all the rights to continue to call you 'Sekiryuutei'. Now, what's your excuse?"

"..." Instead of answering her, I sighed, and gulped down a piece of pork, nicely cut by the way. Between some casual conversations, our positions and politeness throws, I'm having my own doubts if any of this is real. She's right, it was kinda rude of my part not saying my name, even if she's my sworn rival. Wait, am I thinking like Gremory used to think? Ugh, lame, I didn't survive two arcs just to go back to square one! "Ichijou... My name is Tsukino Ichijou. Pleased to meet in your acquaintances, Lisa-san...?"

"..."

"...?"

" 'Pleased to meet in my' what?"

"Sigh, nice to meet you, Lisa-san." Pff, seriously? At least I'm not that alone in this gag. Lisa-san wooed in understanding, and nodded at me. I snickered under my breath, and then the quite-but-not-like-as-before-awkwardness befell us again. The old man behind the counter chuckled with our antics, probably thinking that we're a newly couple or something. Lord Vali is probably losing his shit in the DD(Yes, I'm calling it DD for now, until I learn how to pronounce it correctly.). "But you didn't answer me. What are planning, why call me here to eat ramen when we could be fighting, Lisa-san? Not that I want to solve that stigma between us right now, but this kind of situation is surreal even for me. That's strange. Isn't that strange? Lisa-san."

"In all seriously? I invited you because I want to show I have nothing against you." She said, turning herself to me and flicking my nose. It hurt, but not as much as a punch would, that's for sure. She grinned, and rested her elbow on the counter to support her face with the respective hand. "I mean, Vali-niichan and Uncle Issei weren't exactly enemies, so~ I want to say that, if we ever need to fight, it'll be completely under professional circumstances... This time."

"Under professional circumstances..." Uh, now THAT's awkward and unexpected. She's treating our everlasting and inherited struggle between our sacred gears as something of a job, a business, and we're just the kids caught in the crossfire. This make me grimace a little, but not because of that I don't see her point. Friends with the Hakuryuukou, who could've thought? "So you want to be friends with me, even if we have to battle someday?"

"Yep, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou. Be my friend, be my foe, but don't forget that I don't have anything against you or the dragon inside of your arm. It's just business." She said with open arms, winking and pointing her chopsticks at me. That's rude, but understandable, it's not like I haven't angst over this whole Sekiryuutei ordeal. Things are better now, but eeeeh~...? "It's nice to meet you too, Sekiryuutei welsh dragon Ddraig."

**[DON'T... DON'T MENTION IT.]** Wow, even the welsh dragon is a little uneasy by this weird Girl. Seriously, I barely meet her, and yet this familiar feeling of danger and caution is driving me home. I gulped this down, and nodded anyway, since it's never too caution around those new people.

"Come here and greet them too, Arubin. It has been a while since you've last met them, right?" She smiled and moved her hand to a side, showing now a blue glow on the back of it. From it, I could sense something at the same time soothing yet eerie, as my left hand began to react to it. Also, 'Arubin'? Isn't that a little too much intimate with one of the Heavenly Dragon emperors?

**{...}**, the only thing I could hear from inside was a light groan and heavy breathe, so strong and echoey, it kinda attract the attention of bystanders. I picked her hand to lower it and muffle those noises, putting a finger in front of my lips to shut her up. She smiled, and did the same. I dunno what I fear most: the current Hakuryuukou of immense power under the tutelage of the Strongest white one, or her General naiveness that might pose a bigger threat to us as a whole.

"Eh, maybe he doesn't want to talk. Welp, back to the ramen!" And she resumed to eat the remaining noodles and pork on her bowl, while I was also kinda lost munching on my own pieces of meat.

"Lisa-san, you might not know, but I kinda have some errands to attend, and I can't fool around like that. Can I... Can I go home now?" I know I might be sounding a little too desperate and maybe my way of talking sounds a little too 'please-get-me-outta-here', but I'm really in a hurry. I'm here for at least half an hour, so soon or later mom and the others will start calling me.

She turned to me, took a deep breath, and then smiled and nodded. Even with this whole 'heavenly Dragons' thing going on, it's a little uneasy for me to be mr. Joykiller... Unintentionally. After some time, she finished her dish, payed for our meal herself, and offered a ride to compensate me for the trouble and lateness. Now, being the Hakuryuukou, host of one of he strongest beings on the universe and under the care and tutelage of the descendant of the original supreme demon Lord, you'd think she'd have an awesome ride, some pimp-up car or at least one of those badass bikes with a n'th number of engines that pretty much spits fire. Well~... What she really has is...

"Nice scooter..."

"Hey! The correct term is 'motorbike', and it's 100% badass! Stupid law that doesn't allow me to drive..." She muttered annoyed under her breath, sitting on the black leather seat on her red scooter. Pffff... Man, today sure has been a funny day. Can't believe the Hakuryuukou driving that stupid thing around! And I almost broke a vein holding my laughter when I walked to here beside that! Lisa-san snapped me out of my reverie, as she passed me a white helmet, putting her pink one on. "Hop on. I'll give you a ride! It might not be the fastest thing around, but it'll take us where we want before nighttime!"

"Huuuh~, okay." I said absent-minded. Although my pride is telling me that I'd rather die than 'hop on' on that thing, I picked the white helmet and strapped on my head, sitting right behind Lisa-san as she started the engines, and off we went. Fortunately, she won't complain about me touching her breasts by locking my arms around her, since she has none. Not 'none' per se, but~ she doesn't stand out, B-cup at best.

Damn it, I'm thinking too much about breasts again...

Things went surprisingly well between me and the current hakuryuukou. She stopped on the nearby market for me to buy my stuff, and I bought for her an small set of bubblegum, which she was elated to receive. Talk came, talk went, and soon enough, we reached my home, or at least the monstrosity it has become, on time.

"You live in a quite big house." She wondered with big blue eyes, as I passed the helmet back to her. By the look on her face, she's both mesmerized and jealous of this hotel my house has become. "Artie has money, of course, but since we're practically a nomad Group, we always end up in somewhere very simple. It'd be nice to live in a place like that someday..."

"Heheh, It surprised myself too." I said with an uneasy smile, and sighed my frustration away while crossing my arms. Artie, the one Aria-san said it possesses the sacred Gear True Longinus, the holy spear of the Setting Sun, mother of all the others. Dealing with her and the Hakuryuukou combined should be troublesome if that ever happen. She dusted the other helmet, put it back on a pack on the back of her... Motorbike, and hopped on it again. With my things at hand, I walked towards the entrance, and then turned around to face my sworn nemesis, the one I'm destined to fight against. "So... This is a goodbye, I guess."

"You can say that. I prefer... See you later, Sekiryuutei." She winked, before going away at the silence of the night on her scooter, waving a goodbye. "Get stronger, be a gentleman and don't keep a lady waiting!"

That was... That was a thing. I mean, this isn't the first time I've met someone in such a strange way, and hell, I doubt it will stop anytime soon, but we're talking about the vanishing English heavenly white dragon emperor, my counterpart and rival for life. Thinking she can be that friendly and carefree in my presence, and yet don't forgetting that she's also my enemy. I think she's planning something. I turned to my left hand. What do you think, Welsh Dragon?

**[THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE FIRST TIME ONE OF THE DRAGONS TRICKED ANOTHER BEFORE STABBING HIM ON THE BACK. SOME DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY WERE HOSTS AND WERE KILLED REGARDLESS.]** I knew it, it's never too cautious with dragon matters around. I don't care how pretty and strong she is... How pretty strong she is, if I fall for her trap, I'm better off dead. Did you feel something from her? I didn't.** [NOW THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED, PARTNER, THAT WHITE ONE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING BESIDES THE DIVINE DIVIDING. NOT EVEN HER PRESENCE WAS REMARKABLE.]**

"So that's really dangerous. If not even Aria-san or the DxD children came to my aid even when being this close, I'm glad they she doesn't take any hard feelings regarding our positions." I sighed. This kind of fear, the fear of an unexpected strike is indeed worse than any other. But I have to stay calm, and get better for her... For her, as in, to fight her! Ugh, what the hell... Am I lovesick?

**[SEEMS LIKE IT. IT'S NORMAL, AND NOT THE FIRST TIME I SEE THIS.]**

"Welsh Dragon. With all due respect, that was a rhetorical question. Kinda...?" I put my hands on a prayer and bid a homage to the dragon sealed inside my Sacred Gear for him to not take my little remark on the bad side. I heard something like a chuckle in response, so I'm starting to wonder if it's either Yagura or the welsh dragon this time.

**[KAH, YOU'RE REALLY STARTING TO SOUND JUST LIKE MY PREVIOUS PARTNER. SUCH NOSTALGIA...]**

"I'll face that as a compliment, and I'm glad for making you remember such fond memories." I said with a chuckle. He mentioned senpai like he was some kind of old friend, and I have no doubts he really was. I hope we can have this kind of relationship someday. But for now, respect for the dragon. "Thank you, Welsh dragon."

"Talking to yourself, Ichijou?" Shock! The suddenly call made me jump into place, and instinctively hide my left hand behind my back as I turned around to see the source of that voice. Here she is, my dear mom Kyou, yawning and cracking her neck a few times and she smiled. "You were running late with the groceries, so I got worried. Good to see you now, and with a new girlfriend, it seems."

"..." Again my face contorted into a very uncomfortable expression. Yeah, how to explain a girl who will forever fight me due to some quarrel between two entities sealed inside of us? It's not like senpai and lord Vali didn't share this typical hate-love relationship, and I'd be lying if I say she isn't pretty. I have to come up with an excuse. "It's not like that mom, she's just a... A friend. Nothing else."

"Well, that's good to hear. Who knows what your other girlfriends will do to you if they discover this new challenger." Mom, you're not helping. My relationship with my peerage is more-or-less professional... With benefits. Friends? Yep, friends... With benefits**(I'm slowly losing my mind, Ahahahah...)**. She shrugged and picked the grocery bag from my hands. "Anyway, thanks for buying my stuff. Tonight, we're gonna have sukiyaki to celebrate Rina-chan's return! Extra meat for her!"

"Thanks mom." I said as I hugged her. I dunno why I did that, I just did, and while she was surprised, she smiled and hugged me too. We broke apart after a few seconds, and walked towards the entrance of this... New home.

"I gotta say, Ichijou, the girls are pretty hardworking. I know Rina-chan might be a little slow and Tasha-chan's Japanese is not very sharp,but Ryuubi-chan is doing her best, so are they. Poor Yoko-chan howev-...!"

***TRIP! BAM!***

"Mom...?!"

"I'm okay, I just forgot this little step on the floor. Maybe I'm getting old." She said with a thumb up and a bruise on her forehead. Right, Gremory can hypnotize people and stuff, but those phantom feelings would remain. Watching my own step, I walked besides mom until we parted ways around... The elevator, she going to the kitchen while I took the stairs to the living room on the second floor.

Here I am, the stadium that my living room has become, stepping on the soft tatami with my bare feet as walked towards the central table. Once there, here they are, my little peerage of misfits plus the fox girl that is my husband, all taking a nap and all splattered on the floor, the low table filled with notes and school books. Mom was right, they're giving their best. Still, if they stay like that, they might catch a nasty cold. I shrugged, picked the blanket that was inside the nearby closed and unfolded it to cover the girls sleeping on the cold floor. Sometimes I wonder if I spoil them too muc-...

***HUG!***

***TUM!***

"Gwah...!"

"Hmmm~..." And now I can't move. Out of the sudden, when I was about to cover them with the big blanket, Gremory suddenly reached her arms for me, and before I knew it, she pulled me in a hug, making me lose my balance and lay with them with a thump. Again, I'm between boobs, surrounded by those freeloaders and without the possibility to move. Sigh, maybe I am back on square one for what it matters, this calming place, slapstick everyday and being the fool that is constantly being thrown around by pretty girls...

But despite all of this, I like it in here. It's calming, it's relaxing and I can't feel the pass of time. Maybe resting a little bit... Isn't that bad, after all...

.

~~X~~

.

"You met the Hakuryuukou in person?!" The redhead king shouted back on our meeting room, as Tasha was pouring us some tea, Yoko and Ryuubi were quietly listening to me and Sally-chan was sitting on my lap. I just told them I've met the white one yesterday, and as expected, they all freaked out. Yoko and Gremory were the ones who saw the true potential of the current White Dragon emperor, and so they were surprised to see me in one piece. "And then?! And then?!"

"She... Invited me to eat on a ramen shop nearby, and talk about things." I said with the straightest face I could muster so that they would believe me. The redhead one was still sweating and making exasperated noises, Yoko nodded and sighed, looking a bit intrigued herself. "She meant no harm that time, and Ddraig couldn't feel any hostility coming from her before meeting in person."

"Indeed, such powerful creature wouldn't escape my radar even with my weakened state yesterday." The fox girl said in thoughts, cups of tea being distributed around us by the purple witch. We all sat on our seats as we pondered over yesterday's event, and even then, I couldn't say much, therefore there wasn't much to talk about. "It's not like we're talking about a puny Sacred Gear either. Even if the host itself is a nobody, the presence of a Longinus wouldn't free-pass like that under my watch. Nor any youkai studying here."

For some reason, that statement made me sad...

"Magical interference. Hide even dragons." Tasha spoke, lifting a finger to form a small rune on the tip of it and cast it on her own cup of tea, making it disappear. We all gasped on sight, and I put one on one to that. But to hide a dragon so easily? "Too powerful, however. Normal humans wouldn't learn that easily."

"We can't forget the fact that she's partners with the current hostess of the True Longinus. Nothing is impossible for them." Rina pouted, now turning her eyes at me and her face turning a little purple. "Including the Hakuryuukou to have a dinner date with the Sekiryuutei."

"Rina, your jealousy is showing."

"Master can really attract even his mortal enemies to his harem!" To make matters worst, Sally-chan jumped on my lap and said those ones, attracting more bad vibes from my king and husband. As a little punishment, I hit her with the knuckles of my fingers, making her do a little cute pout. "Sorry, master. I promise to watch my mouth."

"Well, Hong Long isn't injured, and that's what matters for now! Besides, if the Bài Long wanted to harm us, she'd have done that long ago." The Chinese warlady said with a smile, accompanied by a thumb up from Tasha. The ninetails and the Gremory pouted a little, and returned to their seats, as I sighed in relief and Sally-chan picked the wooden box that was now our source of income.

"How about we get stronger instead of doing nothing? That way the Hakuryuukou won't be a problem anymore!" The little girl on my lap said that with such conviction and energy, we all suddenly shut up, and turned our eyes away in shame. Being lectured by a little girl, that's really shameful. Gremory ceased her pouty form, picked the key to the wooden box and stood up from her seat, walking towards us to open the suggestion box.

"I was about to say that..." She said with a nasty but miserable stare at my apprentice, opening the box and picking the first note that was inside of it. We all gathered around her to see the suggestion, and she said it out loud. "The first suggestion, actually a request is... 'X-chan wants a tutor for the upcoming tests, since she did poorly on the last ones'. Huh, well, I guess we should always start little. Liu Bei, could you do this one for us? You're the genius, after all."

"Leave this request to yours truly, Lady Berolina!" The heiress of the three kingdoms said picking the note on the redhead hands and her things as she checked the coordinates one more time. "It's not very far from here, and it's a subject I can handle! Well, here I go on my journey! I promise I'll be back soon!"

"Okay." I said with a wave, and then suddenly the pinkerette came closer and kissed all of us on the cheek, before leaving with a wave herself. Huuuh~, there she goes showing too much affection for us again. Sally-chan was happy to receive one, while everyone else went a little bewailed. Gremory shook her head and picked another piece of note, this one folded, unfolding it and then reading it's content.

"Okay, let's see... This one says: 'Could you guys please fix the two holes on the second floor? They're reall-', oh..."

"Huuuh..."

...

Wow, isn't that awkward?

"Let's... Let's pick another one..." Gremory said while folding that paper into a ball to toss it in a nearby trashcan. Everyone was surprised by that, except me. Man, I can't believe, they're still there? Let's see this other one. "How about this? 'Please, listen to my request. There's a broken window on the third floor and-'..."

"..."

"What? What? Master, what is it?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Sally-chan." That was a lie, everything is wrong! Rina sighed, tossed that one also at the trashbin and pulled from the box another note. Okay, third's a charm they say, this one will probably be alright.

"This one sounds innocent enough, it's from the volleyball club: 'there a giant hole at the gym ceil-' ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" And before she could finish the sentence, Gremory folded that paper and instead of throwing it away, she burned it with her power of destruction, leaving nothing but ashes of annihilation, less than that even. Sally-chan and Tasha were confused with all of that, while Gremory, Yoko and I could only cringe. I bet those are actually from Aria-san, or maybe not, she can't be that bad. Taking a deep breath to regain composure since the black bang on her hair began to take over again, Gremory shook her head, sighed and picked another one. "Okay, this one. I'm feeling better vibes from this one. My Gremory radar is going nuts now, this has to be one that won't make anything awkward anymore!"

"Why. Awkward?" Tasha asked with a confused face and a lifted finger, receiving no response. Gremory then picked another piece of paper from inside the suggestion box and, a little hesitant after all of that mess, unfolded the paper on her hands and read it out loud.

"Let's see, let's see. This one says: 'Could you guys please clean up the pool? Summer is right around the corner and the swimming club have to train.'." Gremory's eyes this time glowed with this one, and I had a minor nosebleed regarding that request. Wait, the school's pool? The swimming club? Clean up? This is can only mean one thing! "This is a pool chapter!"

**POOL CHAPTER!****

And yes, after some time for us change to put swimming gear, here we are, the school's swimming section. Everybody changed from their uniforms to tight blue school swimsuits, while I had to wear swimming shorts and a shirt in order to withstand the cold from Lord Desmond's curse. Huh... Everybody on their swimsuits, and Tasha and Gremory are so tight in those~, and Yoko looks so cute, it suits her so well...!

***VOOSH!*,** damn you, hormones! I've already lost a great deal of blood with the Miyamas! I need what remains to live!

"Master, please tell me! Am I wearing the right swimsuit?" I turned to a side and saw my little apprentice, now wearing a school swimsuit with her nickname imprinted on the chest area and carrying with herself a small beach ball. I had another nosebleed, control yourself, Sekiryuutei! She's still a middle-schooler, and you're no lolicon! Sally-chan then pouted, looking down on her own swimsuit. "Master? Did I do something wrong? Isn't that the right one for me?"

"No, of course not. You're... You're great on that swimsuit." I said with a thumb up, a little trembling due to the current situation. Sally-chan's eyes turned bright again, and she hugged my stomach, sing-songing happily. This is bad!

"Yaaaay~! Thanks, master! You're the best tutor in those harem things!"

"Am I? T-Thank you, I guess..."

"Eeeeeeeh~..." I turned around, and the rest of my group were looking at me with pretty disappointed eyes, like I was just admitting that I am a lolicon. Just because I have this voice doesn't mean I'm like that! Since saying anything would probably turn things for the worst, I only waved for them, and their only response was to pout a little. Sigh, seriously, square one. "Well! Let's not waste any more time! Let's dive in and clean up this p-...!"

And Gremory stopped mid-sentence as we saw the miserable state of the pool. That wasn't actually a pool now, it was more like a goddamn moss herd! The entire floor of the pool was covered in green, and they were spreading onto the walls and borders, making a wet and disgusting sound! And it's stinks, like a lot! This isn't a pool, it's a swamp!

"Eek! What the hell is this?!" Gremory said with a jump, backing a few steps away and hiding behind me. Tasha began to shiver in uneasiness and Sally-chan and Yoko could only look at the mess... Moss... Whatever was growing there. I could only gulp, feeling a little disgusted myself. "Are we gonna have to clean... This?! Ew! Ew!"

"Whoa! Look at all this energy gathering!" Said the Loli, coming closer to the border of the pool, as we all gave her a question mark.

"Huh, she's right. This... Moss is actually gathering all the life energy from the surroundings, much more like sages do." Said the foxy by my side. Really? Can moss actually learn sage arts? No wait, this is bogus at best. I turned my head to face Yoko, and she also came closer to the border, only to flip a small fireball at one branch of moss, which contorted like a living being before turning into dust and light particles. "However, this one is consuming the energy away instead of just using it. An ayakashi, a haunting spirit."

"You saying this thing is causing trouble around?" Now that I think about it, Ren did say there was another Wonder of Kuoh was our own monster of the swamp, that was now inhabiting the deserted and dirty pool. They probably meant the great amount of moss, but now that Yoko said it is an ayakashi, there is definitely something supernatural about it. I also came closer to pick the loli away from the growing green. "So, any idea how to deal with this? Besides burning it to the ground?"

"Huh, the better answer would be doing just that, but there's also the possibility to completely disrupt the flow of chi around and cause a natural disaster if so, since the monster is technically part of this place now." Yoko said with a thinking pose, blinking a few times and deep in her own little world. Gremory was still hiding behind me and Tasha could only gaze at the distance thinking about something. In the end, the ninetails snapped her fingers. "I know. The better answer would be exorcising the place in order to make the creature leave this realm without damaging the environment, more like a filter."

"Can you do this?" I asked. She turned to me.

"I can try, but in order for me to return the energy back, I need to fuse with that thing, and if I mess up and disrupt the flow, the energy will spread away like an open vein, and more ayakashi might come to try to harvest this place." She sighed, picking a small paper seal and tossing it against the heart of the moss mass. It created a shockwave that made the moss withdraw a little, but also produced more and more light particles on the air. I guess those are the chi she's talking about? "We need exorcise this place by removing that thing."

"Leave it to me, master!" Oh, right. I forgot I have the mini-exorcist right here with me. True to her nature, Sally-chan was carrying a small exorcism shrine staff with crosses instead of paper fans, which made me shiver a little just by seeing it, and came closer to whack a branch of green, which also shivered and backed a little. "I am a B-ranked exorcist, and I'm pretty sure I've deal with things far worse than that! Maybe I'll be able to help if I try!"

"Are you sure, Sally-chan?" I asked her, a little worried by her overconfident combined with the dire situation we have in hands. I turned to Gremory with those lines of thoughts, and then back to the exorcist.

"A christian exorcism might work as well. I mean, they're more centered around saving things instead of just removing the Spirit. She might as well be able to Vanish the ayakashi while leaving the place untouched." Yoko concluded, and while I looked one more time to my little apprentice, her big blue eyes look if at me so eagerly, I pat her on the head to give her permission.

"Okay, you can go."

"Right! I'll try my best!" She said as she jumped really high for her size, and landed right on the heart of the moss, that green mass reaching her little thighs as she clapped her hands together on a prayer and sighed. Her body began to glow, and soon enough she lifted her staff and began to move it around. "Very well, spirit! Prepare to be exorcize! By the God that with us is no more, and the singularity that rules the heavens, I shall chant one of their verses for you to leave this place and find your place in the world!"

"Ichijou, protect your ears! This one coming from an exorcism might harm you!" Gremory suddenly appear behind me to reach my ears and cover them with her hands. Blood gushed out of my nose as I felt her boobs touching my back, and then Tasha also came closer to cover Gremory's own ears, followed by Yoko doing that to her too. Thank you~?

[You all look so silly.]

Shut up, Yagura...

"And now, face the power of my exorcism!" Even with the cover, I could still hear a little. Shit, this will be a problem. Well, better than nothing! "You shall receive this punishment from the words spoken by our father Samuel and his great knowledge by reciting Ezekiel before shooting a sinner down!"

"..."

Wait, what? 'Shooting a sinner down'? What the hell~?

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men!" She began, and as expected, a little headache hit my skull with a numbing pain. Sally-chan practically screamed her lines out, while furiously wagon her exorcism paper fan! She looks so excited to do that. "Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children!"

"Uh..." Suddenly, the headache stopped for some reason, as I could only imagine what was going on inside her own. Yoko took her place right next to me, with a blank expression on her face. It is something to matter?

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers!" Sally-chan's movements became more erratic and wild, waving violently her holy stick like she was playing some kind of atomic whack-a-mole. Her voice became hoarse, and the amount of effort she was putting on it doubled every second.

"Huh, the headache stopped. I wonder why?" I asked as everyone also removed their hands from their ears and stared at each other in confusion. Yoko and Tasha were the ones who were still looking at the exorcist on the middle of the pool having a nervous breakdown, a mildly annoyed look on their faces. "Huh, guy? Is something to matt-...?"

**"AND YOU WILL! KNOW MY NAME IS THE LORD! WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEEEEEE**!" And she finished, tossing her wand upwards only to smash it against the moss with a furious rage! Salvatina Veritas was screaming on top of her lungs, stomping on the floor and having a serious emotional breakdown!** "REPENT FROM THY SINS, MOTHERFLICKER!"**

"..."

...

"I'm gonna go to the Amamiya shrine later to see what the hell they're teaching there." You and me both, Yoko. You and me both.

***GLOMP!***

"Ah! Sally-chan!" And in the moment of distraction, Sally-chan was swallowed whole by the moss! It just turned into a giant deformed head and ate her like a Big Mac! Oh, crap! This is bad!

"Stay calm! I can still feel her presence there! She's alive, just... Eaten!" Yoko comforted me before I could leap to inside that monster. Gremory who was this whole time hiding, came also closer to take a look.

"But it didn't eat Sally-chan just because, right? Yoko, as we gonna have problems with that?" Asked the redhead, as we were all now looking at the bulge on the moss that was probably a struggling Sally-chan. Yoko removed her eyepatch and her eyes shined golden. In the end, she sighed in relief.

"Well, being an ayakashi, it's possible for it to harvest also the chi energy of a living being." She said in a dangerously calm tone. Now, calm down, this is Yoko who we're talking about, she must have a plan to counter that monstrosity and save Sally-chan! I just need to be patient! "I know. We can use some of my senjutsu to make some flowers bloom from it. It might take a while, but if gather enough force and create flowers from that things, perhaps the circle will remain unbroken and...!"

***SNAP!***

"What the... **WHOOOOOOOAAAAH**...!" And before she could finish her exposition, a vine made out of goddamn moss roped itself around one of her ankles and pulled her away from us, lifting a now a tentacle out of green and hanging her upside down!

"Okay, enough is enough! I had enough of this goddamn moss in the goddamn pool! Pull that fox down, or prepare to feel punishment!" And before I could even act, Gremory was already leaping ahead, her left hand burning black with the power of destruction there, as she ran for the Giant green tentacle that was trapping the fox girl! "Take this, you stupid moss! I don't care what happens, feel the Bael's signature move, the power of the Great King! Feel my power of destruct-...!"

***GLOMP!***

"What the... **KYAAAAAAAAH**...!" And now Gremory was also at the mercy of the moss monster(maybe a 'monsster'?), as her hand was bit even before she could land a single hit, and that branch became another tentacle hanging her by the arm! "Kyaaaah! Let me go! I've already lost an arm and my pride! Don't make me lose this one too!"

"Calm down, Rina! This ayakashi can't be that strong if he didn't kill us already! We need to focus and-... Hyah~...!" Yoko tried to stay calm, but something made her sentence turn into a moan: a tentacle suddenly roped itself inside her swimsuit! All of the sudden, the major tentacle sprouted from it's surface more and more little vines, which began to caress and rip Yoko's bathing suit. "Aaaaah~...! D-Don't let yourself... Hyah~! Go, R-Rina...! It's trying to... Make you v-v-vulnerable...! Nyan~!"

"Noooooo! Go away! I don't want to lose my virginity to a plant!" Said the Gremory girl as her tentacle also began to sprouted smaller ones to harass her arm and swimsuit! Oh, shit! This can't be good! Wait, if this is happening with them in just a few seconds...

...

...

"SALLY-CHAN...!" And I leaped into the heart of that moss monster, activating my Boosted Gear and ripping apart every tentacle that sprouted from within! I don't care what the hell is happening, I won't let this ayakashi take the innocence of a grade schooler and my apprentice and that! I charged a quick Dragon shot, and after one [BOOST]!...

... I was caught by surprise and roped by the stomach and hand, rendering me immobile as they leveled me with the others, forcing me to see both girls struggling against the molesting tentacles. Suddenly, they began to produce a sticky, white and smelly liquid from their moss, which melted away their swimsuits like butter, making much easier for the tentacles to touch them! They're naked now, butt naked, wet and filled with tentacles!

"Manu Amida Butsu... Manu Amida B-Butsu... M-Manu Amida Bu... Hyaaaah~...!"

"Kyaaaaah~! I never thought my first foursome would be like that~!"

"Calm down! I just need to boost a few more times and this freak will see what pain feels lik-...!"

*BAM!*

"Yeah, pain feels more or less like that..." And since I'm the only male here, instead of a fanservice moment, the moss just smashed my face against the floor, making my nose bleed. Typical...

Oh no, I'm losing conscious, and everything is turning blank. So this is how it is? Being turned into a slave by a tentacle moss monster. Tch, so lame. This is probably would be a bad ending on a lame visual novel...

* * *

_"Brrr~...!"_

_"Alice, what's the matter? Also, why are you in my lab?"_

_"N-Nothing, Mary. I just felt... A disturbance."_

_"...?"_

* * *

_'Fire that burn my heart; wind that fills my lungs, water that runs in my intestines and earth on my stomach. Run through my veins and body, become one with the rest of my body, let it burn and give me the strength to defeat my foes and reach enlightenment...'_

But before anything more could happen, I saw a light. A warm, strong yet comfy light, that engulfed the whole place and blinded us all for a second. This doesn't make any sense! It's already noon, and with Lord Demond's clouds blocking the Sun, there's no way for today to be this sunny. When the light died down a little, I could turn my head to a side, and I saw the perverted bishop, Natalia 'Tasha' Campbell, extending her hand and moving towards us a golden fireball, that looked like a sun from here, yet it was all cozy and warm...

Suddenly, the grip on my hand began to loose, as all the others ceased their screams and instead gasped in surprise. From here, I could see one thing: the moss began to disappear, and instead, a whole flora of flowers began to bloom next to us. She's... She's helping the moss to bloom! The grip on us finally disappeared, and we landed on the now-clean pool floor, 'landed' as in, we crashed there due to the embarrassing situations beforehand. Well, at least no one is hurt, and everyone is still pure...

"Ew! Ew! What the hell~?! This is so gross!" Gremory said wiping off the quite sticky liquid on herself. Yoko, on the other hand, could only see the floor now covered in petals and rosy bottoms, her eyes saying she was deep in thoughts.

"We misjudged the moss. I get it now, all it wanted was to bloom by sucking the energy around as an alternative source without the sun." She said, sighing and looking a little gloomy. Oh, so this is what it is. Well, yeah, it has been a while since the last sunny day, even on spring-summer, so maybe that was the reason for such. Still... Yoko then stomped hard on one of the bottoms, blushing and frowning. Huh, so she IS upset. "Doesn't mean you can do whatever you like, stupid moss."

"Right." I said with a nod. A few seconds passed, and after that, I sighed and turned away. I don't know if they notice it yet, but they're wearing their birthday suit and nothing else. "Uuuh~, girls? Nether areas showing."

"Huh...? Oh, my..." I heard Yoko said as Gremory also gasped in surprise. I might be used to those being naked and all, but seeing too much meat without consent is probably a bad idea. Instead, I looked at Tasha who landed on the pool floor, dusting her clothes a little and taking deep breaths. She's a lot paler now.

"Hey, Tasha. Thanks for the saving!" I said as she approached us, tossing Gremory's and Yoko's clothes back at them. She turned back to me, and sighed, giving me a thumb up. "That technique... Was awesome!"

"Thanks. Liu Bei-chin. Taught me." She said while groping her breasts to make them look bigger, which made me think about Ryuubi and her... Giant tracks of land. So, apparently she has been teaching a thing or two to our witch. Come to think of it, I've never seem Ryuubi fight for real. I wonder if she's just brawls and tit-... Brawls and **fists**! "**Tai chi**. Corporeal energy, Touki. Stronger attacks. Needs more practice though."

"I dunno. Create a mini-Sun would impress even a God... At least a God in my knowledge, though." I sighed, and gave her a thumb up too. Yoko is right, our group is seriously awesome. "Mission accomplished!"

"Yeah... Mission..." Suddenly, her arm faultered a little, and she lowered her thumb. She might be that expressionless all the time, but I know she's upset now. I think I know what's troubling her. Mission accomplished, eh? "Mission... Accomplished."

"Tasha..."

"Huh...?"

***HUG!***

"This won't be our only one." I said as I pulled her in a bear hug. Yes, this won't be our last mission accomplished, and even if what Ryuubi said it's true, maybe we can open a little exception for her suggestion. Besides, I don't think either Gremory or Yoko will decline it either. After some time, she gulped, and hugged me back. Yeah, it's a promise. "This won't be our last mission accomplished, okay? I promised you."

"Tsukino-chin... Thank you."

"Hey! I want some hug too!" Suddenly, totally breaking the moment, Gremory tackled us and joined the hug. Her face was still covered in sticky stuff and she was stinking from it, yet she pouted and hugged us tightly, looking at me with a frown. "Stupid Ichijou. Just because my character arc was completed doesn't mean I don't want to be relevant again!"

"I second that. Remember, we're a family. Treat us equally. Okay, husband of mine?" and Yoko also joined the hug, supporting herself on us and cupping my face with one of her slender fingers. She grinned her typical vulpine smile, and winked. "Don't forget, I'm still the mature one."

"Hey! We have a deal, Yoko! No advantages or handicaps! He's ours to share!"

"Oh? Can I join? Okay, as mistress."

"Sure, the more the merrier Tasha-san!"

"Huhuh! Despite this, it's good to see my peerage having fun!"

Yes. I guess we're having fun. This stupid, idiotic, yet funny moments of my life with my bunch of misfits... It's nice. It's like the family I never had. Or maybe... They're my family...

"Yeah, our peerage, our group together like th-... SALLY-CHAN!" And I pushed everyone away as I ran towards the heart of all of that mess. In the end, the worst outcome was there: Sally-chan completely covered in tha sticky white goo, otherwise naked, sitting on the floor, with an expression I can only say it's a thousand-yard stare at the nothingness. Oh, no. My little pure apprentice, revealed to the world so cruelly! I just hope that didn't traumatize her... Too much. "A-Ah...! Sally-chan..."

"Master..."

"I'm so sorry, Sally-chan! I'm so sorr-...!"

"Kyahahah! Look at me! This is so funny!" She said, now opening the brighter smile on her face and laughing like that wasn't anything wrong now. Wait, seriously? This whole situation is not a single bit embarrassing for her?! She then began to look around and play with that goo! "That thing is so sticky and gross! How fun! I wonder how it taste like~! Aaaaah~...!"

"Gyaaaaah...! Gross! Don't do that! SALLY-CHAN!"

**[REQUEST: CLEAN THE POOL - COMPLETED!]**

**[FOUR WONDERS DISCOVERED, THREE TO GO!]**

.

~~X~~

.

And then it was over. In the end, there wasn't a moss perverted monster anymore, and so, we just had to fill the pool up and toss the cleaning marbles to get rid of the remaining green color that was left on it. Nothing much, no other problem besides the stink of the girls because of the said goo.

Once we gathered again, finished our business and left a report on the mission board for our first missions accomplished, we took our way home to have a shower and maybe get rid of that smell. Since she's part of the group and my apprentice, sally-chan came along to also take a bath with us. Talk went, talk came, and I asked about Ryuubi about this Tai Chi...

"It's not that complicated to understand, Hong Long. The way of Tai Chi is similar yet quite different from arts like senjutsu. Instead of using energy from the surroundings, apprentices of those instead channel their inner chakras to enhance their bodies." She said placing a hand on her heart, as we all came closer to listen to that. Gremory looked the more interested. "However, only those with great energy reserves and natural flows of power such as myself and Campbell-dono are able to completely master it. Kahahahah! Aren't yours truly a rare jewelry?"

"As much as I hate to admit, I'm impressed." Yoko said, looking at Ryuubi with curious eyes whispering in my ear. "Those chakra-users are few, but they can be way stronger than sages in every regard. Not to mention, they can actually improve that art even further with training."

"That must explain their boobs. They must store a truckload of power." Also whispered the Gremory with green eyes regard the assets of her bishop and Rook, who were completely oblivious of all of that. Is this the breast-envy Freud would always talk about? I don't think Gremory has the right to call that out since hers are the biggest on the whole first year... Sigh, keep the head in the game, Ichijou.

We all talked about breasts when we finally reached my... Four-star hotel of a house. By seeing the shoes on the entrance deck, I can see everybody's home, and probably all showering as well. Dismissing our own at the entrance, I took my way to my room while the other would take the... Elevator, sigh, to the shower room.

"Hey, Hong Long? Aren't you going to bath with us?" Asked the Chinese warlady as everyone eyed with asking that same question wordlessly. I shrugged.

"If my sisters sees us like that, they'll probably cook me for dinner. Not now, I'll take a shower on the room floor and chill out in my room for a while." I said, pointing at the stairs and stretching myself. They all pouted, but nodded their heads. Yep, I don't want Sally-chan to be caught in the crossfire right on her first day here and, personally, they're all stinking, no way in hell I'll share the elevator with them. "See you later."

"Okay." Yoko said as they all waved a goodbye and took the elevator downstairs. However, Yoko snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! Ichijou! There's one thing I need to say to you!"

"Huh...? What is it?"

*PECK!*

"I love you. See you later."

"...!" And before I could react to that light peck on the cheek, she took the elevator and went downstairs. I was dumbfounded for a few minutes, only scratching that area and wondering things and nothing. Huh, two kisses in one day, that's not bad at all. Sighing, yet smiling again, I took my way to the sta-...

***BAM!***

...

Oh, right. There was another step here...

Owww~...

I took my way to the stairs and walked into my room. Since all the others were closed, I can assume everyone is also taking a bath downstairs as well. At least I can take my bath in peace. Dismissing my uniform and picking my things, I picked my little plastic duck I used to play with as a kid, and walked through the corridor to the bathroom. Yeah, it has been a while, and if there's a thing that I unambiguously like about this reform is that everybody wants to shower downstairs, while I can use this old bathroom as I want. No more bangs in the door, or invasions during ōfuros or any sharing bullshit. This bathroom is all mine no-...!

*OPEN!*

"Ara...?" And as always, I jinxed it, and like expected, here's the slapstick. I wasn't alone in the bathroom anymore, instead, there it was: an adult woman with fair skin, long black hair and rocking body, with the biggest breasts I've ever seen after Lady Gremory's, sitting on a pink plastic stool and washing herself. Her golden yellow eyes, eyes that I can remember from certain two ninjas, were staring back at me in curiosity, as I could only stare her back in shock. She smiled then. "Oh, s'up lad. Gud night for yu!"

"Hey. Good night." I said back, cringing a little with her accent.

"..."

"...?"

...

"Now, if you excuse me..." I said as I approached the sinks and sat myself on another plastic stool, Filling the bucket with hot water as I washed my hair and tried my best to not look at her body. I failed of course.

"Uh...?" She said with a tilt on her head and curious fascinated eyes. "Lad, theez reaction..."

"I know! But I refuse to give you the satisfaction of a reaction! Deal with it, lady." I said washing myself with cold water in order to put things in check. Instead of some annoyed expression, however, she giggled, and bathed herself in hot water to clean up the foam. Now that I look closer, she's all covered in scars, and is quite muscular too. Man, I pity those who has to deal with this one.

"Kesese! Interesting Lad. Yuu ar moar interesting than Red hes sed." She said with a grin. Ren... Ah, Ren. If she knows him, and he's as strict as his ninja code says, O might know who this lady is now. "Sekiryuutei, an mah' right?"

"Yes. Tsukino Ichijou is my name." I said with a sigh as I continued to wash myself. I turned back to her and snapped my fingers. "And you... Golden eyes, mature body covered in scars, and likes to keep up the surprises, not to mention you know me by Ren."

"Ah! Itz a sharp lad, too, I see. Gud!"

"Thank you..."

**Haruka-sama, the leader of the Hanzō ninja village of the Hot Springs.**

* * *

**Meet the parents, DxD: R edition!**

**Remember when this fic used to be a parody, then nemesis shows up and everything went to hell? Let's laugh a little while we can, because this arc is gonna be a blast later on. Also, Ichijou is also having a blast with his girls, and I'm having a blast as well writing this fic, if not a little blocked. All in all, stay tuned for the next chapter where there1'll be a great revelation and whatynot. stay golden...**

**Also, for those who read my 'Daddy Vali' fanfiction, a little bonus: I'll TRY to write a lemon for that story later. Yep, ValiXKuroka lemon, no expectations though.**

**As always, thanks for the anonymous San for keeping up with the harem and all those who liked the profiles I wrote on the fanon site. :3**


	54. Breaking some boundaries

**And after a desastreous pool episode, the fanservice comes back with a vengeance. A bath chapter with both the characters, a new one and, of course, the revelation I promised last chapter. But... Yeah, mostly fanservice and new plot-points. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Dxd as always doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

"Yoko~! I can't believe you did that! We had a deal!" And Rina said as she splashed some water on me! Yes, even I can't believe that the Gremory could still pull an overnight reform, but I was wrong, and now all of us are bathing on the enormous underground bath house, that looks more like a hot spring. I splashed water on her back. "You dummy! I knew I couldn't trust a fox like you!"

"Ufufufu, it's you who's losing every opportunity, Rina. Besides, now you have all the right to kiss him back!" I said with a grin, filling a bucket with hot water and washing the redhead with it. She lose balance a little, but was able to put herself standing on the hot water. "Although... I'm still on the lead~."

"Muuuuuh~! Stupid Yoko~! He might be your husband, but he's still my queen~!" She pouted and continued to try to wet me, all falling on empty hands. Ufufu, she might not know, but I can also control the flow of water with my sage arts. She didn't even notice when I left a mirage of myself and sneaked on her back. When she least noticed, I jumped on her and groped her boobs! Whoa! "Kyah! Y-Yoko...!"

"Ufufufu~, my oh my, look at you now, Rina. In just a few weeks and they've already grow so much~. I'm jealous." I said, groping and pinching on her breasts as she moaned and tried to escape my grasp, also failing. In all honesty, I'm not that jealous, but her bazoongas really have grown from back then! Must be the famous Bael genes. I sinked one of her nipples with a finger, and she yelped. So cute. "Huhuh, so much sex-appeal too. Too bad Ichijou doesn't like big boobs."

"S-Shut up...! It's not my fault I... Kyah!" And she yelped again when I licked her neck. Huh~, not just that, but her raw power also improved a lot. She might be even stronger than Ichijou and Ryuubi-chan combined now. However, I did notice one thing in particular: her bandaged arm is still, how should I put it, blank. There's still no energy flowing on it. "Yoko~! Stop it! If you don't, I'll be really mad!"

"Okay, okay. Hey, Rina, can I say something?" I said as I let go of her breasts for her to turn around and face me with a blushing pouty face. In the end, still with puffed cheeks, she nodded, but crossing her arms and looking away from me. She's mad anyway, oh well, it's better to deliver this one now. "Welcome back. I missed you."

"...!" And then she gasped, jumped on her place and turned to me with burning cheeks and wide eyes. Yeah, she's my rival, but she's also my friend, one of the first Devils I've met in Kuoh academy, and all in all, I've missed her so much, I'm glad that she's back, even if this means sharing my Ichijou. She pouted again, and turned away from me, striking the same pose from before. "Dummy... Don't said that out loud, it's embarrassing! But... I missed you too, Yoko."

"Ah~, it feels good to be called by my first name." I said as I came closer to hug her, rubbing my face with her own. No malice this time, I'm just happy to see her again, even if her aura is a little stained from the Bael's. She's calling me by my first name too, I feel so close to her, it's nice. She blushed also, and hugged me back. "You've changed a lot, Rina."

"Same for you, Yoko." We broke our embrace and smiled at each other. It was everything good and all when suddenly she snickered. "But still, he's **my** queen."

"He's **my** husband."

"..."

"..."

...

"He's **ours**, is that okay?"

"Totally."

"Lady Berolina! Yoko-sama~!" And breaking our little bonding time, came the little exorcist and Ichijou's apprentice flying towards us, covered in foam and soap and read to land on the hot waters! "Watch out now! Cannonbal-...!"

***SPLASH!***

"Kyaaaaah...!"

"Clean yourself. Then bath." But before the blonde could touch the waters and spoil them with soap, Tasha-san was quick enough to draw first, splashing some water on the exorcist with such force that she instead hit a wall! Well, at least she drove the point home.

"Remember, Veritas-dono: those who don't follow the rules can't bath!" Said the tallest of us all, Ryuubi Gentoku, also taking a place next to us and sitting on the bathing floor, her giant breasts floating like two balloons on the hot waters. "Ah~, nothing but a bath after an exhausting day of work! Truth be told, lecturing in Kuoh academy is a challenge on it's own. But I guess yours truly was able to attract a good amount of attention!"

"Yeah, I can see that." Rina said eyeing the two pieces of meat on Ryuubi's chest, also sitting on the floor with me. She's feeling breast envy, Even though she's far from being flat or bubblegum-boobs herself, like me.

Not that I mind much, since not only I feel a lot more special and can change my appearance, all harems must have at least one A-cup appeal character...

"Wish Ichijou was here." Pouted the witch girl also joining us in this moment of joy. Ryuubi nodded, and Rina and I blushed a little. She's not wrong, I really wanted him to join us and maybe rub his hands on my back in a massage, but alas, the five other residents of this house were bathing right next to us, on the sink set by the other side, and while I couldn't care less about the sisters, Mother Kyou is still with them, diving on another pool of hot waters. So no Ichijou for now, he wouldn't want that from us anyway. The witch however came closer to Gremory and rested her head on her shoulder, making the redhead blush. "But at least. Gremory-chin with us."

"We all missed thy present, Lady Berolina." Ryuubi also came closer and rested herself on the redhead, who was both surprised and a little cramped since the lady of the three kingdoms is way heavier than she looks.

It was a rather nice thing to see: the three of them so cozy and comfortable with each other now, as they all smiled and closed their eyes to share that moment. I turned my uncovered eye to another corner of the Springs, and Sally-chan was also coming by, until she reached and bumped into me. I shrugged and smiled, hugging her petit body and putting her on my lap as she laughed, both of us enjoying the hot Springs...

"Still... That's not enough."

"Eh...?" We all suddenly turned to a grinning Gremory, and then she stood up from the waters, her body glittering with therapeutic drops, making a determinate pose and shining us with a confident grin and gaze.

"That's not enough! Believe me, as much as we all can enjoy this, we still have a lot to do!" She said in a strong, determinate voice. Wow, she has really changed for the best, I guess. "And the first thing we're gonna do... Is go after Annie, and then we'll complete our peerage! Yeah, mark my words, you all, this is an order from Berolina Gremory!"

"You have my total support, Lady Berolina!" Responded the pinkerette with that same pose and determination, also standing up and touching fists with the Gremory. "As your servant and Rook, I swear total loyalty towards you, and no matter what, I shall support your cause and open the path you want to walk with my fists!"

"Tasha Campbell, B-class witch from the Campbell family of fire mages and the bishop of Berolina Gremory." And now it was Tasha's turn to stand up, instead bowing politely and flipping her fingers like she would the tip of a typical witch hat. So this is the so famed 'Gremory charisma'. Probably, yet it feels so right now. "I'm yours to use and abuse, my King."

"Alright! So let's go! Berolina Gremory's peerage!"

"Affirmative!"

"Certainly."

"Okay, let's do this! **Maximum effor**-...!"

***BUMP!***

"Would you please shut up? We're trying to bath here, if you don't mind." And suddenly, all of that fire and determination suddenly died out when the second oldest daughter of our dear mother tossed a piece of soap right on Rina's head, making her lose her balance and fall flat on the floor. Huh, I don't care if she's a bitch, that Shion, that was funny.

"Well, at least we got our objectives clear, don't you agree, Campbell-dono?" Being the polite lady she is, Ryuubi-chan instead sat back on the floor and helped Rina get back to herself. Tasha turned back to her, and nodded with a ghost of an amused grin.

"Yep... Let's do our best. And save Annie."

"Master's harem is full of idiots, right?" The little one in my lap said with a grin and a thumb up, and for that wording, I bumped my knuckles on her head. Huh, her body is sure gathering and flowing a great a out of energy, way more than I could back when I was of her age. "Huh~... Oh! I get it, master's harem is... Full of girls without moments!"

"..."

"...?"

"Close enough, I guess. You're learning well, Sally-chan." And now I patted her on the head for that more-than-accurate description of our group. Give her some credit we're really a harem of girls with nothing but the 'now'...

And we wouldn't want it any other way.

.

~~X~~

.

"Man, I feel alive agen! Been' a ninja hetsovva village can be tyreson' sometimes. Say, do yah Eva feel liddat, lad?" Said Haruka-sama, the leader of the hidden village of the Hot Springs, or Hanzō village, as we dipped together on my own bathtub, while I was sitting on her lap and trying my best to hide any private parts from her with my towel. It was just a shot from the moment, but I ended up like that on lucky shot. Now, here I am, doing something I'll probably regret.

"Believe me, I can feel it even now." I said with a sigh, and then suddenly she slapped the back of my head. It didn't hurt much, but it still surprising. "Hey...!"

"Koorydown, koorydown, Mr. Grumpy Bear." She said now splashing some more water on my head and patting it like I was a child. It didn't say anything again, it felt nice. "See? Itz not that hard to relax, lad. Haruka heya can teach ya' how to do it just fayn."

"It's not like that, Haruka-sama. I can relax, it's just... Maybe it's not a good idea to take a bath with a gorgeous woman such as yourself under the same roof as my executioners." I sighed and splashed myself with some hot water. That wasn't flirting, by the way, but she's indeed a beautiful woman, despite probably older than mom and mother of several children. She's kicking. "Besides... I know your fame, and that makes me uncomfortable."

***BITE!***

"Hey...!"

"Rood, much? Lad, I might be a whore wen it cons to men and sex, but I won' chez boys if they don' wan' to! My ninja code!" She just bit me! She bit my neck and then gave me this speech. I dunno if this is reassuring or just her way to express disdain, either way, it hurt. I sighed, and seeing that I don't have a choice but to stay, I dived a little more into the waters, supporting my head on her cleavage, like a pillow. I heard a chuckle. "Relax, relax, lad, and if wan of yah sistah' comes heya, I can always go VOOSH and vanish. Imma ninja, after all."

"Heh... That takes me back." I said, now looking at the ceiling and remembering also a certain seaweed-head that used to say just that. I wonder where she's right now, asking myself typical questions of a worried father, like if she's eating well or at least takin care of herself. I sighed, and Haruka-sama then arched an eyebrow at me.

"Watcha mean, lad?" She asked, also turning her head to the ceiling. I was using now her big breasts as a pillow, taking deep breaths.

"Oh, nothing. It's just... You kinda reminds me of a friend I have, and even used her **catchphrase**. Although it must be a thing between ninjas." I said nonchalantly, still maintaining my balance between relaxation and the fact that I'm supporting myself on a naked hot lady, her boobs serving as a pillow for me. Not to mention, it has been a while since I'm here at the bathtub, so the hot waters are already making me dizzy. Haruka-sama hummed something with a hint of curiosity, and then extended one of her arms, cracking one of her fingers with her thumb, the same way Annie does.

"Lemme guess, dat 'friend' of yos also cracks her fingahs lik dat, rayt?" She asked with an amused hum, as I could swear that Haruka-sama was grinning. I can understand how easily she can read me, after all, I'm just a normal Devil, and she probably had enough sons and daughters to deal with any problems a teenager might, although Annie did say her mother isn't very good as one.

"Yes...? It's a ninja thing, right?"

"Hardly. Atchully, only wan of mah children do that, and itz a certain dhampir I luv so mut." She said with a huff of both pride and cozy feelings, while I tried to break my neck by turning my head upwards to stare back at the ninja master herself. "Sayuri, I heard she assul defected from yah pirageh, rayt? Too bad, I was hoping two see her araln."

"Yes, it was Annie who used to do this..." I said with a curved doubtful period as I also lifted a hand to crack a finger that same way. I don't get it, at all. "But Ren said it's a ninja thing, that all of you do that."

"Ah, I geddit. Poor lie, Itz juzz a way for Ren to remembah **Sayuri**. Cracking fingahs itz herz en herz alon." She chuckled, splashing spme water on us again biting the top of my hand. So... That was a fricking lie, this is only his way to remember his baby sister. Heheh, 'never compromise' my ass, he's as jelly as butter too. However, it's kinda relieving that apparently the ninja master doesn't hold any hard feelings for her stray daughter. "Evybory misses her, that seeweeh had. Two bed she wantz to be lik her pops."

"Yeah... No hard feelings, right?" I said. She hit with with her knuckles, and despite this, much more like Aria-san, it did hurt, but I don't feel any animosity from it. She's treating like I'm her nephew or something. "Ow..."

"Stupid lad, sheez mah dowttah, I dun care if she graffiti sum statwos, I juz wanna her safe." She said. Huh, Annie's old lady is way more level-headed than I thought. Of course, she invaded my personal space and being a ninja, she'll get away with it without a scratch, but... Yeah, she's a great mom. I wonder if Annie knows that. "So... You and yah pirageh take gud ker of her, understand."

"Huh... Now I feel another feeling of deja vu." I said as I remember a certain mother of someone saying the exact same thing back in the underworld. Apparently, Haruka-sama took this on the wrong side, as she went again to bite my nape. "Owowow!"

"Watcha words, lad. Imma 100% original material!" She puffed her chest and leveled me a little up on the waters. Oh, great. No wonder both the ninja siblings have such big noses, it must be inherited. Maybe personalities are also an inherited supernatural thing, I wouldn't be surprised. She really reminds of Aria-san(the author's repertory of archetypes must be running short, I dunno.). In the end, she let me go of her grasp and put herself sit on the bathtub, also forcing me to adjust on her lap. "Say, lad. Kennay ask yah question?"

"I guess...?" I said with my legs crossed. I dunno why, but that last bite made my body feel hot, and I'm having a little problem controlling the line under my waist. Did she notice?

"Ar yu... Still a **virgin**?"

***SPLASH!***

"Blub! Blub! Blub!" And I slipped on the bathtub and almost drown in shallow water. Wasn't that unexpected?! When I could grasp up from down, I emerged from my pathetic stance and coughed the uneasiness away, choking on water and my own lack of words. "From where that came from, Haruka-sama?!"

"Dunno. Yu smell lik a virgin, yet also has feminine scent. An not jus wan, but various feminine puhfoons." She said picking me by the hair and taking a deep, creepy sniff on my neck. Despite the hot scenario, a chill colder than the attics ran through my whole body, and the hotness mentioned beforehand vanished completely. Don't judge me, I barely meet her, and she's already going those creepy things to someone younger than her! I took a deep breath in order to calm myself down, and she laughed. "Kesesese! An it has sum variation two! Devils and yokais I feel, but still a Virgin! Whatta hell, lad?"

"S-shut up...! It's... It's not like that..." I said with a groan, splashing some water on myself to ease up the heat of embarrassment. Geez, I take that back, she's way worse than my cool big sis Aria-san, and that's saying something. At least she'd know when to stop, instead, Haruka-sama continued to pinch my cheek and bite my nape. "But, yes, I'm a... Virgin."

"Keseseseh! Yah, cant escape thiz nose, lad. Ya muss haf the worst case of blue balls evah!" She continued to tease me, doing a scene in the bathtub we're sharing and still laughing at my expenses. I don't care that I'm a virgin, but this lady is pissing me off!

"Haruka-sama, please stop!" I said pinching her back on the back of her hand. She just laughed it off with a quick shake from it and, fortunately, calmed down enough, ceasing her little childish fit and making the situation a little better.

"Alright, alright. Sowwy, sowwy, mah bed." She said, pulling me back on her chest as a pillow and making me even dizzier. She flipped my nose and began scrubbing my hair. "Y'know what? I kinda respect yah, being a virgin and all. We ussto call those 'heroes' back in mah days, holders of libido an stuff. Must be proud of yourself. Ainou I wount..."

"..." I made a face that doubled as a grimace and a nervous wreck. Am I really proud of being a virgin? I dunno, maybe it's my novel side talking, maybe it's the fact my sisters will peel my you-know-what like a potato if I do anything, but I don't actually care about this stuff. Maybe a little, but... Not my priority right now. But I have to admit that I have plenty of opportunities... Not! "It's not like that, Haruka-sama. Maybe I'm just... Too sensitive."

"Kesese, I hear ya, makes sense. Stay true, lad." She said with a lot calmer tone now, so-motherly caressing my head and shaking the drops of water away. "Be a hero, be pure, Aidon ker. But... I guess itz wut meks people liek yu. So be nazz as yu want."

"Thanks, Haruka-sama."

"No prob, lad."

"Mom, how long are you gonna stay there? I want to take a bath too, and Ichijou and the others might-...!"

And then, the door to the bathroom opened to reveal a completely new face: a pretty girl around my age, with spiky hair white and pure as snow, golden eyes matching Haruka-sama's, a body also covered in scars and some tattoos on her legs and arms. She was covering her front with a small towel and carrying a plastic bucket with hair lotions and soap in it. Huh... I have the feeling I've already seem her somewhere... Somewhere... Somewhere...

"Oh, heya, **Ren**! Guess whut? Afond yah friend! Wanna join us?"

And, Ren...

Ren...

_Ren_...?

**Ren**...?!

_**Ren?!**_

_**Ren!**_

"Ren...?!" I said back in a jump, as... That thing suddenly froze in place, also sweating buckets and turning even paler than his... Her... It's hair! From that, Ren dropped the bucket and the towels, and I could take a better look and take my own conclusions. Nothing down there; something up there... There's... There's something wrong here... Maybe I'm just not looking right and his is really small and-No, there's really nothing there, but really something up...

"H-Hey, Ichijou."

"..."

"...?"

"Lad...?"

...

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]**

***PUNCH!***

"Wut?! WHATTA HELL, LAD?!" And that was the last thing I heard before passing out, knocking myself out of commission. Maybe all of this is just a huge nightmare and I just need to wake up. Yes, I just need to wake up from here and pretend I didn't know that...

.

~~X~~

.

And it was another strange morning for us of the Suggestion box club. From last night up until the next morning, ichijou had been unconcious the whole time, a bruise on one of his cheeks and an almost-dislocated jaw, and as soon as the sun came, he jumped from our bed looking for that albino ninja, staying grumpy for the whole breakfast and first period of classes. The moment we walked in to our meeting room only to see Ren-kun sitting on one of our seats, the gravity around here became heavier than the core of the Earth, with our Dragon looking deeply into his friend(...?), like he wanted to carve a hole into his skull or something. I don't know what happened to unfold this whole situation, but it can't be good. Things became so out of hand we asked Aria-san to keep a look on her 'little brother'...

"Uh~, I don't know what happened yesterday, but I think it has something to do with you, Ren-kun." Said Berolina Gremory as her hair antenna would wiggle up and down between the ninja and her queen/my husband/our man. Ichijou grunted in visible rage; while Ren shrugged, a displeased face on him. "It has been a while since I last saw Ichijou like that..."

"We'll discuss this later, if it's possible, Berolina-dono." He said, picking a small paper from the pocket of his jacket and passing it to Aria-San. She blinked a few times in curiosity, and picked it up. "For now, news and information from the Current Kaguya, mother of us all: Aria-san, the area around Kuoh academy on a 30km radius is safe from any possible planned interference. No organizations or terrorist groups around, and those who were, disposed completely. Well, except an unidentified one..."

"Oh, crap. Nemesis won't sleep tonight, and I'm not talking about Nero." Sighed the DxD child, reading the file on her hands and supporting her breasts on Ichijou's hair, which was smelling like ashes. "But since Haruka-sama is on charge, plus her own shinobi are around, maybe I can... Try calm my little neurotic King down. You know how she can be sometimes."

"In all honesty, maybe we should invite Nemesis-dono to our hot Spring back in the Tsukino household. Yours truly maybe can even give her a massage!" Ryuubi-chan said with a smile, but Tasha appeared right behind her doing some... Questionable hand motions as well, which was enough to make Aria-san of all people back a little.

"If I know Nemesis, which I do since childhood, she will refuse and say she doesn't want to be a bother." Pouted Aria-san. Her attention then turned to her little brother hidden under the chain on mountains that were her breasts. "Speaking of bother, don't you think you had enough of rage for a day, bro? Chill it..."

"I am chill, Aria-nee..." He said almost spitting fire out of his mouth, turning his eyes to an ambiguously calm Ren. I'm even afraid to see his level of energy through my sage eyes and pinpoint what he's thinking right now. "Why don't you ask Ren over there the same thing?! Not that his... It's answer will matter, anyway! It'll be a **LIE**!"

"Geez, cut it out Ichijou. So what? It's a ninja thing that I chose. Are you really that angry after everything you saw?" He said with a shrug, and soon enough, the seal of bond Ichijou and I share began to throb a little, increasing with each passing second, we all wanted to say anything to that word salad of nonsense, but of course, my dear husband... Exploded.

"Angry? No, I'm not angry... I am... I am not angry! Who said I'm angry?! I'm not **angry**! Not at all! Not at all!" He probably lied. Probably. Hah. No. He is oozing hatred. "I told you, didn't I?! I'm always prepared for those things! Ahahah! Everyday I woke up and wonder what kind of fucked-up shit I'll face for the day like, I dunno, **DISCOVERING THAT THE GUY... THING I SHARED MY SOUL AND HEART WITH AND WHOM I CONSIDERED ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, LIED TO ME THIS WHOLE TIME! ITS FUNNY, ISN'T IT?! CROSSING THE FUCKING LINE BACK AND FORTH IN THAT ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS, NOT KNOWING HOW TO PROPERLY REACT WITHOUT FUCKING KILLING SOMEONE! I HAD TO CONTROL MYSELF SO THAT THE FOURTH MOST AWKWARD BONER OF MY LIFE WOULDN'T RAPE YOU WITH A VENGEANCE! NOT THAT YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND, SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING DOWN THERE!**"

"..."

"Huff...! Huff...!"

"..."

"...!"

...

"Y'know what? I kinda missed those freak-outs of yours."

"**GYAAAAAAAAAH...! [I WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN... WILL FUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOU...!]**" and he lost it, my dear husband lost control of himself and was ready to rip everything a new one when Aria-san put him out of commission again with a hand chop, and for precaution, I put a high-level seal on his forehead. Poor Ichijou was electrocuted with sealing lightning, and soon enough, fell face-flat on his table. I dunno what happened here, something something eunuch I guess, but he's out now.

"Uuuh~... Has this become mainstream while I was gone?" Berolina said, poking his cheek a few times, only for him to limply twitch a little.

"Dunno. Temper problems." Tasha said too, also poking him on the nose. Before anyone could assault him even more, Aria-san lifted him up to her shoulder and walked towards the exit.

"Well, since I know you girls will either take advantage of my bro, I'll be taking him to the infirmary to cool off." She said with a smirk, as we from the kiss-trio shared some uneasy looks, and Gremory blinked innocently a few times. She knows! And she knows we were about to do just that! Curses! "Have a nice day and club activities. Don't do anything illegal!"

***CLOSE!***

"Ren-kun, could you kindly fill us up with what just happened?" Tasha said with a super-curious look with mixed feelings and auras. On one hand, she was excited, on the other, curious. The ninja supported his feet on the table and sighed.

"Tch, it's... It's a ninja stuff. Top secret and confidential. If you want to know... I'll have to kill you." He sharpened his eyes, but it had no effect on us. Eh, we're all monsters on our own right, he's on the wrong neighborhood.

"I think we should respect Ren-dono's decision of keeping things to himself." Ryuubi-cha-... Sensei said, holding both hands up and calming the rest of us. The eerie aura soon faded, and we all shared one last gaze to each other. There's something fishy about this guy...

"Oh, right! Talking about it, look what we got!" Breaking the tension, the king of this peerage suddenly stood up and showed us a small carton envelope with a certain volume under it. Wow, is that what I think it is? "The swimming club and the school staff gave it to us! Isn't that great? Not only our mission was a success, they also payed really good for it!"

"Whoa. Money." Tasha said with a smile creeping on her face and hands in a groping motion, reaching for the envelope on Rina's hand. I can differ about the 'success' part, but it's nice regardless. "Gimme, gimme."

"Hyahahah! And this is just the beginning, don't worry Tasha!" Said the daughter of the demon lord, her eyes sparkling stars and waving that brown paper up and down. "Imagine what will happen if we continue to receive those bucks after some missions! I know that your reputation it's skyrocketing as we speak, and soon enough, we'll have enough money t-...!"

"... Pay for the damage you all caused on school property, yes?" And then**, *VUPT!***, before our very eyes, The pinkerette snapped the paper from Rina's hand, and surprise was left on it. We all turned to the new teacher as she was the one waving the money now, chuckling and smiling. "I'm apologize, Lady Berolina, but your little... Accidents didn't pass unnoticed by the school staff, if Serena-dono's to be believed, which she is. Nemesis-dono also said that yours truly is **in charge** for the money gained in this club, so if you're the King who thinks deserve respect, you shall respect my humble decisions regarding your rewards and continue to work hard."

"I...! Huh! Well, that's just...! Ugh...!" I saw the once determinate and cheerful Berolina gremory struggle with her own morality and sense of worth, doing some poses and twitching back and forth, while the Campbell witch was waving her hands at the warlady with needy eyes, like a child who just got neglected her favorite teddy bear. In the end, Gremory frowned, crossed her arms and stomped hard on the floor, in a mix of anger and resolution. Huh, to think she almost died when we first met. "Fine! We just need to keep going, right?! As long as we continue to do a good job, the requests won't stop coming, and we'll have the repair money in no time, and THEN we can gain our own! Isn't that right?!"

"Affirmative, although I'm still the one in charge on the monetary gain." Ryuubi said with a bow. This is both assuring and not-assuring, since she has a pretty mellow heart. "But being my king, yours truly might consider breaking some boundaries and enjoy the money as much, if you don't mind."

"Right?! Right?! Alright, let's do this! **Maximum effort**!" She did a 'we can do it' pose and soon enough began to distribute several of the suggestions from the little wooden cube in the middle of our clubroom.

Soon the three of them began to discuss and share the suggestions among themselves, some compliments, complains, and finally some chores for them to do, from students and teachers alike. Before I could reach for a chore myself, however, a hand reached for me, making me turn around, it was Ren...

"Yoko-san, or Kurama-sama leader of the Kanto region of youkais, can I ask you a favor?" He asked with a hand on my shoulder and taking deep breaths. I wonder if it's about Ichijou, since those two are always together. "Since the Sekiryuutei it's absent, I'd like to take you as both my escort and helper in my mission in Kuoh academy."

"Huh, very well. I accept it." I can't be too hard. Besides, with all the crap it happened; it can't be that hard to deal with simple rumors. However, I think I had a part in this deal. "But under only one condition."

"Huh, speak. It's kinda unfair since it was his fault that caused his absence, but... I think it's okay."

"Right. My request, Ren from the ninja village... It's that we'll talk... Seriously."

"Eh...?

* * *

**So, how about that? As always, it has been a in-universe week for ichijou and, trust me, this will get worse. Also, I hope you all could see the several hints around the previous chapters that lead to that... Revelation, and just doesn't sound like an asspull or something. Now, I'm divided, I think annie should be in the harem... But now with that revelation... Two sisters might be too much for our hero. Maybe they'll be stuck as friends, I dunno.**

**I hope you all had fun and didn't get too much confused with the dialect of the character haruka. Trust me, I double-proofed her speech so people might get an idea of what's she's saying. I think it's charming, but if it's too difficult to understand, I'll make the proper changes. Until the next chapter, and stay golden.**


	55. Relationship advices for dummies!

**And so we shall resume the struggles of something worse than the end of the world... The end of a relationship! Just kidding.**

**as alwauys, DxD doesn't belong to me~..**

* * *

***FLASH! FLASH!***

***CLINK!***

***BOOM!***

"Goddamnit, she's way~ too strong!" I said as I emerged from the crater my fall caused, using my Divine Dividing to take flight and have a peripheral look from above. Currently, I'm at the forest not very far from Kuoh city, trying to escape the psycho ninja that has been chasing me since the other day! Even I'm running out of fuel to power the Scale Mail! Hey Arubin, do you have any idea how to deal with her?!

**{THIS IS ONE OF A FEW TIMES A HUMAN WITHOUT A SACRED GEAR POSED A THREAT TO US. HOWEVER, SHE MUST HAVE A LIMIT AS WELL.}** Said the dragon emperor inside my Wings of Light, followed by Vali-nii-chan as his analytical voice tried to calm me down and probably come up with an strategy.**{Albion is right, there must be a limit even for her. She already shown that she can keep up with us for a day, so maybe some {DIVIDE}s might be enough to at least slow her down. Don't push yourself brat, you're no match for her even in this form.}**

"Sorry Nii-chan, but when you mess with the dragon, you'll eventually have to deal with it's flames!" I said, light-speeding around and scanning the area for any living being. Not only she's strong, that lady is also quite fast and I couldn't land a single hit on her to use my {DIVIDE}s! I'm excited and stuff, but her power level is ridiculous! "Where are you?! Come, coward! Face the one and only Hakuryuukou of this generation!"

"If yah insist, lass..." Still in mid-flight, something like a shadow then appeared right in front of me in a dark flash, and before I could even proper react to that, I felt something connecting to my stomach, probably the second strongest punch I've ever received! It not only cracked part of my plate armor, it sent me flying upwards to the heavens, while rolling all the way!

When I could finally control my flight, I stopped and began to hover around, looking down to the lady who was fighting me this whole time: black and long hair, fair skin and yellow eyes, just like a wolf's, mocking while staring back at me, as that lady was carrying a giant sake clay bottle by the strap next to the tip, supported on her shoulder. That thing was huge!

"Watz Wong, Hwait dragon? Didntcha wanna fight?! Bring it on!" She said in that hard, thick Kansai accent(I know Japanese, I kinda lived here for a while.), tapping her red sandals on the floor and bouncing her ginormous boobs all the way, her white shirt with an anime character printed on it hardly containing such monstrosities! Kuh! I wonder if I can use my [DIVIDE] to stole some breasts from her and transfer it to my own!

**{NO COMMENTS/yeah, no comments.}**

"Okay! Bring it on, you busty old hag!" I said with a battle pose, ready to take her on! She smirked, and with a jump which shockwave echoed through the whole place and left a crater where she once stood. We clashed still in midair in a barrage of punches and kicks, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't land a single hit on her or flawlessly escape one of her hard-as-diamond fists! In the end, *BAM!*, we crossed fists and punched one another on the cheek. Hers was way stronger, and so I was send again flying backwards, part of my helmet cracking!

But that wasn't enough for her! Using her own feet to gain the proper boost, she launched herself still in midair in my direction, ready to throw another of those hard punches on me! I extended a hand for her and soon enough the wings on my back announced {DIVIDE!} nonstop, as I could feel myself getting stronger with each one! However, that wasn't enough to even slow her down! She appeared in front of me in a flash, but when I was about to attack her, she vanished, I felt something hard hammer my head! It was so strong it made me fall back to earth and create quite a crater there!

"Holy shit... Not even halving her power has any effects!" I said as I tried to get up, and my Scale Mail Armor vanished in thin air. This is the third time she does that, and I don't think I have enough power for another half dozen of it! I stood up, dusted my clothes a little and then that lady from before landed right in front of me. She's way strong! I bet you would want to fight her, nii-chan! "What?! Want some more of this?! You didn't even see my true power!"

"Kesesese, ya got gutz, lass. I must admit! Itzah bin a while since I hehfoon like dat!" She said with a grin and cracking her fingers, only to take another gulp from that enormous jar of sake on her back, the smell of alcohol easily reaching my nostrils. "Yah wan sum? Too bed, I mye be liek dat, but I know wen a lass like yah is undereg! No deal!"

"Believe me, a good fight it's all I need..."

***ZOOM!***

"... To reach a **pinch**!"

***PUNCH!***

"GAAAAOHH...!" And she over-powered me again! When I thought a good old by-the-back hit would work, she went ahead and so casually punched me back with the back of her hand, without even looking! Again I was sent launched, destroying some trees and only stopping when I reach a solid rock! Ohohoh! This is getting bad, but so exciting! "Hahahah! I promise this will only get worse from here, ya old hag!"

"Ya really got gutz, and maybe ya will supass me Inna few yeas! But for now... Yah bettah calm daw, I still need two finsh mye sken 'round." That old hag said again, gulping down another gallon of sake and sighing a true ball of smoke from her heated state. "This isn't my full strenff yet, lass. Cawn daw and givvup."

Wait, are you serious?! This whole time, this stamina, this power, this speed and strength, even after all this fight and using Divine Dividing like a dozen times... That isn't her full strength yet?! No wonder so many {DIVIDE}s didn't affect her much! I must be playing on the wrong side so!

"'Calm down and give up'? Huh! Apparently you never heard of the White Dragon Emperor Vali Lucifer, my dearest nii-chan and tutor! We never give up! In fact... Knowing you held back this whole time makes me wanna fight you even more!" I said summoning again my Scale Mail armor and making all the accumulated power go overdrive. The gravity around me got lighter and that old hag suddenly wide her eyes in surprise! "Well, guess what, yah old Hag! I was also holding back, but since both of us know that now, I guess there's no point in it anymore! Prepare yourself to face... The **{JUGGERNAUT DRIVE}**!"

**{ELIZABETH, YOUR BLOODTHIRSTY IS ONCE AGAIN TAKING CONTROL OVER YOUR BETTER JUDGEMENT. IN THIS STATE, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT NO LIFE FORM AROUND SHALL SURVIVE, YOURSELF INCLUDED.}** I heard Arubin say, but didn't care much! I just want to see if the old hag is powerful enough to counter one of the two heavenly dragons at his maximum! Also, I think I can control it for at least one minute or so, which should be enough to see her full strength!

**"{I, WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN, AM THE HEAVENLY DRAGON THAT SHALL ERASE THE GIFT OF LIFE AND LIGHT GIVEN BY GOD!}"**

**{So, you're not gonna stop? Fine then, let's see if you can use the JUGGERNAUT DRIVE and maybe surpass your previous mark of control. Just so you know, brat, Arthuria isn't around to save you.}** I heard Nii-chan said with an unchanged tone! You'll see! I'll surpass the previous AND shut off before it's too late! Let's do this!

**"{I WILL DEVOUR THE DREAM, AND CONSUME THE INFINITE! I SHALL BECOME THE WHITE DRAGON OF SUPREMACY!}"**

"Oh, hoh! Dah infamoz** {JUGGERNAUT}**, heeh~? Lass, yah really zimpreziph!" I heard the old hag said, as she jumped back a few landed on the tip of a nearby tree! Hah! Like that will save her now! "Ok, maybe I'll givvet my aw, too! Arya reddy, Lass?!"

**"{AND I SHALL CRUSH YOU WITH THE NOTHINGNESS OF THE WHITE VOID!}"**

"Brinnit on, then!"

{JUGGERNAUT DRIV-...!}

*DOOOOON*

"Hidebu...!" But before I could even into a massive dragon, suddenly something came from the heavens and landed right on top of me, ceasing my transformation and filtering all the power I had store for it! It didn't take long for me to know who it was! "**Arthuria**...!"

"Lisa, how many times I must say: no barriers and no Arthuria equals no **{JUGGERNAUT DRIVE**} for you." My dear dear partner and girlfriend(Jk.) said on top of me, arms crossed and crushing my back with her butt, as True Longinus was holding me in place with it's rod. Damn **Zhuge Lian** and her mind-locking technique! I can't have my fun when those two can read what I'm gonna do! The blond swordswoman sighed and tapped the top of my head. "Can't you at least take control to yourself? I bet Lord Albion and Lord Vali warned you or something."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry, ma'am." I said with a grunt, receiving the worst stare ever from the old hag in front of me, who was just chuckling. "What are you looking at, yah old hag? Can't you see I'm being scolded by mom here?!"

"Watch your tongue and respect, Lisa. She's way stronger than us." The blonde flipped a finger on me, before looking at the old hag in front of us and slowly bowing her head down. Don't do this, I don't want to be associated with you if you're gonna bow your head like that! That's not fair, that's cheating, Artie! "I apologize for any problems my little troublemaker might've cause. She can be pretty... Snappy sometimes."

"No prob, blondie. Dat lass larn her lesun, so it's fain by yours truly~!" The old hag said with that thick accent and stuck her tongue out for me! Oh, you didn't! Before I could go berserk again, however, Arthuria filtered my powers, making me kiss the floor. Maybe how that's my enemies feel when I_ {DIVIDE}_their powers. "Hey, **{DIVAN DIVAIDIN}** lass...!"

"What?!" I looked at her from the ground, waiting for something stupid, but instead the old hag simply lifted one of her fists in a challenging way and smiled, a straw hanging from her mouth as the jar of sake on her back shrank now to normal size.

"I can see potential inyah!" She said, as suddenly all the rage that was filling me vanished, and I gasped in surprise! She's challenging me to fight again! "**{DIVAIN DIVAIDIN}** usehs aren big trets sins they need to touch ya to causs effects! Props for yah and ya master! I hope we can fight agen!"

"..." Kyaaaah! She's so cool! And she wants to fight me too! Huhuhuh! Okay, so if it's a fight she wants, it's a fight she'll get! I'm all pump up now! "Hahahah! Okay, yah old hag! Prepare to feel the power of the White Dragon Emper-...!"

***DON!***

"She said 'she hopes' you'll fight again. Not now, nor sooner. Keep it quiet for now, please." And when I was about to stand up and attack her with my now undying will, Artie pushed me even further into the ground and locked me tighter!

"Joykiller Arthuria!"

"It's the only thing I can kill, anyway." The blonde sighed, and turned back to the old hag. "Well then, we'll be taking our leave, madam. I'm sorry for any problems this little idiot might've caused."

"Nah, it's alrait, but tell me this, blondie." The old hag then lifted one of her fingers and then her smirk turned somber, and eerie aura escaping her being while the gravity around grow heavier. "Yu two... Are yah plannin to do anythin around heya, in Kuoh city? Depending on yah ansser, I'll nid to dipos yah."

"..." But before we could answer, Arthuria retreated True Longinus from me and opened a portal away from Kuoh city, away from this dimension. Soon enough, we were at the dimensional Gap, this trippy place that stands between the gaps of each supernatural realm and our own, thus this super-creative name, floating on her own barrier to shield us from the consuming nothingness. "Elizabeth..."

"I know, I know. I'll be more careful next time." I sighed, and Arthuria flipped again my forehead. With all the fire out, my reason came back to me, and I kinda felt bad for what happened. Still, I wanted to test the** {JUGGERNAUT DRIVE}** again! I hope my control over it don't rust away with time, and only after that I'll be able to go beyond that, maybe even...** {EMPIREO JUGGERNAUT OVERDRIVE}**!. "Still, I still want to go to that Devil-Vampire meeting! I want to fight that old hag again, and the Vampire King... Even maybe the Leviathan And Lucifer Satans and the Sekiryuutei!"

"You just contradicted yourself, are you even listening to your own bloody speech? Goodness..." And she slipped her own Englishness from her mouth, covering it soon after. Kah, Kah! She can be so cute in those sometimes, but I won't say anything or else she'll shove True Longinus up to my ass... Again. "But since I know you will go anyway, I'll need to go as well. Maybe we shall call Adolf and Zhuge Lian as well? After all, this will be big."

"Sure, the more the merrier, right?" That's why I love her so much: we talk and talk, yet she supports me to no end! Sure, the others too, but it's actually from fear, while the blondie is way stronger than me. "I met the Sekiryuutei the other day too. I'm so excited to smack-talk to him~!"

"Uh-huh, do as you please. There won't be any way for you to fight anyway during it." She said as we approached a massive flying harem castle in the middle of a wasteland of a random dimension, an old relic of the Prime Era we found during our trips around the dimensional gap and that now is our stable HQ. Puh, I won't have any way to fight him during the meeting? This sucks...

Oh well, 'guess I can pay him a little visit in the meantime!

.

~~X~~

.

"Don't you really wanna talk about it? I know Ichijou a lot, I guess I can help." I said as the albino ninja guided me to a random location in Kuoh academy. It has been a minute already, and yet we don't changed any words to each other. "Y'know, that's my part of the deal. Might as well turn around and help Rina with her things."

"Whatever, I've said it already: it's a ninja stuff! Outsiders can't say shit." He sighed, still not looking at me or anything. I can see he's trying to hold back some kind of nervous breakdown, but if he could see what I do, he could at least put a little more effort. "There are rumors around the third years that there's the spirit of an old man causing interference in cellphones, video games and other electronic devices. Since you're a master in sage arts, you will probably feel when things turn odd."

"Well yeah, the whole '_parabolic_' thing was a joke, but sensing those can't be that hard." I said back. After that, silence, no more words spoken. I thin I should start a conversation then, since apparently he's way troubled. "So... You're one of Ichijou's best friends, eh? I'm kinda jealous. Sure, we're... More than that, but for him to consider someone as his friend... It has been harsh for him."

"Not now, Kurama-sama. I'm not in the mood." He responded. I pouted by his back, and sighed. Hard head, and quite the stubborn prick, little wonder that he used to be close to my darling. Makes me think what caused the detriment in their relationship. The last time I saw Ichijou that angry was... When we saw that Miyama brat a few weeks ago. "Besides, what is done is done. I'm not sorry for what I do or did, and I won't apologize about because he doesn't like it!"

"Alright, alright. I can understand your cause, I can relate about those things, they don't even call me by my real name as well." I said now, ready to let that one slide so that the awkwardness between us could vanish and we can focus on the problem at hand. But before that, I must ask him one more thing: "but tell me something, Ren-kun: this friendship you have... Had going on with the Sekiryuutei, don't you want him to get over for you two to get along again?"

"..." He stopped on his track, and since I was expecting that, I shut myself up in order to wait for his response. Suddenly, he put his hands around his head and began to shake it like he was throwing some kind of tantrum. Why boys need to be so unexpected sometimes? "Uuuuuuuugh~...! I know that the rule is to **never compromise**, and I'm not sorry for what I did at all, but I really want to continue to be his friend~! This sucks! This is so messed-up! What is it called? This feeling of wanting to stay like that even after all of this?! Shit!"

"..." I smell teenage angst, how unbearably cliche. Jokes aside, this is really nice about change of pace. I dunno, maybe his case is not very far from mine. Not that they have enough choice since Ichijou is his escort and stuff, but the only answer I can say to that is the simplest: "It's called _'being friends'_, Ren-kun."

"Really...? Is it all?" He turned around with a rather deadpan expression and his last remark really meaning it. There's no doubt, Ren-kun is way similar to my darling, and they can be the best of friends. In the end, the said ninja sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Friends, huh? That's..."

"... New to you, right? You never had friends and everyone who you ever know either ignored you or tried to kill you, right?" I mimicked his gesture and firstly he gasped at my predicament, and covered his face with a hand in deep thoughts. "Guess from where this came from? I dunno if it's the hormones or the stock phrases, but you angsty boys can be so predictable. And unlike my cute Ichijou, you're kinda pathetic like that."

"I bet you already gave him also the **pathetic** label." He responded. I sheepishly grinned.

"That's true, but he's way more endearing than you, and if I can get to cuddle with him during it, it's all good." I winked, and the ninja blushed, hiding behind his bangs and turning around to look the other side. He's pathetic, but not the bad kind of pathetic. I tapped his shoulder a few times and chuckled to beside him, shaking my head. "I'll give you that, though. My darling is way too stubborn and kinda of dense. Unless you say it out loud, he'll continue to be mad or won't apologize until then. Otherwise he'll be freaked out at first, but will understand."

"Y'know, not that I care much, but I'm glad Sayuri was at good hands when she was around Kuoh." He blushed, scratched his cheek and sighed in a miserable way. Sayuri... I think he means the ninja. Huh, little did he know, we weren't really that close and all, doesn't me we didn't try at least. Also, he sucks at lying, he cares. Why does Ichijou is the only one with the bitch sisters? He cracked his finger like that ninja used to do and moved on with his way, with me following soon short. It was a nice talk, it was all I needed to hear...

The school isn't that big, so the walk wasn't too long, just some corners and going up the stairs and stuff, soon reaching a certain class, class 2-B, where I know a certain group of studies holds place after classes, and I could feel something of a heavy aura around it, similar yet not quite natural energy. Reaching there, we also noticed a certain pair of sages also trying to take a peek inside the room...

"Ah, Nashiro-san, Sally-chan!" I waved to both as we came closer, the two turning to us and smiling in surprise.

"Oh, Kurama-nee-chan, Ren-kun, howdy." The DxD child said with Ichijou apprentice on her arms, waving her hand so that we come closer to them. We did just that, and she slid open the door just a little. "If you're here of all places, there must be that you're also trying to figure from where this aura is coming from, right nyan?"

"Yep. Ren-kun here said that one of the wonders of Kuoh is taking place here, and I can pretty much feel that too." I said, my ears under my bow and my eye seeing the flow of energy gathering just there. There's no doubt, there's a sage in there, somehow right under my nose. I shrugged. "But since we're in four, I think there's no reason for us to fear whatever is by the other side of this door."

"Oh... Ooh~! You underestimate the Seven wonders of Kuoh, Kurama-sama!" I turned around to see the pointing ninja, and for some reason his face was covered by a even heavier and somber atmosphere. "Believe me, sometimes, it is better to be mentally prepared to face anything, or else the darkness shall strip you from sanity, destroy your mind and drag you to insanity. Trust me, for I have faced one of them, and I'm not the same ever since..."

"..." Wow, he's losing it. Still, I can't believe the problem is that big. I mean, Sally-chan is one of these mysteries, and she became our little mascot. Not that I'm not a little afraid to face what lies the other way, but I'm a leader of the Kanto youkai faction, and I'm older than pretty much everyone in this school, I Think I've already seen everything. "Okay."

"Well, we can't see very well from here, Nyan, so we can't take any conclusions from it too, nyan." Nashiro-san said. "Maybe we can just opened it whole and face what's going on. If it's an youkai just like us, Kurama-nee-chan, I think he or she can understand."

"You're right. We have nothing to fear! Although grown-ups don't seem to like me." Sally-chan said with a sigh, and I patted her on the head in comfort. Ren-kun is still freaked out, but let him be for now. Okay, let's open this door and see what's going on now. Can't be that bad...

***SLIDE!***

"Kyah~! **Nekomecha**-senpai, you're so cool and intelligent!"

"Beep-boop, I appreciate your compliments. I am sure very happy about them, nyan."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

...

There's... There's a... There's a rob-... There's a rob-...! There's a goddamn robot wearing Kuoh academy's uniform and playing tutor with some of the girls! What is this?! **WHAT IN OUR MOTHER YASAKA'S NAME IS THAT THING**?! It's not even clever, he's a goddamn robot shaped like a square and with cat ears on top of his square head wearing Kuoh academy's uniform! What the...!

"Oh, we have... ***BEEP BOOP!***, we have visitors, nyan." He said it, he said 'nyan'. Everybody was speechless, and his classmates suddenly turned to us, as the... Robot-cat stood up and walked towards us, topping practically everybody with his massive body. Wait, it's from... Him I can sense the energy gathering around. Don't tell me... A machine can also be a freaking sage! "Good afternoon, my beautiful k-k- ***ZING!***kouhai."

Did... Did he go **circuit** just now?

"What can I, the class representative of Class 2-B Nekomecha Satoru, can do to help you four in your quest, nyan?" And he's so charismatic, too. The students behind them squealed from his apparent 'coolness', and he scratched the back of his... Head? Body? I dunno... I don't kn-I don't care anymore! "Sorry about them. I was tutoring them, but they can't stop fawning over me. If you guys want, maybe we can discuss matters outside, nyan."

"O-Okay..." Nashiro-san said as we came with us to the outside of the classroom. And there we are, in the middle of the corridor, facing what might be a giant, square robot with cat ears and senjutsu powers, or something out of my imagination caused by too much exposure of my own sage arts. I might be drunk with power. A minute or two passed after we could finally have something to say. "Uh... Satoru... -kun?"

"What is it, nyan?" Again, he said 'Nyan'. I'm so scared right now.

"We've been hearing rumors that... There's something messing with electronic waves around this floor, and... And... And..." Nashiro-san stopped and coughed a little, trying her hardest to not to either lose her composure or show any kind of weakness. He tilted his head... Body... Whatever to a side and hummed in confused.

"Oh-hoh? And what that's anything to do with me, if I may ask, nyan?"

"Huuuh... Nekomecha-san, what we're trying to say is that... We're sages and..." I gulped. I hope I don't sound too racist or something, I don't freaking know, do robots have those kind of issues? "We have the slightest, very slightest idea that you might be the cause of this all because the waves are stronger here and... Well, you're... You're a..."

"Oh-hoh, so you figured it out. I would never know there were other sages here in Kuoh academy! Nyahahahah, I see. That's right, miss, I'm a **nekomata**." He said. Wait, this is _WAAAAAAAY_ beyond the answer I was expecting! He's a nek-... He's a nek-... This is so not the issue here! "And I apologize for that little problem I might've brought you all."

"Uuuuuh~..." We rolled our eyes. The elephant is stomping us, and we're still trying to ignore it.

"Very well, Sorry for this, nyan. I was just worried, y'know. I heard that Kuoh academy was filled with bad guys and was usually victim of attacks from other schools, so I'm always using my senjutsu to sense if something's wrong, nyan. But seeing that we got also our own share of sages, I guess there's no point in doing this anymore, nyan." He chuckled with his robotic voice, as one of his hands that was more like a metal rod with a claw reached for one button by one side of his head and turn it to a random direction. Suddenly, the waves of energy stopped, and everything in the flow of nature came back to normal. I don't even-...! "Sorry about it, and I hope I didn't bring any harm to one of my fellow students besides those interferences, nyan."

"No... Not at all." Nashiro-san said. The 'eyes' of that... Thing, that were more like circles of light, suddenly went from white to green, and he chuckled.

"Very well then, nyan. Now if you excuse me, I shall resume my tutoring lessons with my dear underclassmates. Also, if you're having a hard time with your homework or just want to chat, come by and have a seat, I'm always willing to have a good time with everyone. See you~, nyan."

And then he bowed and slid the door shut. Uh... He's a nice gu- **He's a robot!** And quite the upperclassmat- **He's a robot!** We were right, he was the one doing all those interferenc- **He's a robot!** But at least he was friendly enough to undo it without any complai- **He's a robot**! And his motives were quite nobl- **He's a robot**! Yeah, maybe we can settle down and have a nice cha- **HE'S A GODDAMN ROBOT! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE POWERFUL KITSUNE TRIO IN WHICH ONE IS MY MOTHER AND YASAKA-SAMA WAS THAAAAAAT...?!**

"See? What did I say?! Don't underestimate the power of Kuoh!"

"Nee-chan, I'm scared."

"Haaaah~! I want master~!"

"..."

This is the last time I'll ever underestimate the tales of Kuoh academy...

**[FIVE WONDERS DISCOVERED, TWO TO GO!]**

.

~~x~~

.

Stupid **Ren**, lying to me this whole time! Ugh, I'm so angry! Why the hell would he do that?! I thought we were bros! This is so frustrating, I can believe he betrayed me like that! First Annie, now that douchebag! Maybe ninjas can't be trusted at all! Grrrr~! Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating!

"Ichijou-kun, you know that raging about it won't do you any good." Kaichou said on top of me. Here I am in the infirmary room, boiling with rage and covered with blanket, forming a cocoon around me on the hospital bed, with Serena-Kaichou cross-legged on top of me like Urashima Tarou. I bet she can sense the heat I'm producing with my wrath! "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe that will cheer you up or something? Or maybe you want to read some of my manga?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Kaichou! Moreover, I think we should contact Lord Desmond and convince him to ask the services from another ninja village, because the Hanzō village is full of liars!" I said, gripping even tighter on my sheets and biting the bed! Humph! This is frustrating! Next time, he'll be the one I'll tear apart!

"Heheh... You said just 'liars', even though Hell-chan betrayed you a long time ago." She said with an amused tone, which made me frown and grunt. "If you can say that, it means you're seeing pass that fact. Maybe you can overlook Ren-kun's case as well."

"I knew about Annie's ambitions all along, I just didn't want her to go so soon and die for her own. Ren LIED to me, Kaichou!" There's a big difference between the two siblings. It might not look like, but I trust Annie more than Ren now! Who knows what other kind of secrets he's hiding from me! "And believe Kaichou, there's no line between a liar and another."

"Wow. You're worse than I thought. Doesn't mean I won't take advantage of that..." She sing-said as suddenly I felt the gravity above me lighter up a bit, but also something slurring towards everywhere. Soon enough, I saw kaichou's face poking from the side of my cocoon. She smiled. "Hey hey~, do you want Serena-chan to kiss you and make everything better~? How about it, Bat-guy, a kiss from this poison Ivy~?"

She's mocking me! She's mocking me again! Well. Screw her too! Two can play this game! Before she could do anything else, I rolled on the blanket to get rid of that improvised cover, putting her off her balance and landing next to me on the bed. As fast as I could, I rolled onto her and put myself on top of that lady, making it impossible to stand up! She gasped in surprise for my bold and quick moves, and in that moment of awkwardness, I moved forward and...!

***Chuu~!***

"...!"

"..."

...

...

...

Wait... What?

**WAIT, WHAT?!**

"Eh... I... Hun~..." I backed a few after the contact of our lips, and only now noticed it wasn't just a silly peck. A trail of saliva traced between our mouths, and I was gripping on one of her breasts quite violently. My confused gaze scanned around and I noticed that part of her shirt had it's buttons exploded off, and there was something really... Odd about how my knee was touching under her shirt in between her legs. "Uh... Well..."

"Eeeeeh...?"

"..."

"..."

***PUNCH!***

**"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?!"**

"Don't ask me that~!" And I couldn't handle the situation and only found the typical solution that always work in those: to punch the nearest conscious thing! Serena-Kaichou fell off the bed and landed on her butt, while I picked my blankets again and covered myself! Ugh, what the hell?! I assaulted Kaichou and stole... Another kiss which could probably be a payback for those other times, and that's terrible!

"Kaaaaah~! I'm sorry, Kaichou! It was a thing from the moment, I was mad and all, and you came with your teasing and things just sorta happen and-Gaaaaah...!" This is so embarrassing, I want to die! I'm wetting my bed with tears just by remembering it! My mind is a mess and I can't figure things out! **MY MIND IS A MESS AND I CAN'T FIGURE THINGS OUT!** "Also, stop using that same strawberry shortcake lipstick! It has been already more than a month! Your lips will get infected!"

"Uuuh~... How do you know it's strawberry Shortcake Lipstick?"

"I have four older sisters and a mother, goddamnit! There isn't a single makeup product they didn't try on me!" I said back! Wait, I'm sidetracking again! Shit! "I'm sorry, Kaichou! It was a thing from the moment! I was so upset with the whole betrayal and lie thing I got carry away and kinda expressed on you! I'm sorry~!"

Oh, no! It's coming! My inner disgusting perverted male urges are uprising! Before I know it, I'll be the father of at least ten children from other mothers, break the hearts of everyone around and leave my sons into despair! Kaichou will probably never talk to me, and she'll spread that I'm a hungry sexual predator to the whole school! But I think it's better that way, before I can really do those horrible things! I'm a monster, a devil of desire! I'm one of those guys who wants to be popular and grope boobs left and right, the incarnation of lust!

"Ichijou-kun~?" I heard from the other side of the blanket, but no way in hell I'll see what's by it. Kaichou will probably break one of my arms if I'm lucky! I know she wouldn't usually go that far, but I assaulted her, that's enough for her to do anything with me! "Tsukino Ichijou-kun~, the president of the student council Shitori Serena is calling for you. Please present yourself!"

"Y-Yes." I don't know how to react to that, and I have the feeling that I won't get out of this alive! Out of curiosity, but still a little scared, I threatened a peek outside, only to Serena-Kaichou to play the abyss and stare right back at me! I jumped and landed by the other side. "Hyaaaaah! I'm sorry, Kaichou! Please don't kill me!"

"What makes you think I'd do that? Certainly, I'm livid about it, and I'm kinda surprised of how bold you were, attacking the heiress of the Sitri clan like that, indiscriminately. However, I won't say I wasn't tempting you, nor that it wasn't unwelcome." She said, now sitting next to me as I could feel the bed pending to a side. I peeked again outside my blanket world, the world outside the world under the cover, and saw her looking at distance, fingers on lips. "My heart is racing even just now, in a good way to be honest, it's kinda funny. How about you?"

"Huh... My mind is a mess and I can't figure things out." I mumbled, poking my head out of the blanket and repeating that little mantra under my breath. Ugh, as always things will get complicated from time to time. She reached her hand for my head to pat it, and it felt good in a way. Huh, why am I worried again? "What should I do, Kaichou?"

"I dunno? What do you think you should do?"

"Psh, really?" I deadpanned back, and she smiled again. I dunno, what should I do? That's why I asked her in the first place! "Y'know what? Screw it, I'll still be mad at him. Doesn't change the fact he lied to me, so I won't talk to him."

"Oh-hoh? Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"...?"

"But... If he comes back wanting to talk... Of course I'll stop and talk to him. He's my **friend**, after all." And here it is. I'm getting softer and mellower by the second, and I don't know if this is a good thing either. Serena-kaichou's smile grew ever more, and her patting hand came lower to cup my face, getting all touchy again. "Why do you keep doing that, Kaichou? Not that I don't like it, but I have the feeling you're toying with me, and I had enough of that from the Gremory sisters."

"Huuuh~... Yep, I'm playing with you! And do you know why? Because you're probably the second most uptight person in this whole academy, losing only to Lady Nemesis." She said without a second thought. I was right, she's playing with me, and while feeling a little annoyed, I can see pass her intentions. "Loose it out, okay? As the president of the student council and Rina-chan's childhood friend, it's my job to make you feel happy. Besides, we're also friends, right?"

"Yeah." I weakly said. I'm not exactly the loosest person around, so maybe she's kinda right. Besides, cuddling with Kaichou is nice, it's like having a girlfriend I guess. I bet she'd do that even if I wasn't the Sekiryuutei, since she was a nice person even with the likes of Sarah-San and Nemesis-San. Kaichou really is... A nice person.

"Still...?"

"Eh...?"

***PULL!***

***TUG!***

"Owowowow! Kaichou, you'll break me!" I whined as suddenly she came closer and locked me in a hard and tight armlock. I don't care if she's touching me, she's also trying to break my body!

"This is your punishment! A girl attacking a guy is a tease, but a guy attacking a girl is sexual harassment! Feel the power of my justice!" She said, bending my arm even tighter now! Damn double standards, I knew trying to be bold would get me in trouble! "Now, I guess dislocating one of your arms should be enough punishment for you! Don't worry, I'll put it back right after!"

"This is way too much! It was an indulged crime! Don't you think I should at least...!"

***BITE!***

"Owowow~!" And she went ahead and bite my cheek! How's that even possible?!

"Blaming the victim, too? Your penalty will increase now! I'll dislocate your arm and bite you wherever I want!" And again, I couldn't win in a discussion with a woman! Owowowow! Kaichou really wants to break my arm~! And she's biting me! She's biting me! "Feel my justice, evildoer! And learn your lesson!"

"No~! Stop! Kaichou! Kaichoooou~...!"

"Am I interrupting something?" And the whole situation became a lot more awkward when that voice reached us, and we turned slowly around to face the speaker of that one. Wearing a tuxedo and with his spiky jet black hair covering one of his bright eyes, the other staring directly at us, there was Nemesis-san's knight **Nero** **Glaudius**, scratching his cheek in awkwardness as Kaichou and I splat apart and sat properly on the bed. "This is not a rhetorical question, I can come back later if you two are busy, I won't complain. But just so you know, this place is not soundproof, and the nurse is just outside waiting for you two to finish whatever is going on..."

"Ahah... Ahahahah... I mean, no, Nero-san. You have... Our attention." I couldn't see how Kaichou was reacting to that intrusion, I was too busy trying to assimilate my face to the bed, burying the deepest I Could. What a day! I'm having motion sickness just by remembering everything that happened today! This is probably the fourth most awkward day of my life! "So, Nero-san, what business you have will me? Is it another of your scans around this place?"

"Actually, lady Sitri, my business here is with the Sekiryuutei, if you don't mind." That one caught me unguarded, and soon enough I dismissed the white sheets to look upwards back to Nero, who also turned to me. "Hey, Ichijou. Long time no see."

"Uh, yeah, it has been a while, Nero-san." I said back, blushing a little now that we're in such calm terms. To think the last time I saw him, we tried to kill each other. What business a guy like him can have with me? Probably regarding the white dragon and whatnot. But seriously, if he start talking about breasts and harems, I swear I'll...!

"I heard that you've met the Hakuryuukou, and that she has become a constant figure around Kuoh city." He said. So it really is about the Hakuryuukou, that girl named... Oh, I forgot. Well, he's really here for that. I wonder what he's expecting from me with that. "Even in Haruka-sama's report she's mentioned nonstop and, while unable to land a hit on her, the white one proved to be a rather dangerous threat."

"Yeah, Nemesis-san mentioned that she was able to defeat that Miyama bastard back in the trials. She's really strong." I concluded, as Nero-san nodded. Compared to her, who has both the White dragon and Lord Vali backing her up since who knows when, I'm still green, and even with Yagura taking care of things, I don't think I'd put much of a fight. More like 'face-first on the floor' style. I turned back to him. "I'm no match for her, I can barely maintain my Balance Breaker for a much of five minutes. Do you have any suggestions?"

"That's why I'm here, Tsukino Ichijou." He said with a serious glare, in big contrast with his usual calm and meek self and, taking a peek around to see if there wasn't anyone around, returned his glare to me, lifting one hand in a grasping position. "You remember back in our Rating Game, when we fought toe-to-toe. For that matter, Nemesis placed a **seal** in all of us to **limit** the amount of power we could unleash in that match. You were a rookie group, we could accidentally kill you all in half an hour, less than that even."

"I had that idea for a while now. Hwan Jin-young-Hyoung's punches were harder than anything you did to me back then." I said miserably, of course they were holding back, otherwise I think even Yagura would have a hard time dealing with Aria-san and Akio-san. But I don't think he's here to shove that into my face and laugh about it.

"Very well, there was another condition for that RG, one exclusive for me, that said I couldn't use a certain weapon for the whole match. Remember when I said I was a holy Knight, and my** [HOLY ARM]** was a souvenir I brought from those days? Very well, little did everyone know, I also brought a second little one." He said, those words meaning nothing to me, nor making any sense. Kaichou, however, gasped and wide her eyes both in amazement and surprise. A magic rune appeared right next to Nero-san, a golden one with a dragon on it, and from it, the ex-holy knight pulled a purple grip. In one single and smooth pull, he picked from there a long and shiny sword, of purple grip and golden hilt and details, bright as the sun itself. A shiver probably Of same magnitude from when I first met... The white one**(seriously, how could I forgot her name?)** ran down my spine, and my Boosted Gear reacted accordantly. He said it's a 'souvenir' from his days as a holy knight. So, is that a Holy sword? "Behold, Sekiryuutei. This is Saint Jorge's dragon-slaying holy sword, **Ascalon**!"

"A dragon slaying... Holy sword?" I backed a few jumps away from that thing out of pure instinct, and unconsciously dragged myself away from it. What the hell, this aura and power, I can almost taste it! This is different from the killing intent I felt from my other opponents. It doesn't have any eerie aura or killing intent... For me, it just screams death. "W-What...?!"

"Calm down, this sword has several runes and alchemistic spells crafted on it for someone as the Sekiryuutei to hold it." Nero-san said in a calm tone, passing that... Blade for me. I jumped away, but Kaichou suddenly picked me by the shoulders.

"Ichijou-kun, don't you worry about it. He's telling the truth, and those spells are still strong in Ascalon. Lord Michael from heavens himself offered it to your senpai!" She said with a beaming aura, trying her best to convince me. I looked back at that shining sword, still giving me deadly vibes, and tried to reach it, only to back my fingers away. Shit, that one is scary. Welsh dragon, can I really do this?

**[I DOUBT THE PREVIOUS LEADER OF HEAVENS WOULD BE SO CARELESS ABOUT SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS A GENUINE HOLY BLADE.]** The dragon said in my head. It is true, that.** [YOUR REACTION IS JUSTIFIED FOR BEING THE FIRST TIME SEEING A TRUE HOLY SWORD THIS CLOSE, BEING BOTH A DEVIL AND HAVING THE BOOSTED GEAR. BUT I CAN STILL FEEL THE SEALS AND SPELLS ON IT, AND THE SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN IT AND THE SACRED GEAR IS STILL HIGH. YOU JUST NEED THE PROPER WILL TO DO IT.]**

**[In other words: believe in yourself and pierce the heavens, baby.] Y**agura said with a chuckle. I'm still trembling to reach that sword, and while a part of me is saying 'no', the other part is trying to reach it... Can I really do this?

...

"Ah! Whatever! I'm the Sekiryuutei! If I want a dragon-slaying holy sword with me, then it will be mine!" I said and, gulping my last drops of regret and doubt, summoned my Boosted Gear and reached for that blade and held it as tight as I could, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths.

The weight of it fell on me in the same instant. What is this?! This weight, this power, this aura. It's completely different from Rhongomiant! So... This is a genuine Holy Sword. Even being showered by holy objects from Fanfnir's collection of treasures is less scary. Okay, I gotta stay calm... Deep breath, deep breath. Remember what Aria-san taught you, you have to wish for it, and the Boosted Gear shall respond to. Keep it calm, the sword is part of your Sacred Gear, the blade is part of your body. My hand holding the handle was still numb, but soon the aura of certain death died out, getting weaker and weaker and weaker...

I can feel it, the blade synchronizing with my Boosted Gear, and the aura completely vanished from my left hand, and I feel... Something else.

***SHING!***

"Good job, Ichijou-kun. Ascalon is yours now." I heard Nero-san said in the darkness. I tried to take a peek outside the world beyond my eyelids, and gasped in surprise for what I saw: Ascalon completely fused with My Dragon arm, and the deadly aura around it vanished completely. It worked! I did it!

"Nice going, Sekiryuutei! Rina will be proud!" Kaichou said, and I turned to her to nod at that. Wow, that's actually kind of exciting! From where I stand, both the my sacred gear and Ascalon are emitting a powerful aura of both Dragonic and something I can only assume is holy power, running smoothly through the gauntlet and blade. The blade retreated back into the Crimson scales, and I pulled my Boosted Gear back on standby. This is way too cool, yet...

"This is cool and all Nero-san, it really is, but are you sure about giving this sword to me? Of all things?" I said. I mean, I'm glad that I have Ascalon now, I can at least put a fight against a much more powerful Hakuryuukou of this generation, but for him to handle this to me... It's not like he won't be seeing her also. "I'm still a rookie, and even in my Chaos Bringer forms, I'm way slower than you. It's not like you won't be seeing her too, she's looking for strong foes just like Lord Vali."

"Are you doubting yourself again?"

"It's not like that. It's just... Giving Ascalon to me has probably something to do with the fact that I'm the Sekiryuutei." I said. "I mean, is there something you're not telling me? To give Ascalon when you can probably keep up with the Hakuryuukou? It sounds way too fishy.

"I see." Kaichou nodded. "Oh, I get it! Nero-san, what's the meaning of giving Ascalon to rookie with the Boosted Gea-... Oh! I... Get it. It's about **that**, right?"

"..." And again Nero-san gave us that half-assed smile of awkwardness, like a kid in the middle of a prank. So I was right, there's something up, and apparently Kaichou knows about it. But What could it be? "You're sharper than I thought, Sekiryuutei. To be fair, I was about to talk with lord Cohen about it so you wouldn't have to deal with her, but since you've discovered me, I think I got no choice but to tell you."

"Lord Cohen... Rina's father and lord Lucifer?" Wait, Lord Lucifer and Nero-san? This is big, this is really big. So much I just forgot to stay mad at him. Nero-san sighed and nodded.

"Correct. We still have a lot to talk about it so I'm not so sure about everything, but I can tell you this: you, your Boosted Gear and Ascalon will have an important role in this."

I gulped. This can't be good.

* * *

**And close the curtains. And we're yet at the relationship problem ss again. And in case you're wondering, no, he won't forget about his girls, ichijou will still interact very well with the rest of his harem, and maybe nect chapter someone will take a big step about this whole bonds thingy. Kinda balancing the girls that need development X Girls helpin in the development. And I guess Serena will be sill in the 'helping with development' girls section. A big sister for the guy who hates his own. Isn't trhat cute?**

**Also... for those asking for new girls, new shall appear, but it might take some time, I have the strange urge to avoid writing down other characters who didn't have enough screen time. There'll be a raven arc and a irene arc, but until then... Eh? Stay golden~**


	56. Hey,Ichijou! It's your new (girl)friend!

**Hello there, fandom. Missed me? I hope at least a bit. So, what can I say besides the fact this is a nerw chapter, we'll kinda dress the new dinamics of Rina's group and see what' going on on the suppotting cast side? Maybe the fact tghat Netoge no yomme will have an anime this season, and I'm looking foward to it until Masou gakuen HxH, the next shinmai maou of this year. Let's just wait for it. Enough of my rant, chapter it is.**

**As always, DxD doesn't belong to me. thank you very much**.

* * *

"Whoaaaaah! Nero-nii-sama really did pass **Ascalon** to you, Ichijou!" Gremory said with starry eyes and hanging jaw, looking at my new sword coming from the Boosted Gear, the so-called dragon-slaying holy sword Ascalon. "So cool! But as expected from **you**!"

The group was now gathered around the training room**(yeah, we have that now.)**, which looks more like a smooth gym with tatami floor, looking at this new weapon I have from a distance. Getting so much attention like that is kinda new to me, but since I have** (partial)** control over this sword, I can maintain my position a little better than when the Quarta siblings and Nashiro-san assaulted me for awakening my Balance Breaker. Still, I'm cold-sweating by just holding the grip...

"Thanks, Rina. It's still a little heavy and hard to control, but I guess I can manage it. I mean, if I don't lose control over it." I joked, lightly balancing the grip on my hands and concentrating as hard as I could on carrying this sword. I don't know if it accepted me or is just waiting the right moment to strike, but I need to be careful. "This one is totally apart from Rhongomiant, completely different. It's like comparing a skateboard with a pickup truck."

"Really? So really?! I can't believe I'm looking at a legendary holy blade from this close! It looks so dangerous and menacing compared to the illustrations I used to see!" And she continued to fangirl over the shinning blade that slays dragon. A magic arm and a dragon-slaying sword, I just hope no one pokes one of my eyes out for what is worth. Suddenly the redhead reached her hands for the blade itself! "Wow-how! The blade is also so cold and professional! Just by looking at It I can feel it's edge!"

"H-Hey, Rina! Be careful! This sword is way more dangerous than the others! If you're not caref-...!"

***CUT!***

"Rina...!"

"Wooooooaaaaah...! It hurts! It cut me, and it hurts so much!" I knew this was going to happen! That little idiot came too much into contact with the blade, and then cut both palms with the edge! Wait, it didn't just cut her, some kind of steam is oozing from the wounds! Her hands are burning with that simple cut! Tasha soon came to her help! "Oh, my Lucifer! The holy blade cut me and now it's blessings are purifying my wicked devilish existence~! Wooooah! It hurts! This is so... Awesome!"

"There's nothing awesome about being burned alive!" I said back, summoning Rhongomiant this time to whack her on the head! Seriously Gremory, this is a goddamn holy blade, it's dangerous for Devils! I'm having goosebumps just by holding this thing! "What the hell, Rina! Next time, I'll seriously cut one of your arms off!"

"Hah! Jokes on you! I'll just have to ask Beelzebub-sama for another one!" She said with a grin and her palms now with little unnoticeable scars thanks to Tasha's healing and cauterization, plus one of her own bandaged arm. I reached for Rhingomiant and whacked her on the head once again! "Owiiieeeh~...!"

"Don't you joke about this! It's not funny, you period-head King! It's... It's not funny..." I mumbled, a little depressed remembering her missing arm and getting a little point of regret from what I said before. Shit, again my temperament is getting the best of me. I sighed and looked back at her. "I'm sorry... Rina."

"For what? If you mean my arm, there's nothing to worry about. I know that you're... You're not that mean-spirited." She said, also softening her voice as she came closer to tap my head. She says that, but that last one still left it without much thought. Still hammering on the square one, aren't you, stupid Ichijou? "Ludger knows, okay, Ichijou?"

"Right." Sigh.

"Hong Long, if you don't mind my intrusion, can yours truly take your weapon and practice a little with it?" Came a question from the rook of our team, extending one of her arms to me reaching for the dragon-slaying sword. I nodded a little, and tried to pass it to her, but then** *BUM!***, her hand was struck by electric shock when she tried to reach for the grip! "Oh, it looks that, even with the seals put on it, thy blade still can sense and rejects the foul existence of Devils and shadow creatures. As expected from something coming from the once Creator of the universe."

"Sorry about it, Ryuubi." I said, balancing Ascalon back and testing it's weight. It's very heavy despite being fused with my Boosted Gear. I snapped when I saw Ryuubi reaching for it again.

"Still, let me try to handle this blade once more. This time, with a little more practice." She said. I dunno if this is a good idea, and I'll feel bad if something happens to her, but I trust her. I gulped down and passed the blade for her again. However, before I could do it, she began to massage her own body, and then it began to glow. What's going on? _"Energy that runs through my veins, the earth in my stomach, the water in my intestines, the air that fills my lungs and the fire that burns my heart, allow me to hold the blade regardless of our contrasting natures, because we are under the same Sun, sharing the universe as itself..."_

"Err... Tasha-sensei, what's going on?" I asked the person who knows the monkey girl the most. Also, I remember she saying similar back in the pool chapter, so I guess that's the Tai Chi she was talking about? The witch girl then turned to me and nodded.

"Tai chi. Synchronizing with the energies of the world. Might work." She said, summoning a small rune on the palm of her hand and creating a small purple flame with it; soon enough, Ryuubi reached again for the blade and when she was about to reach the grip, her 'glow' suddenly spread through the whole sword, and finally, she picked the grip and *BAM!*, the glow disappeared, and now the warlord was carrying the dragon-slayer without a problem. That's so cool! "It worked. The synchro is perfect."

"As expected from a holy blade. Even with our balance in energy, it's still rejecting yours truly. But I'm glad that I was able to reach this far. I I'm at your care, Dragon-slayer blade Ascalon." And Ryuubi smiled at her reflection on the blade, as she began to tremble a little while handling the sword.

We all left our jaws hanging as the pinkerette began to slash and performance a blade-dance a few times, all the movements causing small shockwaves and wind-scars on the air. Her movements were sloppy and a little slow, but to think she can do all of that while managing to use the blade... In the end, her eyes sharpened deeply, and then ***SLASH!***, she created a stronger cut in the air, that it was so fast and sharp, she made a massive cut in the wall in front of her with the wave alone! That's sick! Both Ryuubi and the sword! However, the moment she did that, her hands exploded in a show of sparks, and she let go of Ascalon.

"It seems that even with my levels of Tai Chi, I can't perfectly simulate the Light Element from true wielders for too long. It's a shame, truly." She says that like it's a big issue, when she just wielded something that I was suppose to and yet have problems with. Not to mention, she's sweating buckets and still standing strong like that. It makes me realize how I still need to learn a few things.

"That was awesome, Liu Bei! Hold does it feel to hold a holy sword?!" Gremory said jumping from her seat and again reaching for the blade, but Tasha picked her by the collar score she could do something stupid again. Ryuubi smiled and showed to us small burn marks on her palms.

"It's power it's greater than I've anticipated, as you can see." She sighed and sat besides us on the floor, cross-legged. To avoid anyone(aka Gremory) to do more stupid things, I picked Ascalon again and stored it inside the Boosted Gear. Even like that, the aura from it still lingers around my gauntlet. "But this isn't the first time I've handled a Dragon-slaying weapon, so it isn't that unnatural for me. Although it can also be explained since I've become a devil under the Gremory servitude."

"Another dragon-slaying weapon...? Ah!" Gremory then snapped her fingers and a lightbulb flicked above her head. "I get it! Since you're Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms, I bet you're referring to the dragon slaying spear of the General** Guan Yu**, the **Green dragon crescent blade**!"

"Oh! Yes, the **Seiryuutou** from General **Kan'u Unchou**. If I remember correctly, there was a tale about it cutting a dragon in half and having it's blade frozen in dragon blood." Gremory and I high-fived as we shared a small laugh for that small clashing linguistic themes, Tasha clapping her hands in dull excitement. I turned to the pinkerette to see if she'd flip and start arguing about it again, but instead, she was only there, looking a little down and her smile didn't hiding her somber aura. What? Ryuubi, that down? "Ryuubi, are you okay?"

"Huh...?" She blinked once, and snapped away from her reverie to look at us with wide eyes. Even with her newly-put smile, she couldn't hide her melancholic mood at least from me. "Oh sorry, Hong Long. I was just... Having a flashback. I apologize if that startled you or something."

"Ryuubi...?"

"I think... I think I should go take a bath. I also need to review the homework from my students. I'll be taking my leave now. See you later." And she stood up and, waving a last goodbye to us, took her way towards the elevator to the underground hotsprings. Wasn't that kinda awkward? Ryuubi is probably the more stable member of our group for now, and seeing her like that... I think no one can deal with that the right way.

"Okay~... I guess I'll also take a break, finish my homework before someone starts pulling my leg or something." Gremory stood up too and patted my head with a reassuring wink. I guess I know what she means. "See you later Ichijou. What will you be cooking today? I hope it's meat or soup! I love those!"

"Maybe, or maybe just sukiyaki, I dunno. Gotta ask mom later. Satsuki-nee will be staying at her boyfriend's home so I guess we need to balance things out later." I said scratching my head and blushing a little remembering Go-Ne's boyfriend and stuff. I wish I had a girlfriend. But anyway, I turned to Tasha. "And Tasha, could you take a look at Yoko in her room? Apparently she saw a thing back in school and is catatonic since then. I have a pretty idea how it is, so she'll need anything in reach to help."

"Okay. Nice massage, it is." And the witch gesticulated her hands in a very suggestive way, making me grunt as a warning for her own safety. She backed a few steps back but nodded in understanding and also took her way to the elevator. However, she turned around for me and tilted her head to a side. "Uh~? Tsukino-chin, aren't you going with us? There's enough space. You can also be all squishy inside between our breasts."

"As much tempting this situation seems to be..." I deadpanned. That's sarcasm, by the way. I turned back away from them and took a better look at the slash Ryuubi left on the wall. "... I'll be staying a little longer. There's something I want to test, and I'll need total concentration for it."

"Oh, okay. Here." And before I knew it, Tasha tossed something in my direction, which bumped on my head in a light way. I turned around to see what it was. It was a box of tissues. "Good luck. Privacy."

***DON!***

"Hurt."

"Just go!" And with them, the trio of ladies cramped up in the elevator and their ways to their respective destinations. I sighed to let the uneasiness go away from my body, and summoned both my Boosted Gear and Ascalon. I summoned Rhongomiant soon another to compare both blades, and as expected, despite it's size, Rhongomiant is way lighter than the dragon-slayer. I gulped, this is the supernatural for yah. "Man, there's no way to compare these two. I've been using Rhon for a while now, and yet Ascalon is weighting like a ton on me."

**[JUST LIKE ARIA ARGENTO SAID, THE RHONGOMIANT WAS FORGED DURING EARLY AGES WITH STILL PRIMITIVE ALCHEMY AND DEVELOPING MAGIC, WHILE ASCALON HAD A BETTER DEVELOPMENT AND PROBABLY A SPECIAL WAY OF FORGING. COMPARING THOSE TWO WOULD BE COMPARING TWO GENERATIONS OF HUMANITY FROM THE DAWN UP TO THIS POINT.]** The welsh dragon is right, Rhongomiant is a prototype while Ascalon is not only a more improved version, it's also way ahead on it's own league than it's sisters. I can still few a small link between the two swords, though.** [THE BEST WAY TO IT'S CONTROL, SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TRACE OF LIGHT ENERGY INSIDE OF YOU, IT'S TRAINING HARD ENOUGH FOR THE SWORD TO COMPLETELY ACCEPT YOU AS IT'S MASTER.]**

"There's really no easy way to become Hokage, eh?" I joked, a joke that probably no one on this room will get, but that aside, Partner's right, I need to continue to train and eventually, Ascalon will accept me. I think, I hope, I dunno. I took a deep breath, held the grip just like Aria-san taught me, and took a stance my shitty old man once taught me back in the days as a kendo teacher. "Okay? Okay. I just need to see Ascalon as part of my body, and concentrate. Better start with the basics."

And with that in mind, I slashed the air with it in a single, smooth slash, making it's edge cut the air and produce a sound. The move itself was no problem, but the weight it caused was too much for me, making me lose my stance. That went better than expected, at least I didn't let go of the grip. Okay, next one: I'll try two consecutive cuts.

"I just need to concentrate. One-and-two; one-and-two. Let's go! Haah!" I screamed letting the fury and determination out as I slashed the air once and, using the sword's own weight, tried another move, doing an... Uppercut(Gosh, that's lame.). I think I can use the weight as an advantage. Maybe I can also use it as a spear, like Silver Chariot? With that, I fused the sword with my Boosted Geat again and I had now a sword sticking out of my knuckles. "It feels a little tingling, but this way it lighter than using it like a proper sword. Okay, thrust moves! And one, and two and...!"

"Hey, Ichijou...!"

"Hyaaaaah...!"

***LAUNCH! STAB!***

"Kyaaaah...!" And with that voice out of nowhere, I lost my balance and Ascalon launched itself away from my gauntlet like a torpedo, piercing the freaking ceiling with it's blade! The recoil was strong enough to make me fall on my back, and when I recovered from my shock, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were... Panties. Black lacy panties, a lingerie collection. I know from where those are.

"Rina! What the hell, don't scare me like that! I could've killed you!" I said, jump-standing to face her and give her a good whack on the head for good measure! Shit; that was scary! If it was anyone else, It'd have cut her into a million pieces, and I think I'd have cut at least a good chunk from her airy head! With the punishment done, I picked the stuck holy sword in the ceiling, which hole it cut began to drip hot water! Now I've opened a hole to my bathroom! Great, just great! Putting that beautiful death-machine out of the way back into my Boosted Gear, I turned to the whiny redhead. "How about you? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to put your homework on schedule."

"Eheheh... About that. Liu Bei is kinda missing around here, and without her, I can't properly pay much attention to those boring lessons..." She so awkwardly flashed an smile at me, and the only thing I could do was to roll my eyes. I flicked her nose and saw her whine even more, but soon she recovered herself and blinked her bright purple eyes to me, we sharing some stares for a while until she spoke again. "But I'm also here to see you, y'know."

"Oh, really? Thanks, I guess." I said with a light blush in my face. However, her stare wasn't an amused one, by rather, a confused and curious one, making me start to get a little curious too.

"Hey, Ichijou, could you summon Ascalon again?" She said with conviction, her eyes saying she wasn't joking around. I gave her a silent confused glare, but didn't question her and summoned my dragon-slaying blade. Like before, her eyes shined in bright colors seeing the sword, but then she shook her head and put herself in front of me. "Err... Ichijou. Stance!"

"Stance?" I repeated, even more confused, but did the pose anyway, parallel feet with some distance between them on the diagonal, straight upper body facing forward and the tip of the blade pointing at the middle of her chest. I guess... This is it. "Like that?"

"Huuuh~, let me see~!" She said now jumping away from harm's way and looking at the blade from the sides. Kneeling to see Ascalon from the grip up to the tip, her eyes were shining at the reflection of the holy steel on it. However, when she was done with it, she walked back to in front of the blade, and crossed her arms. "Ichijou, would you mind lifting Ascalon a little more. I want to see something."

"Uuuh~, sure, I guess?" I said with a hint of a doubt. Since that she's been a lot more level-headed since her return, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and did as she says, lifting the sword a little while bending my arms to give a head point, stopping midway with the handle in front of my chest. "Like that...?"

"A little higher!" She said, winking at me. I grunted a little, but did as she say again, with the handle right in front of my face and making the blade goes parallel with the way, pointing directly at the ceiling. Like before, she came closer and took her looks around me. "Okay! Now, stand still! This might hurt a little?"

"Rina, what the hell are you doin-...?"

***PAFT!***

**"GAAAAOH...!"** And in an instant, that little Gremory just slapped the back of my hands and made me clash my palms onto the grip of Ascalon! The scare itself was what made me scream, as I jumped and fell on my ass with the sword sliding away from me. Again, I stood up to stare back at her! "Again! What the hell, Rina?! What was that for?!"

"I was helping you!" She said with a proud grin and expression, which made me grip my own red bruised hands in rage. Goddamnit, she got stronger since back then, so it hurts even now.

"'Helping me'?! How the hell slapping my hands and almost making me lose control over Ascalon is any kind of 'help' to you?!"

"Because, y'know Ichijou, you were trembling."

"Eh...?" That sentence alone made all the rage in me suddenly disappear, as only a dumbfounded expression was left on my own face. Wait; what? I was trembling? I looked at my hands, seeing the red bruises on the back of each one, and suddenly realized how much I was sweating about it. What the hell...

**[SHE'S TELLING THE TRUTH, PARTNER. YOU'VE BEEN TREMBLING SINCE YOUR LITTLE TRAINING STARTED.]**

**[We didn't say anything because we wanted to see how long you were going to take to notice yourself. Good thing your girlfriend did it for you.]**

Ugh, shut up, you two. Great help, by the way...

"Yeah... Maybe I'm still getting the hang out of this thing." I said, picking Ascalon and doing the stance again, now noticing how nervous I become and how much the blade trembles by being in my hands. Gremory came closer to look at it for the same reason. This is somehow embarrassing. I sighed and shrugged, putting the sword away and crossing my arms to huff my frustration away. "I thought only training would be enough to deal with Ascalon, but it seems it's not only my swordsmanship I need to improve..."

"I see~." When I opened my eyes, Gremory was just a few inches away from my face, and again I reacted by jumping away from her reach. Man, what is wrong with her and her sneaks on me?! This is freaking me out! "Hey Ichijou, you remember the Bael's special ability, the one the Gremories inherited from Lady Venelana back in the Issei era, right?"

"The Bael's signature ability... Oh, you mean the power of Destruction." I said, remembering the said ability and the fact both Lord Sirzechs and Grandmaster Millicas are both where they're now thanks to it. Just by saying it, Gremory then summoned from a rune on her palm a ball of that same ability, starting to balance it around her body like a basketball! "Oe, what are you doing, Rina?"

"Y'know, there's a reason why others fear the Power of Destruction: everything it touches, turn into nothingness in a matter of seconds. Lord Sirzechs and grandpa Grandmaster has fully mastered this one, to the point their own existence can become the embodiment of annihilation." She said, still playing with that 'ball of annihilation' like it was nothing, even pretending to kick it like a footbag. I don't think it's a wise idea to play with such dangerous thing. "But y'know what? I don't, neither does mother and Nemesis. Do you know why? Because it feels natural for me. With enough time and training I was able to pull some tricks and techniques with it. Believe it, it got easier with time. So that's why using such powerful and deadly ability is a no-brainer for me."

"Huh, it makes sense." I said observantly, seeing her pick her power of destruction on her hands and dusted it away like it was dust itself. I guess I understand what she's coming from. I summoned Ascalon once again, and did the stance one more time, cutting the air with it too. I'm still trembling a little, but not as before. I looked back at her to see her smiling. "I think I get what you're trying to say... Still, it's not like I was born to carry a Holy Sword of this caliber, nor born with any remarkable swordsmanship abilities either, like you do with your powers."

"You don't have to worry about that, Ichijou. I know that, with a little bit of training, You'll become a powerful Devil." She said, coming closer to me and picking both my hands with her own in a calm and familiar way. I stored Ascalon away again, and shared stares with the Gremory, who was now blushing and her gaze going everywhere. "And this time... I really mean it, Tsukino Ichijou."

Uh... That was so cheesy, but also so cool...

"Well, you're learning quite a few lines from Aria-nee, aren't you?" I snarked, but not without a blush and a awkward scratch on the head. She tightened her grip around my free hand, which made me instinctively look back at her. The redhead was now pouting and puffing her cheeks.

"Mooh~, how rude! I have you know, I was trying to help you~!" She whined pouting even more and doing little jumps in her place like a spoiled child would. This one brought a small smile to my face, but then Gremory suddenly stopped, blushed even more and looked away. "It's the least I can do to... Someone as loyal as you and the others."

"..." I don't know why only now I'm noticing something like that, but Gremory is indeed a cute girl, and can do really cute things such as this. I keep forgetting those mainly for the fact of how she used to be. I patted her on the head and, all in all, decided to play a little with her. "Thanks. That means a lot for me... **Rina**."

"I-I do what I can... Eheheh." She turned back to me and smiled. Uh~... This wasn't the reaction I was expecting from her at all, specially now that she has become all lovesick.

"Uh... You do realize I just called you by your first name, right?" I lifted a finger to call for her attention. Her only response was a confused hum and a tilt to a side of her head. I was expect a lot more from that, now that we're this close in our... Relationship...? She continued to look at me with those big confused purple eyes.

"Yeah, so?" She said without a single hint of malice, confused and tilting her head to the other side. I don't get it, why is she reacting like that? Gremory blinked once, twice, and then spoke. "I don't get it Ichijou, what's the big deal? You've been calling me like that for a while now."

"..."

"...?"

"Wait, what?" Yeah! What?! I've been calling her like that... Without even noticing?! This is so messed-up! Her confused look suddenly turned into a smirk, as she hummed a victorious tune and came closer to me.

"Oh~... Hoh? Don't tell me you haven't notice it up to this point? Eeeeh~, isn't that cute~? Maybe Ichijou is a lot more pure than everyone thought~!" She began to say in a very nonchalant and teasing way! Oh, screw you, Grem-... Rina! I let go off of her hands and turned around, mainly to avoid looking at her and her to see my blushing mess of a face! This is horrible, so lame!

"Shut up, Rin-... Uuuuuuugh~! And stop laughing! This isn't funny!" I said now hiding my face in shame and trying my best to block her laughs and giggles. Ugh, this is the worst feeling, I... Can't say that I hate, but I don't like it either. Suddenly a shadow creeped on my back, and then I felt someone crossing it's arms around my neck and supporting it's light and 'soft' body on me. It was Grem-... Rina. In the end, I sighed in defeat. I was completely annihilated, and she didn't even use her Power of Destruction. "Sigh, do you really care and believe in a loser like me, Rina? I mean, I can pretty much die in any moment from now on."

"Sure, you might be a loser, but you're my loser! Besides, I'm no better, so you can say we are a match for each other." She said, without any hesitation but a deep tint of red on her cheeks. I feel warm now. Uh~, I wonder if this feels like to be in a relationship. I do like her, but not like that... Right? "I'm just kidding, Ichi-baka. You're the best there is for me! If you were anyone else, I wouldn't have... _Fallen for you_."

"Did you say something, Rina?" I didn't hear that last part quite well, I was too busy brooding(men broods, don't angst.) to notice her voice. She Let go off of me and dismissed her unheard voice with her head and hands.

"Nu-uh, nothing important, really. Just do your best! I'll... I'll always cherish yo-... Cheer for you! Yeah!" She said in a 'we can do it' pose and a smile, the blush still not leaving her face. I huffed that away and turned my head away from her, my face also adopting a more red tint. Uh~, why is this happening to me? "Remember: maximum effort!"

"Yeah... **Maximum effort**." I sighed, and did the best smile I could muster willingly, which was nothing more than forcing the sides of my lips go up in a very awkward way. She giggled, and I dismissed that stupid impression. She has me on the palm of her hand. It's funny, I kinda like that, now.

"Ichijou...?"

"What is it, Rin-...?"

***CH-...!***

***PAFT!***

"Hmph~! Iffiyoou~...!" And I did it. After weeks and weeks of intense training, I finally managed to create my surprise kiss-stopping technique, lightly slapping the middle of her face and avoiding the surprise peck! I removed my hand off her pretty face and saw a red hand mark printed on it, her pouty face decorating the rest. "Moooh~, that was not funny, Ichijou!"

"Heh, it was kinda funny." I chuckled, and she tightened her pout even more. Yet, she came here with good intentions, and she does care for me. So maybe I can give her some credit. I pecked her on the cheek, and then she went catatonic. "Here, happy now? I know you came here with the best intentions, so... Uh, thank you, Rina. That was... A reward."

"Heheheh~, sure! No prob! Now I'm feeling much better to do my homework! See ya later, Ichijou!" And then she nodded with her brightest smile so far, and walked towards the elevator again, but not before tossing a kiss at me. Huh, this is the happiest she has ever been since her comeback. "Ah... Ichijou! Don't forget today's dinner!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know; I know."

And with that, she took the elevator away from this floor, leaving me alone again. Wow, wasn't that kind of enlightening. So I've been calling her... By her nickname this whole time? That's a little embarrassing, but I'm glad that she let me do it anyway. Huh... This isn't the first time I called someone by something like a nickname, but it has been a while since if I don't count Tasha's case**(Her real name is Natalia, who could've thought.)**. Okay, enough of that, let's do some more training: I summoned my Boosted Gear, called Ascalon fourth and began to swing the blade in order to control it. Okay, concentrate, part of your body... You're using it to defend yourself and so, you shouldn't fear it's edge and...

...

...

...

Gaaaaah! I can't! How can I concentrate when I'm still thinking about the fact I've been calling Gremory 'Rina' THIS WHOLE TIME?! GYAAAAAAH~! So frustrating!

"Tsukino-chin~?" When I snapped back from my hissy fit, I've noticed that the sword again got stuck on the ceiling, right next to the previous hole. I picked it back from them, and from that bigger hole, a peeping eye popped from it. It was purple and big, so I know from who is. "Please stop making holes. You're disturbing us."

"Sorry Tasha, I'm having some accidents down here." I said with a sigh, gripping tightly on my new sword and swinging it a few times to warm it up a bit before the next session of training. Wait a minute. "Oe, Tasha! That's my bathroom! What are you doing up there?!"

"..."

"...?!"

"Pump-pump-pumpkin~, the best Halloween you'll ever seen~. Pump-pump-pumpkin~, witches~..."

"**TASHA**...!"

.

~~x~~

.

And here I am again at Kuoh academy. Me, the Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou, walking side by side with my dear harem of Devils and a sexy fox girl. I must say, I can't believe I even bothered to wake up today, mainly because last night I was too busy popping some cherries and having my usual fun with my girls, plus the loli, the circles around my eyes and the bandages on my hands signing that yesterday was indeed an endless party. I wonder what kind of shenanigans I'll face today, because-...

"Stop messing with my entries, **Mizuki**-san!" And the real Tsukino Ichijou-san scolded me for having my fun, with us walking out way to Kuoh. Yep, I've tricked you all, Kyouka Mizuki speaking, everyone's favorite esper! I turned back to Izuki with my usual grin. But seriously, Izuki. What's with those bandages and bags? You look tired. He looked back at me and sighed. "Ugh, an acquaintance of mine gave me a magic sword, but it's too hard for me to control it. I've been training since last night, and didn't sleep much."

Huh, sounds tough, buddy. But you're hardworking, in a way or another, you'll do your best and something crazy's gonna happen for you to succeed. Izuki looked at me with a scowl, but then massaged his temples and walked away. Yeah, go rest a little, you dragon, you. I have some aspirins back in my pocket-dimension if you want some. He turned around, nodded and extended the palm of his hand to me, as I picked from my pockets the said aspirins, and now with them, he bowed again and walked away.

"Oh, Good morning to you, Kyouka-dono." I turned around for the rest of his harem, and while Berolina/Ludger/whatever crossed my way without a proper greeting, just an arrogant huff, Ryuubi-sensei and Natalia-san both waved their hands for me, with the bigger one carrying Akabane-san on her back. Oh hey, sensei, Natalia-san.

"Please avoid calling me like that. It's a witch thing." The purple-haired witch said while crossing her arms, and I pulled my own in a defensive stance. Okay, then, no hard feelings, let's get along. She gave a ghost of a smile for that. "Appreciated."

No problem. Now, what's with foxy? She seems kinda down a little. Ryuubi-sensei was the one who said it for her.

"Kurama-dono apparently saw something quite sinister yesterday, which traumatized her enough to such state. A real shame, really." The pinkerette with the bigger boobs said, and de facto, Akabane-chan's mental waves are a mess, more like an mental static if I may. Eh, she's an youkai, she oughta be fine in no time. Still, good morning to you, Akabane. I hope for your recovery.

...

...

Yep, still nothing. Whatever, I walked towards our way to Kuoh and took the lead, since I don't want to miss classes and it's good to take a walk and exercise. How do you think I maintain my gorgeous silhouette despite having the power to teleport myself from the Earth to the moon and anywhere in between? When I reached next to Izuki, however, there he was facing his ninja boyfriend, sharing stares and saying nothing. Even Berolina stopped a few steps away from the struggling couple as they would fight for glare dominance or whatever.

Izuki made a face, Ren-kun did the same. The dragon tilted his head, and the ninja scratched the back of his neck. They shared awkward looks that was a mix between 'struggling lovers' and 'hero-vs-rival shounen quiet stares'(which is probably the same thing, really.), and in the end, both sighed and the albino vanished away with a blow of the wind, and Izuki took his way towards the entrance. For a normal people, that was quite a stupid silent argument, but for me, it was a showdown of who can scream the loudest mentally. Seriously, their minds were in such a mess. Hey, dragon! What was that all about?

"It's none of your business, Mizuki-san. Although you'll search on my mind anyway, won't you?" You know me quite well, or maybe I'm too easy to read, ironically. But this time, I won't, and do you know why? Because you're also quite easy to read when enraged. Apparently you two got in a fight. Or maybe you discovered his little secret, heheh. "..."

...

"..."

It was just a tease... But holy shit, you did discover his secret!

"Shut up, you damn esper! Leave me alone!" And he dismissed me quite rudely, turning his enraged glare at me and walking away to the entrance at high speed. I tried to read his mind, but not only it was again a messy interference going on, the dragon inside of him blocked my mental entrance. Before I could do anything, a hand held my shoulder and prevented me in doing anything else. I turned around and saw it was that bi-curious Gremory girl.

"Kyouka-san, I think it's better for you to avoid Ichijou for a while. He can be quite... Violent when he's upset. Respect his privacy just this once." She said it with a mix of worry and awkwardness, pointing at a small bite wound on her neck. Wow, for real? 'Kay, 'Kay, I got nothing to gain in making someone upset, anyway. I might be a troll, but I'm no bully. Gremory opened a smile, and nodded. "Thank you very much, Kyouka-san."

No problem. And then she dismissed our conversation and walked with the rest of her peerage towards Kuoh. Huh~... I can't read her mind, but I can read her heart, so I can tell she's all heads over heels on our dear main character. Speaking of which, maybe I can send him and his best ninja buddy to a pleasant location, maybe one of those vacation hotspots like Mt. Fuji, Disneyworld, Cancun or even that Alaskan colony for them to cool their heads off and maybe get cozy with each other. Ahahahah, I'm speaking like a goddamn fujioshi. But it's not like I'm the only one doing that...

Yep, I'm referring to you, Fre-...!

"Surprise cannonball!"

***ZING!***, nice try. Sally-chan. The little one tried a surprise attack on me, but not only she shouted her supposedly 'sneaky' hit, she mentally talks real loud inside her head. I guess even normal people would hear her scream in her mind. I trapped her inside a ball of mental waves, and leveled her to my side. S'up, little one, sorry but not this time.

"Mooh~! One day you shall see my revenge, ESPer user! And it shall be painful and pleasurable!" She said with a pout, as I noticed that a pair of curved horns has sprouted on the sides of her head. Maybe another one of the genes from her vida-loca gramps? Not to mention, she's also wearing Kuoh's junior-high uniform. After a quick mental search, I figured she actually also enrolled in here. Oh, so that makes me your senpai, Sally-chan. "Hunf! Never! As the future harem queen, I shall bow to no one besides my master, the Sekiryuutei!"

Eh, good luck with that. With the decreasing rate of natality in this nation, your dream might not be that bad of an idea. I released the baby hybrid from my mental cage and walked her towards Kuoh. She was a little hesitant, but then pouted and held me by the hand like a good kid. She needs to go see Headmistress Morimoto to say something about the Amamiya shrine, her home, while I need to go there as well since the devil headmistress said she and her crew needs someone to help with the construction materials to fix a floor and the gym ceiling.

"Nemesis-sama said also that she might need grandpa's help in some exorcism matters! And she decided that if he allows it, I can become part of Berolina-sama's peerage! One step towards my dream!" She said. Oh, so she wants to be part of Ichijou's little group of misfits, that's cute and all, I mean, every group needs a loli, and she's perfect for the role despite being still an illegal one. Becoming a harem queen, I don't think it's a very hard job to do, with all those thirsty Devils around. I looked back at her, and again she was puffing her cheeks in annoyance. Oh, so she also got that from Izuki. "How rude. I have you know, men are more complex creatures than women sometimes. They don't care just about sex, but also about sizes, and volume and knowledge about it! So that's why I'm training with sensei: so that I can learn to skyrocketed my proportions and become the biggest, most beautiful harem queen who ever lived!"

Ahahahah, you kinda sounds like one of those OC protagonists who tries to justify their actions and being all anti-pervy when they're usually worst than the protagonist in that regard. But you're right. It's not just sex, it's about T&amp;A's and how good it feels. Sally-chan's face then lightened up in a smile.

"Uh-huh! So that's why I'm gonna stick with master and spend the time I'll have to in order to become the harem queen him and his senpai have becom-...!" And before she could finish her sentence, her eyes shined in a scary way, and a string of hair sprouted from the top of her head, much more like the Kitaro's own detector. The little exorcist stopped on her tracks and held me to do the same. "Kyouka-sama! I can feel it! There's something quite sinister... Just around the corner of this corridor!"

'Something sinister'? Like what? She just turned to me and shook her head negatively. You said something about that 'something sinister' being right around the corner, so as a precaution, I glued on the wall and gave a small mental sonar around. Huh, how strange, I can't feel a thing from this point. It should be easier since there's on one around, yet there's none. I peeked my head by the other side of the corner with the little exorcist and, Sally-chan's right, there was something quite somber right in front of the door leading to the student council room: a formless black mass of something quite eerie, more like a concentrated mass of black blob. Wait, I think I know what that is: is one of the wonders of Kuoh academy: the ghostly formless blob that wanders around the corridors!

"Ah, Kyouka-sama! Be careful! It may not look like, but I can feel the eerie aura of a grim reaper coming from that!" The loli said doin the same pose as me. A grim reaper, a shinigami, the bringer of death? But what kind of Grim Reaper we're talking about? The one who kills or the one who guide souls to the afterlife. "I don't know, but all of them are under the commander of Lord Hades from the Greek underworld! And trust me, by the color of it's robe, I can say it's quite a powerful one!"

A grim reaper, in Kuoh academy. I can't say anything since I'm a freak on my own right(even by the standards of this series, I might add), but this got me curious: why would only servant of Lord Hades from the underworld be here at Kuoh academy? Maybe it wants to suck the lives out of the student council, for what is worth. Sally-chan seemed alarmed by my eerie ways of thoughts, but you never know. Besides, that one is also one of the mysteries of Kuoh academy much like ourselves, and we don't want to be labelled the same way as a possible murderer.

"You're right! Let's stop that freak before it's too late!" Sally-chan suddenly said, as she tiptoed to a closer hideout, coming closer to that formless black smoke. We saw as it reaches something akin to a blade towards the keyhole of the door, and when I was about to take a first step, Sally-chan unfortunately stepped too hard, and the echo reached the said Grim reaper, turning what it looks like a one-horned skull mask towards us. He moment we crossed glares, it turned to the opposite side and began to run away! "Ah! Not so fast, Spawn of the King of death! We won't let you harm anyone in this place cursed by the Gremory authority!"

She's kinda right. I levitated from the floor and chased that formless blob to no end together with Izuki's apprentice. I tried to trap that one in one of my mental cages, but the grim reaper proved itself too fast to catch in time, so my only response was to form electrical crystal walls in order to slow it down, since I can't read it's mind either. Shit, it's going for the stairs, we can't let it reach the others!

"Kyouka-sama! Kick me!" Said the little exorcist, whose body was now covered in something like a purple goo. She of herself slip on the floor and began to roll on it due to her frictionless body. Wait, is she thinking... Just kidding, I can read minds, I know what she's up to. "I'll use my inherited Slime powers to reach her with my gelatinous and slippery body! So kick me like captain Oozora would do!"

Psh... Really? How old are you again? But whatever, that should be fun. I stopped my levitation and, lifting one of my legs like a true shounen Hero would, kicked a true fireball against the rogue Grim Reaper! Like expected, Sally-chan's body was fast enough to clash itself against the reaper, and soon they both crashed on a nearby wall, covering a good chunk of the vicinity with bluish goo. I guess... We've won this time. Good job, Sally-chan!

"Yeah! We did it! ***CAHAM!***, I mean... Huh, that went better than expected." Is she trying to sound like Izuki? That's cute, but I guess he'd be more annoyed-looking than just smiling like an idiot despite her words. I trapped the Grim Reaper inside a ball of Tesla Force before it could run away from us again, and soon enough me and Sally-chan smiled at each other. Yep, we did it, little one. "Yep! Master will be so proud we took care of that!"

Yes, but now, a little interrogation. I should probably teleport this thing away to somewhere quite pleasant or into Headmistress' office, but before that, I have some questions to do out of curiosity. Hey, Grim Reaper, can you hear me? If you can, you can probably understand me too. So, any reason for you to sneak around like that, right before class start?

"..." No response, and It's mind is also a bunch of random dead words altogether in a archaic tune and mixed clashes. I can't read it's mind, or see it's face due to that mask, and the only thing it's oozes is this creepy aura of death...

"I bet it wanted to sneak somewhere inside the student council body and assassinate everyone there from the shadows!" Sally-chan accused the black blob, whose aura just became darker and darker. This thing is giving me chills, and the fact it doesn't want to talk only worsens the situation. Forget about it for now Sally-chan, maybe it'll be the best if we contact Headmistress Morimoto first and then...

***WHUU...***

Wait, wha-...?

***WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!***

And it happened. I dunno what happened, the only thing I remember was the fact a sound akin to a loud and deep hum, like a whale's cry, and suddenly my body couldn't move, my legs weakened, and my concentration was broken, so much it broke my mental barrier and made Sally-chan pass out, while I was so stunned by it I couldn't move a thing.

The Grim Reaper broke free from it's prison, and landed a pair of feet in front of me from it's formless blob, a pair of black high-heels. I tried to form another barrier around it, but it was no use, my ears were still ringing, so I couldn't form matter with my brain waves. Shit, mental attacks are my weakness, and that last one hit it hard...

However, instead of doing anything harsh, the grim reaper looked at me, then to Sally-chan, and then... If bowed like a polite person would, and turned around to try to escape again. Wait, what? A grim reaper who wouldn't kill someone as helpless as I am?

"W-Wait! grim Reaper-sa-...!"

**"SITRI KICK!"**

***DOOOOOOON!***

And before it could response to my pleas, the Grim Reaper was mercilessly shot by a blue flash right into it's mask, making it be launched to and crash on the wall! My vision was still a little blurry, but I could see who it was: tall, beautiful, strong legs and blue hair with purple eyes. It's... It's...

"I am Serena Shitori of love and justice! In the name of Kuoh Academy and all the students in it, I shall punish you!" She said doing a pose. Yep, that's definitely the beloved yet strangely avoided president of our student council Shitori Serena, or Serena Sitri of the Sitri clan according to Headmistress Morimoto. After that little show, Kaichou then came closer to the fallen grim Reaper and took a quick glance out of it. "Now, now, be calm and steady, Grim Reaper-san. If you give me a reason for your presence in my domain, I won't hurt you... That much."

"..." The grim reaper said nothing, only looked up to stare at Kaichou. The bluennete had a calm aura around her the whole time as she spoke, however, when she took a quick glance around, she landed her eyes on us, helplessly crawling on the floor, and then... It became dark.

"So... You won't speak, but you have enough courage to do a number on my precious classmates. As the student council president, this is something I can't and won't overlook." She said in a calm, yet scary tone, and her hands reached for where the Grim Reaper's neck would be, and lifted it from the floor. The whole dark being was now trembling, and it's mask was slowly cracking. Wow, Kaichou is scary now. "Now, give me an excuse, something that will give you the hope that you can escape this~. C'mon, grim reaper! Said something!"

"..."

"Nothing? Oh, well. Time to break the Batman oath!" Wait, Kaichou! Don't do anything harsh! It didn't harm us, it just... Stopped us and it tried to escape! Whatever it is, it didn't want to kill us! Apparently, Serena-Kaichou heard my plea, as then she turned around to see me. "Huh...? What in the...?"

"... Sorry." Wait, what?

"Eh...?"

"**Waaaaaah**~! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose! I was so scared I freaked out! Please don't kill me~!" And then... This happened. The grim reaper finally spoke in rather feminine, almost cute cry for mercy and help, and it's mask finally shattered away, revealing the face of a pretty pale lady with brown wavy long hair and black eyes, that pretty much was screaming with rivers down them. Kaichou gasped in surprise, and let go of the Supposedly 'Grim' reaper, who was now a crying mess on the floor. "Hiiiih~! Please don't kill me~! I just want to enroll in this school, but everybody's so scary~!"

"Huuuh~... Well... Uhh~..." Wow, isn't that awkward? The so-called deadly formless blob from Kuoh academy, one of the scariest wonders that was, is just a meek girl with big boobs trying to enroll here... Or something. By the looks on them now, and for the fact she had a pretty big bruise on her left cheek, made me rethink who is the real villain in here. Kaichou was speechless, and tried to reach the now hapless girl. "Huuuh... Hey...?"

"Hiiiih~! Noooo~! Don't kill me~! I'll be good, just leave me alone~!" But then the Grim reaper crawled away like a legless cockroach, making Kaichou feel even worse, if her aura is any indication. Not even the greatest heroine Kuoh ever had could deal with this. Don't blame her...

After some time, a lot of talk and avoiding the other students to see such mess of a girl, we finally settled down on the student council room. The grim reaper girl has a name, **Whiswain**(lame, right?), and apparently she's a grim reaper/human hybrid raised by her human father and only now is getting in touch with her supernatural side, trying to enroll in Kuoh for herself to feel more 'in home', as she says. Apparently, he has fail since then...

"Huuuh~... Interesting, interesting indeed. However, that doesn't explain why you were trying to sneak into the student council room. Care to explain that, missy?" And again the little apprentice was incorporating her said tutor, using a chair to put herself the same level of the busty reaper girl, who was cowering away from the little girl. It was kinda funny to see that, but quiet down for now; Sally-chan, you're scaring her. "Okay~!"

"But she's right. Whiswain-chan. I would like to know why you were trying to reach my office." The now calm and smiley President of the student council said pouring more tea on Whiswain's cup. The devil lady proved herself that she can be scary when she wants, and even I am kinda uneasy about it. Hey, Grim reaper, you know your stuff, you better explain it soon. By the way, I want more tea, kaichou. "Sure, here it goes, Mizuki-chan." Thank you.

"I-I was trying first to... Contact Nemesis-san, the headmistress, but I was so scared of her that I... I almost gave up trying to enroll here~! I heard that she beat her own sister once, so I was scared that she might do the same to me~!" Half-said half-cried the hybrid, taking a quick sip from her tea while Kaichou tried to comfort her only for the reaper to jump from her seat. Wow, she might be a reaper, but she lacks spine. Also, I can't read her mind, but Serena-Kaichou was oozing a very uncomfortable aura. I helped the grim reaper put herself sit again, and she continued her tale. "So... I thought that I could contact the student council instead... But when I heard they have also a werewolf and other scary stuffs... I would always idle around to try to gather enough courage to call you all, but then students would fill the corridors... And even at evening, I couldn't talk for that same reason~!"

"Hyahahahah! Grim Reaper-onee-chan is a coward! Scared of her own shadow!" Sally-chan laughed at her, as Serena-Kaichou was now hiding her grin and chuckles. Yeah, it's kinda funny how scared she is. Kahahahah~.

"H-How cruel~! Waaaaah~! Stop laughing at me~! Why no one wants to laugh with me, only at me~?! Waaaah~!" Ah, ah! There she goes again crying like a baby. This is gonna lose it's charm very soon, that's for sure. Serena-Kaichou ceased her laugh and put her hands on Whiswain's shoulder in a reassuring manner. Or at least tried to, because the brunette the moment she saw the hand coming closer, simply vanished from the spot to hide behind me, letting Kaichou slip, lose a step and fall to the ground with a loud bam! Sorry Kaichou, but that was also kinda funny!

"Well, maybe your temperament has something to do with it... Or something like that~." Sally-chan again emulating Izuki's speech. Heheh, no, that one was kinda too harsh on her, Sally-chan, you can't just go around judging people like some people. Kaichou stood up from the floor and rested herself on a chair.

"Okay, okay. Let's put bygones to bygones here, Whiswain-chan. I'll notify Nemesis-san about your enrollment here, and forget everything that just happened." Serena-Kaichou said now at a distance, waving her hand innocently towards the grim reaper behind me. He brunette popped her head by my shoulder and looked through the eye that wasn't covered by her long bangs. The Kaichou winked, and poured some more tea for herself.

"R-Really? After everything we went through? And I... I am one of the wonders of Kuoh!" She said with an exasperated tone. Eh, don't worry about it, people will eventually forget about it anyway. I'm one of the Wonders myself, together with Sally-chan. The grim reaper turned to me them. "R-Really...? Then... Maybe I can also... But transferring so late into the year here is... Kinda scary..."

Man, she really is a scared kitty.

"Well, yeah. You don't know anyone, and a pretty girl such as yourself with draw too much unwanted attention, with no one to protect you." Serena-Kaichou said in rather calm tone, which contrasted with the reaper's exasperated face, but knowing her by reading her, I can tell that she has already a plan in mind. And I guess we can all assume who she's thinking about. "But don't worry, I know just a perfect group for you to hang out! And don't worry, they're so socially awkward themselves you will get used to Kuoh in no time!"

"Eh...? Really...?"

Oh, we all know how this is will go down to...

.

~~x~~

.

"Hey, Ichijou! It's your new **girlfriend**! Whiswain!"

"What...?"

Huhuhuh, typical~. Ludger was indeed wrong, this my life is always exciting!

* * *

**You get an development, you get an development, everybody gets an development! Trying my best to develop the new dinamics of the gremory group, and before you kinow it, bam! they're they are. It's really funny toi think about it now, since it has been a while since my last date, college and stuff...**

** But enough of cute bruisers, I want a helpless damnsel in distress now. Meet the new girl, Whiswain... It means white wine, hahahah...**

**P.S.: For those asking about if Annie resembles Levi Kazama from Trinity Seven, yep, the answer is yes, minus the ponytail and with green hair. I think i've already stabilished that before, but apparently not. Sorry for this. Although some of the inspiration came also from a character named Kiruko from the cancelled manga shinmai fumei Kiruko-san. It has funny, but not very much. **

**That's it for now, hope youve enjoyed this chapter with nothing much happening. Stay golden.**


	57. Real men solve their issues with fists!

**Hey, there fanon. I'm not dead yet, it seems. Kinda busy with other works, and trying my best at college. But, aside from that, I'm fine, thank you whoever asked(no one, boohoo~.). So, who's ready for some idiotness coming from this author? I hope you all do, because this chapter is quite a ride, I think. Anyway, up to it!**

**as always, dxd doesn't belong to me~.**

* * *

When I got out of my class to buy myself a drink for lunch, Serena-Kaichou, the most popular girl among the second-years, the student council president and the heiress of the Sitri clan simply called for me to her office. Since it wasn't Nemesis-san this time, I was kinda relieved that it wouldn't be nothing weird besides her typical sexual harassment or just a way to blow off some steam from her duties as the president. Big mistake, the moment I opened he door, there she was, Serena-kaichou showing me a girl about my height, with brown hair which bangs were covering half of her face, a big black eye, pale skin and a bruise on her cheek for some reason, wearing Kuoh's uniform. Oh boy, a new character...

"Hey, Ichijou! It's your new girlfriend! **Whiswain**!"

"What~?"

"Hiiiiih~!" And the brunette, Whiswain was it?, suddenly escaped from kaichou's grasp and hid behind her back, peeking her one eye on me like I was some kind of monster. "S-Sitri-san...! This boy... This boy...!"

"Oh, right. You can see how messed-up his soul is, right?" Well, that's just rude... Wait, 'soul'? What the hell? Not to mention, that girl, Whiswain-san, has also something quite sinister about her. I dunno, but just by seeing her, I feel a chill down my spine. Is she a devil? A demon? Or even an angel? I'm ready for everything right now. The bluenette turned to me, and pointed her thumb at Whiswain-san. "Sorry for that, Ichijou-kun. She's half-grim reaper by her mother side, so you can guess that, with your sacred gear, she can see a part of you that's not exactly friendly..."

"Part... Grim-reaper..." I blinked a few times while repeating that sentence with my own mouth. I remember those, Gremory told me that one of the Evil Pieces of Sona Sitri were a Half-grim reaper. Apparently, they're a type of demigods under the command of lord Hades, the God of the Greek underworld, way stronger than Devils in terms of raw power and a amalgamation between Bleach-reapers and YuYu-hakushou-reapers: they send wandering souls to the afterlife and fight those unwilling to go, which is pretty badass...

Also, it means her father banged a skeleton. No matter what people say, that's the most hardcore thing ever.

"Oh, and Whiswain-chan, this is Tsukino Ichijou-kun. Kuoh's biggest stud and host of the Longinus Boosted Gear, although you probably already know that by now."

"The 'biggest stud' bullcrap aside, yes, I'm the current host of the Boosted Gear, Tsukino Ichijou, student from class 1-B. Nice to meet you." I said, reaching my right hand towards the brunette behind the president. She trembled, and after a quick scream, ran away from me to hide under a carton box on the corner of the room. Sigh, she's gonna be one of those characters, right? "Err... Kaichou?"

"Unless you give her a proper character development, she's gonna stay like that and lose her charms in no time." Oh, boy. There she is giving those vibes again. Yep, those archetypes can go from 'cute' to 'deadly annoying' real fast, and besides, no one wants to be like that forever... Except maybe shut-ins. Serena-Kaichou came closer and tapped my chest with a hand, sighing a relieved one and smiling sweetly. "And since I know just another awkward, adorable but steady young man involved with lots and lots of character arcs himself, I was thinking that maybe him would be the perfect match to walk her around and help her make some friends!"

"I just had two different character arcs, gimme a break..." I murmured under my own misery, looking and contrasting with kaichou's smiley disposition. What about me? Where's my character arc when I have my own development and show everyone that I'm not just some eye-candy, also falling in love with the protagonist because of some bullshit reason? Oh wait, that won't happen, because we discussed this already in the previous arc. Wait... "Besides, I already have Sally-chan to take care of, plus my dear friend, the esper. I don't think I can avoid Whiswain-san in hating or fearing me."

"That won't be a problem, master of mine!" Yikes! What the hell?! I just talked about the devil, yet here is a descendant of him, Salvatina Veritas, who appeared out of nowhere and was standing all a big and mighty, despite the fact she barely reaches my chest, her arms crossed and with a grin on her face. She opened one of her eyes in a wink. "I'm far knowledgeable about this kind of flags and scenarios, so believe when I say I won't be interfere with your current affairs with one of your heroines. As a future harem queen, I should've known better."

"..."

"...?"

"What did you do to her? I know I barely know her, but for her character to turn around like that..." One of my eyes twitched a little as I turned to the president of the student council. Sally-chan wasn't like that when I first met her, so something happened when I wasn't looking. This world that I'm in is too far dangerous and dark for a little girl like Sally-chan, and of course the one who would corrupt her first would be Serena-Kaichou. In response, the bluenette simply shrugged.

"Nope; it wasn't me. Rather, it's you." And her grin grew wider when I gasped in surprise, turning to Sally-chan, who so happily confirmed that statement with a nod. Wait, am I now the corrupter?! Oh crap, I corrupted a 12-year old, what the hell is wrong with me?! "You see, Ichijou-kun, you might not notice, but you have your own influence over others as well. That's a good thing to have."

"Uh-huh, right. Now, if I'm using it the right way or not it's a completely different story." I sighed, and before I knew it, Kaichou suddenly came closer to bury me into her breasts! Ugh, it's happening again!

"Ichijou-kun~, how many times I have to take care of your issues with my body~? Or maybe, just maybe, you're doing that on purpose just to cup a feel, you naughty boy~? Huuuh~...?" She sing-sang caressing my hair and the back of my head, mixing her maternal side with her usual tease. Uh~... This is bad, right?

"Am I really making you think I do that? Sorry." I apologized. Sheesh, that's exactly what my sisters think I do, and that's bad for me and my reputation. Can't say that I hate it, but to make people think that... I pushed Kaichou away and turned my eyes away. Great, I made her think I'm a attention-whore. This is so lame...

"Ah-ah~. I was just joking. Don't take that seriously. I know you, you wouldn't do that just to... Cup a feel. Anyway, go ahead, do your bullshit to Whiswain-chan to make her like you, just like you did to all of us!"

"Yeah... No, wait! ... Sigh."

"Hiiiiiih~...!" And cutting our little conversation, we turned around to see Whiswain-san comically running away from Sally-chan, who was now using her corset as a cape and imitating a ghost after the reaper hybrid. "Please stop! I'm afraid of ghosts! They're so mean to me and always try to peek under my skirt!"

"Hyahahahah! So make me stop, reaper! Otherwise I'm sneak under your skirt and stole your underwear! Hyahahah!" Were Sally-chan's words, as my face grimaced even more, and prez laughed a little, giving me a thumb up. Well, at least I know that she didn't get from me! In the end, in her blind attempt to escape her little molester, Whiswain-san bumped into me, and fell to the ground.

"Hic, hic! Waaaah~! Make it stop~! I just want some friends to protect me~!" She murmured, hiding her face behind her hands and probably crying, Salvatina about to jump on her when suddenly Serena-Kaichou caught her by the collar and hanged her in the air. Okay, I think that's my cue: I kneeled in front of her, and offered a hand, Whiswain-san stopping her crying and looking back at it. She looked at my face, and so suddenly turned away. "Ah~! Dragon...! Scary dragon...! Please don't hurt m-...!"

***FLICK!***

"Hiiiiih~...!"

"Make me!" I said with a flick on her forehead, where she proceeded to massage in order to relief the pain. Getting fed up with her archetype, we have to change that before it gets out of control. Like Kaichou said, time for 'my bullshit'. She proceeded to moan, and again I flicked her forehead. "C'mon, grim reaper. Make me stop."

"Please, st-...!** *FLICK!*** Ow~...!" And again I flicked her forehead. She was on the brink of tears, but before she could cry, another flick on her forehead she received. "Hiiih~, please st-...***FLICK!*** Ow~...! This hur-... ***FLICK!*** Owow! Someone save m-... ***FLICK!*** Dragons are so mea-...! ***FLICK!*** Hiiih~, you'll mark my hea-...! ***FLICK!*** Please stop right n-...! ***FLICK!* I TOLD YOU TO STOP YOU CURSED DRAGON, YOU!"**

"Kah, kah! You tell him, grim reaper! Master doesn't like weaklings!" My apprentice said with a smile on her face, and Serena-Kaichou, who was surprised by my display of cruelty, suddenly blinked and smiled, as Whiswain-San gasped under her breath and hid behind her bangs. I sighed, and offered her a hand again. She again looked at it, back at me, and turned away, covering her mouth.

"S-Sorry about my outburst. I just... Dislike when people touch my forehead. It hurts." She said, taking my hand standing up. She's so awkward, I can see some similarities. The difference? I have at least the courage to talk back sometimes, and growing up a spine is good here, if not essential. She's doing that, that's good. I waved a hand in front of her.

"Think nothing of it, I should be the one apologizing. Doing such things when you told me to stop." I said, blushing and looking away from her. She was so scared and shocked, she used her uniform to dry her tears, without even realizing she's exposing her chest for the world to see. As always, Kaichou and Sally-chan were smiling.

_"Nice rack."_

_"I'm bigger than that, but wow."_

Oh, shut up, you two...

"So... Now that we're on even ground, let's start again: I'm Tsukino Ichijou, student from class 1-B, and the host of the Boosted Gear, the gauntlet of the red dragon emperor, Ddraig." I said kinda awkwardly, gripping my left hand behind my back and offering her my right one. She looked at it, blinked a few times, looked at me in the eyes, and nodded, also offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, let's get along."

"W-W-Whiswain, a transferred student and half grim reaper. N-Nice to meet you, dragon... I mean!, Ichijou-san." And then we touched and shook hands. Her hand is quite cold, as expected from a grim reaper, but she's not trembling at all. Maybe her fear for me disappeared, or she just have a pretty good self-control. Either way, I think I can help her get used to Kuoh... While also teaching her how to survive In this place. In the end, we parted hands, and then silence. Whiswain-san looked at her hand and tilted her head. "A hand of a dragon. Strange, suddenly, it's not that scary anymore... Not that isn't scary at all! Sorry if it sounded that way!"

"Whiswain-chan, there's no need to apologize. Courage to face this big, cruel world is essential, and you'll learn that either normally or in a pinch!" Suddenly, Kaichou appeared between us and tapped the grim reaper on the shoulder, laughing. Whiswain-san jumped in fear and surprise, but the Sitri was fast enough to reassure her. "But of course, you can always count the Sekiryuutei here to level a mountain just to save you. I know what he'd do to help a friend!"

"Master once punched a dragon so hard he lost his limbs. True story."

"Yeah. I do... I do what I can." I said, scratching my cheek a little in embarrassment and turning my eyes away. In the end, I forced another smile towards Whiswain-San and nodded. "Although... You're already braver than I am. I wouldn't face a dragon when I first enrolled in Kuoh.**(although I was just a normal high-schooler back then.)"**

"..." And then, suddenly, her cheeks heated up. And for the first time, she managed to give us a very trembly smile, going ear to ear, hiding her face behind her bangs and face and shaking left and right like a typical highschool girl. "Hyuuuuh~, a boy and the president complimented me~... I don't know how to deal with that~, but it feels so funny~..."

"Kah, kah! Feel honored to be complimented by the one and only red dragon emperor!" Said the little exorcist now by my side, while I bumped my knuckles on her little head. Stop saying those things, it'll scare her again. "I mean, kah, kah! Welcome to Kuoh academy! Don't worry, we'll protect you!"

"Close enough."

"Yay~. Thanks, master."

"Okay, okay. Welcome to Kuoh, Whiswain-san. Here, I got nothing to do, so I'll take you to a tour." I said with a bow, and she stopped and gasped in surprise, recovering from her little reverie and blushing again. She again bowed apologetically.

"Uh... Hyuuuuh~, please, I'll be on your care! I'm sorry for any inconvenience or trouble I might've caused you; and please take care of me, Ichijou-san!" She spoke, bowing like a proper polite lass. Maybe that will be easier than I thought. However, Sally-chan tilted her head to a side.

"Eh? But master, didn't you have to show the rest of mysteries of Kuoh to Ren-sam-...?" I frowned by hearing that name, and instead made a 'shhh' gesture for her, which she understood and closed her mouth with her hands. Seeing, Kaichou turned her eyes to me and giggled.

"Are you still holding a grudge Against Ren-kun?" She asked, and I blinked an eye out of annoyance. Sheesh, annoying. She smiled and clapped her hands once. "Ah, do what you want to do, Ichijou-kun. I'll wash my hands for you. Just remember that you can't stay mad at anyone forever. Nor someone that liked you will want to you to stay mad at them for too long."

"Point taken, Kaichou." I said with a sigh. Sally-chan then nodded and, suddenly, she 'melted' in a black mass, which fused to the floor and merged with my own shadow! Wow, what the hell?! Whiswain-chan screamed, and I jumped away. From my own shadow then, appeared the blue eyes and blond hair of my apprentice, smiling. "Wow, let me guess, one of your inherited powers?"

"Quite. That's a power I got from my vampire grandmother. Impressive, isn't it master." She said with a grin and a giving me a small salute, winking. She's really spending too much time with those gals, I gotta start going full 'sensei' mode now, otherwise it'll get out of control. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take residence in thy shadow, so we can stay together more! Won't take be cool?"

"Yeah. Just give me a time alone when I'm in the bathroom." I winked at her, and the others just giggle, Sally-chan again melting back on my shadow. A blond girl calling me a master and living on my shadow; thank goodness I already have my vampire. 'My' vampire, what the hell. I snapped my fingers, and called for Whiswain-san again. "With that out of the way, I think we should be going now. Kuoh is pretty big, and I want you to meet some of my friends..."

"A-Ah... Don't bother with that, Ichijou-san."

"It's okay, it'll just take a minute anyway..."

"..." Yeah, who's the high-schooler with a bunch of monsters and liars as friends? I am, I am. I bit Kaichou one last goodbye, and as always, she blew a kiss on my direction, so filled with cheesiness and tease, an actual lipstick mark appeared on my cheek. I got out of the student council room with Whiswain-san following suit, as I tried to get rid of that baton that smells like fresh mangoes(huh, so she did follow my instructions.). As we walked through the corridors, I just kept pointing at some checkpoints here in Kuoh, when suddenly. "Hey... Ichijou-san?"

"Yeah...?" I said, ready to point at Nemesis-san's office.

"Uh~... Well... Kaichou seemed super attached to you... And she... Really seems to like you..." She said, fiddling with her fingers and her single eye going everywhere except me. Kaichou? Serena-san? Well; yeah, I mean, she kinda saved me back during the first week of classes, and she has been helping a lot, even not always in a... Healthy way. You can say she's my... My... Sigh. "Do you two... Have an relan-... Relan-... Relationsh-...?!"

"If we're in a relationship? Kinda, she's the girl I'm having an affair with." I said with a twitchy lip, and suddenly she jumped from shock, her face exploding in a bright red tone. First impressions are important, right? So maybe if I show her that I can be as non-frightening as possible, maybe I can start it with the right foot. "Let's see... I got myself five girlfriends, a loli, two fiancées, a rival, and Kaichou, who's my lover outside that circle. Not to mention the guys. Yep, I'm pretty popular."

"Ah... Ah... Ah...!"

"Just kidding, it's a jok-...!"

**"YOU BEAST OF LUUUUUUUUUST! HIIIIIIIH~...!"**

"Eh?! Eeeeeh~...?!" But before I could explain myself, Whiswain-san hit the highest gear and ran away from me! Wait, what?! Oh shit! She took the joke seriously! What the hell! I ran for her as fast as I could! "Wait! Whiswain-san! It was a joke! A JOKE...!"

"Hiiiiih~! Stay away from me...!"

And then, I've learned a valuable lesson about my own archetype and character: I don't joke, I don't have a sense of humor unless if it's for annoying everyone...

.

**~~[SOME EXPLANATIONS LATER!]~~**

.

"So... You're not Kaichou's l-l-lover? It was just a joke?" Still covering her face and her ears almost at boiling point, Whiswain-san was still following me at small steps and an arm-length away from me, as I walked with a uneasy smoke coming out of my mouth, completely defeated by my own. Sally-chan peeked out of my shadow to give me a grin, and a wink. Oh boy, what a day. "Please don't joke like that, Ichijou-san!"

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Sometimes getting out of the usual can help me out."

"Master, you don't need to change in order to make people comfortable with you. If anything, you spoil people too much! As expected from a harem King!" Said the blonde on my shadow, tossing me a smile of a sorts before diving back into the blackness. I dunno, something something first impressions are always important, and I do want to make Whiswain-san not afraid of me. 'I spoil people too much', what does she mean by that?

"Huuuh~... But, are there any other g-g-girls in your life for real? Do you have a g-girlfriend?" She asked with a bit of hesitance, and for that I blushed and looked away, only to stare back at Sally-chan doing 'that' face. That's it, she's gonna stay with me 24/7 from now on! Anyway, I gotta tell her about that without... Scaring her away again.

"Girls in my life... I'd rather say pests in my life." I said to her, giving her an shaft stare as she tilted her head to a side and hummed an interrogation. "Pretty freeloaders who think that can stay in my house and eat my food just because they have big boobs and are eye-candies. I have an obnoxious redhead with self-esteem and identity issues, a perverted witch with delayed reactions, a horny fox girl with mommy issues, a happy-go-lucky warlord that will probably break my pelvis one day, an a missing ninja with parent problems, not to mention my bitch sisters, Kaichou who is a SSS-ranked sex offender, a loli apprentice, a fried chicken and my other fiancée the squid-girl. Yep, those are the pests in my life..."

"O-Oh... I'm so sorry... To hear that." She said, her head now down and fiddling with her fingers again. I looked at the ribbon wrapped on my left hand and clenched it a few times. Do I really mean all of that? Yes, of course I do. Yet...

"And do you know what the worst part is? I can't hate them." I shrugged, which surprised the girl in the Kuoh uniform, who was now getting scared of my show of words. Yep, they're noisy, nosy, obnoxious, even a little violent from time to time, but by the end of the day, I can't say that I hate them. I cannot say it at all. Maybe because I'm getting too mellow. Sigh, am I going to be like my father? A complete slave to his desire, or worse, getting abused left and right by the girls in my life? "I think it's because I'm an idiot. I've lived with four bitch sisters, so I guess I got something of a concussion on my head. I can't really hate them, I dunno why."

"..." She spoke nothing, just continued to look at me with that shiny little black eye. What can I say? Like there's anyway for me to get rid of them... And even if there it is, I wouldn't use it. "Are you... Happy with that?"

"..."

"Oh, master is in doubt." Sally-chan noted. Am I happy with that? Am I? Pretty girls with big boobs, the season of romance for any guy, except for me, who wants to date only one girl who is quiet, quirky and nice(Kamiyama Shiori.). Yet... I contorted my face with that 'yet', so much it's starting to hurt like a lot. Is this love?

[Yes, it is.] Nobody asked your opinion, shut up!

"Yes. I'm happy about it. People who can see me as a friend even after everything I've said and done to them. You'll understand once you know them. They're the type you just can't hate." I said with a shrug and sigh, and for once, Whiwain-san smiled again, a relieved one too at that. As long as I can control them, I think they'll be great friends...

And when I say 'them', I mean either Yoko or Tasha...

"It must be nice to have friends... Or sisters." She sighed.

"It is." I said with a tired smile after so much afterthoughts. I can feel that Sally-chan is also happy for me, if the silhouette of a smile In My shadow is anything to go by. Am I happy about this? Probably, sorta, kinda, I dunno, what I do know is that I'm having a blast now. I hope it stays like that until it lasts, until they get tired of me. "Better than having shitty sisters and an A-hole for a father."

"T-That's not very nice! M-My father is a great guy!"

"Maybe yours, but mine have more braincells in the wrong head."

"Hiiiih~, I don't want to hear that!" And she so cutely-shied away from me, covering her virgin ears and making sounds in order to block my words, I guess. Huh, a girl about my age being this shy: I've encounter a nephilim, six dragon Sacred Gear users with bizarre abilities, a redhead with the ability to turn into a spidery abomination and one of my girlfriends... Girl friends has nine tails sprouting from her derrière which are also her erogenous zone, yet this is one of the most rare and bizarre events that I've ever seen so far. She's cute. Sally-chan again sprouted out of my shadow.

"Hyuhuhuh, Whiswain-sama is a shy cookie. Master, will you be proceeding to use your special abilities in order to make her yours?" She laughed, and I frowned a little at the girl from my shadow, who again dived back into my black counterpart. Geez, let it go for once, she's way too pure to be envolved in this kind of stuff! "Okay, okay, I get it master! She's the token pure maiden! That's also not that bad!"

"Ugh..." I grunted a little; as she dived again into my shadow. Whiswain-san finally calmed down, and we restarted out walk around Kuoh.

I Dunno, but maybe she had a very sheltered life, since trivial things like the clock tower and the group of students walking around seems to amaze her. She also shies away when people starts at either on her or her breasts, and whenever we exchange words, she would stare anywhere but on we, fiddling her fingers until they would almost rip it's skin off. Aside from an occasional comment from the girl in my shadow, our walk around actually wasn't that bad, and like before, it's good to have a nice normal talk with someone, specially a cute girl just as shy as me. Apparently her favorite food is spaghetti and she dislikes anything sour, and just like me and Mizuki-san, she loves Kamen Rider and Showa-era Ultraman. So this is a normal conversation, eh...?

Kinda reminds me of...

"Aiyah! Master, I can feel a killing intent coming right from in front of us~!" Said the girl in my shadow, as I lifted a hand to shield Whiswain-San from harm and looked at that direction! I was so engulfed by our conversation that I didn't even notice the empty hallway, so it was kinda easy to spot the supposed killer: the silver hair, the black gakuran uniform, and the piercing golden eyes. Ah... It's that guy. "Ah... It's Ren-sama."

"W-Who...?"

"Just a former acquaintance of mine. No need to pay much attention." I said, frowning at him. No, I'm not hating on him, I'm just frustrated. Let's just move past him and see what happens, because this is not my fault. I lowered my hand and signed for her to move on, taking the lead and walking forward. "For now, just ignore him."

"U-Uuuh~... Okay." Good girl. And so we continued to walk towards the other side to maybe the stairs so we could see downstairs. I held my straight face until we were about to cross pass, and then, when I took one step pass him, I stopped and peeked a small glance at him. His golden orbs were staring back, and his mouth was about to open, but in the end, I saw Ren gulp, and then turn back forward, as nothing happen at all. I mentally sighed, and finally walked pass him, without even looking back. Maybe... Maybe next time. "Huuuh~, Ichijou-san, you said you two were acquaintances, right? I'm sorry if this might sound pretentious, but wasn't that kind of rude? Maybe if you turn and listen."

"It'll happen someday, Whiswain-san. But not today... And I don't care about that at all." I said. What I mean is 'I don't care about the time he says it' at all. Again I saw the half-reaper give an awkward puff, and then nothing else.

"You shouldn't treat your friends like that, Ichijou-san. I don't know how it feels, but I think you saddened him..." I heard her again with a weak voice, probably fiddling with her fingers and still hiding her single eye behind her bangs. I know I've 'saddened' that ninja, but it's... It's not my fault, right? He's the one who lied to me, and if there's anything I hate is when people lie to me. I hate lying, myself. I stopped on my track, and turned around...

"Look, Whiswain-san. I don't like doing this, but..."

***PUNCH!***

**"Kyaaaaaah! ICHIJOU-SAN...!"**

"Master...!" And it happened: in a span of a second, without any warning, a fast silver lightning crossed from besides Whiswain-san and hit me right on the cheek, ejecting me away and making me crash a window, landing on the hard floor of the outer grounds. I spat a little of blood, and cleaned my mouth from it, as something landed right in front of me: was that damn ninja!

"Tch... What now, Ren?!" I said, spitting blood and cracking a few articulations in my neck. Gosh, I'm glad that I'm a devil now, otherwise this and the other things that happened to me would've kill me! Ren instead of answering pulled his sleeves up and cracked his knuckles a few times! What now?! "Don't tell me that I'll betray us now! I won't be surprised if that's actually what you're pulling this Tim-...!"

"Shut up! Just shut up, you!" He screamed back, bumping his fists together and cracking his neck with each side, his golden eyes shining a sick glow that only screams 'murder'! "Y'know what?! Fuck words! Fuck sentences! Fuck those cliche lines and you and me sitting together during sunset saying how much important we're to each other despite the lies we hide! Let's settle this the only way people like us know how: with our **FISTS**!"

"Why you...! Okay, then! You and me, one-on-one, no hold backs, let's solve this like men! Like real men!" I said, also pulling my sleeves out and making a battle pose! Yeah! Screw words and melodrama, let's speak with our fists! Like real men should! Welsh dragon, Yagura, please stay out of this, his ass is mine!

**[I WOULD NEVER, NOT IN THIS SITUATION. CRUSH HIM, PARTNER!]**

**[Well, isn't that kind of romantic. Okay then, go solve our problems alone. Kick his ass, Ichijou!]**

**"REEEEEEEEEEEEN...!"**

**"ICHIJOOOOOOOOOU...!"**

.

~~x~~

.

"And... I think that will be enough to pay for the two holes on the second floor. Good job, Rina." And my stupid little sister sighed in relief, letting herself melt on her chair as the rest of her team would congratulate her and themselves and I put the money on a paper envelope. Wow, I can't believe she actually raised enough money to pay for the repairs on the second floor. They still have other things to pay, but they indeed did a good job. "I'll send these complains and suggestions to the Student council office, so I guess that's about it for you report for now."

"Who could've thought a small club with a minimum of members and a newbie teacher, builded under a small budget could raise so much! You guys did at least twenty request so far!" Said my new secretary Aria Argento, looking through the different files regarding the said 'Suggestion Box club', and there's a lot more than I thought it would be. Some were just menial chores like cleaning the floor, tutoring or helping on moving, but they've gathered such a faithful following... However, my queen suddenly dropped her bright smile to a more gloomy one. "Still, maybe you shouldn't take all the request for granted. You know I can crush the Arts club members' jewels for asking you to be their semi-nude models."

"Pride on our figure. No shame." Tasha Campbell then made a pose, and still blushed a little, while all Rina could muster was a quick and mischief smile on her seat. Liu Bei could only sigh, since she wasn't part Of that for 'professional issues'. Huh, maybe she is more reasonable that I thought and not a muscle head that broke my Rook's hands. "Besides, Liu Bei tutoring only males. Same thing."

"Ara, Tasha-dono, they did improve in their grades. I have you know yours truly knows an infallible technique to make them attention!" The pinkerette said with a prideful smile and puffing her already big Chest up, almost bursting a button. Whatever it is, I think I don't want to know it. They all laughed, which I smiled for. They're getting along. However, I noted one thing inside Rina's shirt.

"Rina, are you wearing my old lingerie?" I said, putting myself standing up and walking towards her. She looked back at me, and also stood up from her chair, unbuttoning her blouse to show herself wearing, yes, my old black bra. That's one of my daring collection, the one that I used during my first date with Nero. Quite useful too, easy to unhook... Uh, why is she wearing that to begin with? Is she and Ichijou already a thing or...?

"Yep. I asked mom if I could use some of her old collection, but then I remembered that her cups are custom-made. So I picked some of yours to look appealing for... Nevermind, nevermind." And she blushed and looked away. I tossed my eyes towards my blond queen, and if there's any expression that mixes excitement and pride, it's hers. I could hear giggles by her side as well, but I turned back at my sister who stared back, and laughed a little. "Well... Do you want it back? I know you have to change when you're headmistress Shizuka, but still..."

"No, that's not it, Rina. You can keep it, it's just... Here, let me help you." I said now reaching my hands into her bra and touching her breasts. The moment we made contact, she trembled and moaned in a cute way; also blushing due to my sudden movements. Silly Rina, do you have to relearn how to put on a bra? "Ah, ah! Look at this mess, the cups are all messy, the breasts are all cramped and you made a knot out of the straps. If you want to use my old bras, at least learn how to wear them."

"A-Ah... Fwah... Wait, si- Kyah...!" She continued to moan as I adjusted her breasts into the cup, without noticing everyone staring at disbelief. I don't care, she's my sister, after all. Tasha Campbell even had the balls to pull a camera from her phone, but Aria quickly snapped away and confiscated it. Just hang on, sister. "H-Hyah~, fwah~...!"

"If you were smarter and ask for help, we wouldn't be doing that, stupid Rina." I said with a ghost of a smile. Oh, so she has sensitive breasts, that's good to know. For what, you might ask? I dunno, maybe mom's shipping fetish is rubbing on me. And so, I concluded my job, and her breasts were perfectly put of their respective cups. It looks healthier now. "Done. Rina, I know you're used to those cover bras, but if you want to put something like that one, you'll need to learn how to do it. Otherwise it might mark you, even deform your breasts, and no one, no one, wants that."

"Point... Taken." She said still blushing and hyper-ventilating. Wait, did she seriously consider hearing my advice? Wow, so that's how it feels like to be dad. She buttoned her shirt up, and crossed her arms under her breasts, blinking in surprise a few times. "Wow, it does feel different. **Thanks, sis.**"

_Thanks, sis..._

_Thanks, sis..._

_Thanks, sis..._

**_No matter what people say, you're a good sister..._**

"That was only the natural thing to do. No need to... Thank me." Yeah, why's that? I'm her older sister, I should help her as I can. Why the hell am I blushing? Like I said, this is only natural for me! Stop... Looking at me! But All in all, if does feel nice to be a proper big sister...

"Sniff... Sniff...!"

"Aria-nee...?"

"Aria...?"

"Sniff... You two...!" We both turned to that direction where we could hear someone actually sniffing, and to our surprise, there it was, my Queen Aria Argento, smiling like an idiot and dripping from her eyes and her nose running wild. Ew, what the hell now? Before I could ask just that, she suddenly leaped and hugged both of us with her arms. "You idiots... Have you two any idea how long I've been waiting to see this! Hyahah! This is so perfect...!"

"Aria... Get off of me." I slapped her face away. Whatever she means by that, it got annoying fast, so I dismissed her embrace, only to continue to avoid her touch. Rina also began to avoid her; laughing all the way only to be trapped by her own peerage, all snuggling on her. Huh, good to see them getting along... Hah! Too slow; Aria! "Cut it out, Aria! I'm starting to get angry, don't make me cut your salary in half!"

"Whatever! Just give me love, you beautiful, busty redhead demon~!" Geez; the Hyoudou genes are acting again, apparently. But, at least, those calm days are back...

Yes. Those calm days are back...

***CRASH!***

"Nemesis-sama...!" And I spoke too soon. Coming in from one of my windows, a small figure bursted into my office and rolled to my direction, now grabbing the brink of my skirt with teary eyes. We all stopped to see the blue-eyed, blond apprentice of Tsukino Ichijou crying on me. "Awawawah...! Nemesis-sama... Agagababah! Treebyari...! Master is...! Master is...!"

"Calm down, Salvatina Veritas!" I said, picking her and putting her sitting on my table. What the hell happened for her to end up like that?! "Take a deep breath, calm yourself and tell me: what happened?"

"Nemesis-dono!" *BAM!*, before the little one could speak a word, the door leading to my office bursted open, and from there was Kurama-dono, apparently recovered from her previous traumatic event, sweating buckets and coming into my direction! "Ichijou...! Ichijou is...! Hyahrah...!"

"Okay, you two calm the fuck down! I'm starting to get angry!" I said to both gibberish talkers in front of me, as Rina and her group helped the ninetails to sit on a chair and take deep breaths. Whatever is happening, is too great for woke Kurama-dono, Akabane Yoko, from her comatose state! "Aria, go pick some water with sugar for them! Maybe then anything they say will start to make sens-...!"

***CRASH!***

"Morimoto-san...!"

"And who the **FUCK** you suppose to be?!" I screamed when a new girl, wearing Kuoh's uniform yet completely new in my view, who has long brown hair falling on one of her black eyes and pale skin, bursted from another FUCKING window to deliver those same gibberish on my feet!

"Ichijou-san...! Agryahagaha...! Bahatghurou...!"

"Ah! Shut up!"

"Battalion! Salutation! My sister Nemesis is speaking with thy!"

"Yes, ma'am!" And suddenly, the mess of the three girls stopped, as all of them lined up in front of one of the descendant of the Great King in this room. Huh, nice one, maybe there's still a little of Ludger into you, Rina. With the mess out of the way, I took my place besides my little sister and scanned the three lasses In front of me, Salvatina Veritas, Akabane Yoko and this chick with quite a sinister aura. My Gremory radar is also pointing it out, maybe she's a Grim Reaper. Not time for that, time to figure what those three mean by calling for the walking disaster magnet that is Tsukino Ichijou.

"Thank you Rina. Now, yo three, take a deep breath and tell me what the hell happened? where's the fire?" I said with my weakest frown and a stern but calm look. They all began to fiddle with their words as soon as I have them the permission, leading us to nowhere!

"M-Master is... Master is...!"

"I-I-Ichijou-san...!"

"Ichijou...! Ichijou is...!"

_'Headmistress Gremory, Izuki is in a fist fight with his boyfriend!'_

"Finally! Someone explained what happened, and she's not even here!" I said hearing the mental voice of Kyouka Mizuki. Also, what?! Ichijou is in a goddamn fight! Where?!

_'In the training camp! And it's awesome!'_

"Huh, so bro is finally showing his fangs. I'd pay to see that!" Aria said with a smile and a thumb up, and I flicked her forehead. This is not something or the time to be excited about it! I turned my eye towards the other team, and Liu Bei seems to be just as excited! What is wrong with those Asians?!

"Hong Long in a fight! How romantic! Let's see how far he has reached!"

"Liu Bei, this is no joke! He might be dying right now! Let's go help him!" My sister said with a desperate face, opening the door to the corridors and flowing together with the rest of the students to see the mess that is was happening outside. Casting my disguising magic, I soon followed suit, follows also by the messenger trio and the others. That... I want to see!

We reached the ground floor, and as expected, there was a crowd of people gathering around the outside training ground, all eagerly watching the hell was by the other side. Fortunately I was able to cut throw the people as soon as they'd spot me, with the rest of Rina and her peerage plus the others following me. In the end, we reached the heart of the conflict: Tsukino Ichijou and the ninja Ren all messed-up ad bloodied, sharing fists with each other!

"Asshole!"** *PUNCH!***

"Dickhead!"** *PUNCH!***

"Idiot!" ***PUNCH!***

"Jackass!**" *PUNCH!***

"You're the worst friend ever and a liar!"** *PUNCH!***

"You're a good-for-nothing, spineless little bitch!" ***PUNCH!***

"Hiiih~, Ichijou-san is angry! This is so scary! someone, Do something!" Seriously, who the hell are you?! But all in all, she's right, those two are at it; Ren didn't even bother to lift a barrier to hide their little match, and the Boosted Gear is nowhere to be seen.

"Go, Hong Long! You can do it! Believe in yourself and carve your path to victory!" Rina's rook said with a conviction only she can manage, and soon was followed by other students cheering on him and Aria, who was as excited to see her little brother marking someone so deeply. Soon I spotted Serena Sitri watching the fight, probably divided between her duty as the student council member... And being Ichijou's friend. Myself am kinda divided here: it doesn't seem like a fight, it seems more like a small quarrel between friends. Rina, however, was ready to intervene!

"What the hell are you two screaming about?! They're gonna kill each other! Ichij-...!" But before she could jump into action and do whatever in order to stop the two stupidheads, a hand reached for her collar and almost choked her. It was so fast, I didn't even notice, but it was the fox who was there. "What the... Yoko, let me go! He's your husband, isn't he?!"

"Rina, I know how you feel, but that's a that moment we, women, should stay quiet and let men solve their problems." She sighed, sharpening her eye, saying wordlessly she was also on the brink of exploding the training ground seeing the two boys kill each other. The atmosphere became so serious, all the fire on Rina died out, and she grunted with trembling lips and eyes, finally setting down in watching the match.

The fight resumed and lasted a few minutes, no one even daring to intervene by either fear or pride, as the two boys would punch, kick, elbow and kneel each other until the bitter end, spitting blood everywhere and locking their arms. In the end, both ended in a state too harmed to go on, and stopped in a single spot, their clothes a mess and bruises everywhere. They stared at each other, and roared.

"You're a piece of shit, y'know that?!" Roared the red dragon, pointing one of his bloody indicators towards the albino ninja. He other did the same.

"And you're an ignorant asshole! Let's settle this match once and for all!" Ren-kun screamed, and then, clenched the said hand into a fist, Tsukino Ichijou doing the same. Silence, not a single word after that. The world simply froze while the two boys stared at each ofher, and in a leap, they went against each ofher's neck! The final encounter! "ICHIJOU...!"

"REN...!"

"Okay, that shall be enough!"

***CLAP!***

"Let's settle down, guys. There are girls watching." And it happened in an instant. Suddenly, when the two boys were about to clash, I saw a black flash cutting through the crowd and putting itself between the them. I heard a loud and strong clap, and then, the two boys were thrown back, like if something just exploded between them, falling other back. The clap was so powerful it took me a few seconds to see the culprit behind such attack: Nero Gladius, my knight. There he was, sighing between the two fallen friends, drawing the attention of the crowd for himself. "Uh~... So yeah, show's over, everybody. Please return to your classrooms because lunchtime is almost over. And... I guess that's it, eheheh..."

"Wow, he went from 'cool' to 'school' in a blink of an eye." Deadpanned the fox girl. Heh, what can I say, he was raise in a sheltered holy place, and she has no right to say that since her dragon in a even awkward ball.

"The pretty guy is right; everybody! Back to class! Homeroom will start soon! Don't make Headmistress Shizuka mad!" Apparently, I have quite a fame regarding my temper; since everybody gulped hard, and under Aria's warning, went back to Kuoh without a single word. That's... Almost too depressing. The only ones remaining here were me, those two idiots, Rina and her peerage and my own, plus Serena Sitri, Kyouka Mizuki and... Seriously, who the hell is this girl?! My queen went faster than me and hugged my knight, kissing him on the cheek. "Nice save, Nero! You saved those two idiots!"

"As expected from my knight, that was quite a show. One can't ever forget those controlled shockwaves of yours." I said, kissing him on the cheek and picking on my ears to get rid of that annoying ringing. He sighed and so weakly smiled at me. "I know I'll be sleeping soundly tonight."

"Does that mean I'll have a night off?"

"Aw~, but it's my turn tonight!" Pouted Aria. I slapped her on the back of her head. Stupid sexy Aria, a no's a no. "I mean; yeah, get your rest. I don't care(I love you.)."

"Thanks, Nemesis." Said my knight. His attention the shifted to the boys; who were standing up with the help of their friends, Ichijou with his peerage and that girl and Ren with both Salvatina, Serena and Kyouka Mizuki. They shared a glare, then turned their eyes away, huffing like little bitches. "Say, you two, what you were thinking? Fighting like that during classes..."

"I'm sorry, Nero-san, but that's between me and him!" Said the red dragon emperor, frowning back at his albino friend who stared back. The atmosphere here wasn't one of the best, yet that animosity from before was nonexistent. "So, we're trapped now, Ren! Do you have anything to say?!"

"Do I?! Do I?! Let me tell you something, Red Dragon: just because I'm your friend doesn't mean I have to tell you everything!" He said, standing strong on his own and pointing another finger at the dragon. "Remember this: I never lied to you, nor explicitly stated anything! You just assumed thing and I said nothing! End of story!"

"But the least you could do was to correct me!" Ichijou-kun also stood on his two feet to lean forward and be on the same level as Ren.

"Would you treat me differently because of this minor detail?! Would you?! Just one more of your whores, your Ichi-hoes, the bunch of your bimbos?! I'm sure you just want one more prize at your prize stand!"

'_Hey, that wasn't very nice..._'**(Rina)**

_'But 'Ichi-hoes' is kinda creative. Kudos for him'_** (Yoko)**

"Of course not! You're Ren from the Hanzō village and my friend, and that's that!" Screamed back Ichijou, my anger gauge slowly filling with each moment of this moment. Man, this is awkward, like that time I visited Absinthe-chan when her parents were fighting. Ichijou then stomped the ground, hard, and pointed a finger at his friend(?). "I'm not pissed about those trivial matters, I'm pissed because you hid and lied to me!"

"Well I'm sorry, but I regret nothing! Nothing at all!" The other roared, his line being both extremely cheesy and hypocrite. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then huffed and looked away from each other. So much melodrama, I feel like crying... Of rage. This is really starting to piss me off! I turned to Rina, who was comforting her queen, and sighed. The two idiots turned again to each other, and before we knew it, Ren jumped and punched Ichijou right in the face! Everybody was ready to intervene, but I lifted a hand to stop them. The two stared back at each other, standing strong there. "One more thing...!"

"What...!"

"Whatever you like it or not, I want to be your... **Friend**!"

"...!"

"There, I said it! I don't care how much you hate me, or how many secrets I still have with me, I still want to be your friend! Happy now?! Sheesh, fuck this, seriously..." And then... Freeze. We said or did nothing, only stared at the two boys sharing glares of hate and love. That one took the dragon by surprise, as he gasped and wide his eye in surprise, while the ninja bit his lower lip and squirted his trembling eyes, tossing his head downwards. "Look... I'm not sorry for anything I've done and said, I ready ain't. But I want... I want to be your friend... So... So... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I lied and hid some important things from you, and I hope you can forgive me... Or whatever. Hah, this is so embarrassing..."

_'What's happening?'_**(Tasha)**

_'Two manly men doing manly things, Tasha-dono!_ ***Sniff!***, _you can bet on it!_'** (Liu Bei)**

"Ren..." And as expected, that silly dragon trembled his lips a bit, holding back his tears and gulped hard, playing the hard guy by crossing his arms and closing his arms. No, you're not fooling anyone, Tsukino Ichijou. "Fine, then I also have something to say... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have reacted that way... Maybe you're expecting me to come up with some excuse like 'but it was you who were hiding things' or 'I had all the rights to be upset', but I won't... That crack was... My utter and entirely fault... And I also ask for forgiveness..."

_'Master... *Sniff!*, that's so lovely..._'** (Sally)**

_'I dunno, Sally-chan. It's kind creeping me out...**'**_** (Serena)**

"So... Are we friends again or wh-...?"

***HUG!***

"The bests... You asshole!" And faster than a flash, Ichijou leaped towards the albino ninja and gave him the biggest hug, letting himself go as he smiled on his friend's shoulder. The ninja responded also with a hug, patting the dragon on his back, smiling.

Well... Isn't that a thing? Seriously, everybody around them giving mixed silent judgements, and by the face of his two main heroines, I can see Rina and Yoko aren't too good with them being all this close. Aria, Liu Bei, Salvatina Veritas on the other hand were shredding tears, smiles on their face for some twisted reason. Ugh, Asians...

"Nero, I dunno about you, but I don't have a clue of what's going on..." I said to my knight who was smiling so awkwardly on the face of what was happening. His only response was an even uneasier laugh...

"Uh~... Maybe it's like... 'Samurais share a cup of sake to kill each other on the next day'... Or something...?" He said, and I laughed a little for his stupid effort of an explanation. That's kinda racist, but what do I know? Rina and Yoko soon got feed up by the two, and decided to walk the beat-up dragon to the infirmary. Huh, maybe the Quarta twins are right, sharing is caring..,

"Mooh~, You might be Ichijou's friend, but he's still ours!"

"Ren-dono, excuse my rudeness, but we'll be the ones taking care of him now."

"My bad, guys. I'll need... Some help... Stupid Ren made a mark on me..."

"Oh, believe me, if I had gone full power, none of us would be alive by now..."

And that's that, I guess. Classes are starting soon, but seeing those two like that, I think I can give them a free pass... Not. Sheesh, what a day. At least no one died. Time to go back in being the headmistress...

"H-Huuuuh~, hello." But when I turned around, the one standing in front of me was the little brunette, all trembly and trying to face me with her big black eye. She's cute, I'll give her that. Suddenly, she bowed a few times and stared back at me. Huh, bold. "Glad to be here, Headmistress Moritmoto Shizuka; Nemesis Gremory! I hope I can be on you tender care! And I'm sorry for my current boldness!"

"Oh, a transfer student, eh?" I observed, as she nodded again. Man, those drops on Kuoh like leaves on autumn, huh? I crossed my arms, and sighed. "Very well, welcome to Kuoh. I hope you have wonderful school years, and since you know about my true name, I promise that we'll protect you from any evil. However, I still have one question for you..."

"O-Oh, sure. I'm nervous b-but... What is it?"

"Who the **FUCK** are you?!"

"Hiiiih~...!"

"Damn it! I did it again!"

"Yes, you did, Nemesis. Yes, you did."

Shut up, Nero...

* * *

**Remember this: every time someone says 'shut up, (Name)' in this story, they mean 'I love you'. Think about that.**

**Thbat aside, I hope you all enjoyed this little matycvh between two manly men... one which is a girl actually, but that won't get in the way. Now, who's ready for some violence and feels next chapter, because you can hope for it on the next one! Until then, stay golden, y'all.**

**PS: As for the reviewer named Frank - Whiswain is actually based on a side character named Wis from the Kono Suba Series, but aside from her appearance and a bit of personality, she's an original content. I hope that answered your questions. Thank you~.**


	58. Punishment for the naughty dragon(lemon)

**I'm not dead yet...**

**So, hello DxD fandom, long time no see. Nothing else to talk about, RL being a big of a pain in my schedule, with some other projects going on fanfic-related, and maybe again I'm being a lazy bum about my updates but... It's here, a new chapter of Re-birth. Sorry about the delay, I promise it won't happen too much, and, as a warning, if the title didn't said it enough, this is a lemon chapter, because I think I forgot that this supposew to be the dxd fandom. So... Here it is. You guys are inteligent, will know when the lemon starts and whatnot. So, as always, stay golden, I'm sorry for the delay and... Good read.**

**As always, dxd doesn't belong to me~.**

* * *

"Well, m-my name is... **Whiswain**."

"Wow, that's a really lame name..."

"How cruel~! I'm sorry, but that's just too cruel~!"

And yet again, the Tsukino household held another tenant, now this brunette cute half-grim reaper with a beauty mark under her visible eye and skin so pale she practically glows like a real ghost. Now we were all at the living room, talking and sharing the usual introductions to each other, with the exception of my dear husband, who's resting back on Kuoh academy after we took care of his injuries, and Rina who suddenly got a headache and was now resting on her room, leaving me, Tasha and Ryuubi to guide the ghost to the said house which was now a mansion...

"Huuuh~...?"

"W-What...?" And again Whis-san almost jumped in surprise when she saw a certain purple-haired witch laid on the tatami floor to look at her creamy long legs. Tasha said nothing, yet reached one of her fingers to touch her legs. Whis-san yelped and slapped that hand away. "Eek! Please, don't do that! And I'm sorry for ordering you around!"

"Ghost. But with legs. Odd." Observed the witch blinking her purple eyes back at the hybrid brunette. I couldn't help but to chuckle a little, even if Whis-san looks me funny.

"Tasha, Whiswain-san isn't a ghost. She's a grim reaper, and a hybrid as that. Having legs can't be much of a stretch." I said, as she turned her eyes to me and nodded. Whiswain-san, still blushing and losing steam out of her ears, crawled away for me, and hid behind my back. I sighed to hide another chuckle, and like my husband would do, patted her on the head. "It's okay, Whiswain-san. Tasha might be a little... Kinda... A huge pervert, but she won't harm you. Maybe she'll even protect you."

"Umuh. Friends now." Even with that statement and nod, the reaper wasn't entire trustful about Tasha. To be fair, Rina's peerage is indeed a bunch of misfits, with the exception of my dear husband, who just so happens to be pretty girls with big breasts. I wonder how this series would going to be if they so happens to be a bunch of uglies. I supported my chin with my hands supported by the elbows on the table, and looked back at her.

"You sure likes to make friends, don't you Tasha?" I said with a knack of sarcasm in my voice. She only blinked a few times and mimicked my bored, slow expression. And again, she shrugged.

"Tsukino-chin. Not the only one to attract friends. I have a life too." She said nonchalantly. That one hurt a little with my pride, but I have to keep in mind that it's with Tasha I'm talking about. She's very sociable despite all of those jokes. No wonder she's the third most popular girl among the second-years. "Akabane-chin. Friends with me too. Sharing is caring."

"Yeah, I guess." I scratched my cheek, blushing a little. She caught me by surprise again, stupid Tasha. Sharing is caring, right? If only she knew. I turned back towards the half-reaper hiding on my back, and again patted her on the head. "So, as you can see, we won't harm you, Whiswain-san. There's a reason why Nemesis-san chose us to take care of you."

"New harem member?"

***CHOP!***

"Hurt." You shut up now, we don't want her to be scared of us... Again.

"B-But Nemesis-dono is also kind of scary..." She murmured under her breath. I made a face for that, I made a face, because no matter how much I want to deny it, I can't. Nemesis-san can be quite frightening even when she doesn't want to, not to mention... A total bitch too. Before I could say anything, I heard the reaper girl gulp hard, to then begin to apologize. "N-Not that there's anything wrong with that! I mean... She's a headmaster of Kuoh, I can't blame her for being like that because of her students~! Please don't tell her, I'm sorry~...!"

***CHOP!***

"Ow~... Why does everybody likes to hit m-***CHOP!*** Owww~...!"

"Whiswain-san, this is for your own good. You need to learn that kindness and apologies will only lead you so far if you're a harem protagonist." I lectured her, she holding her head in pain and getting teary in one of her eyes. She's cute, but being cute in this world is only a ticket for either bullying or being kidnapped around by rapist**s(Aria - It'd be kinda funny if it wasn't true.)**. She must build character in order to survive. But not now. I patted her on the head in a sign of amiability. "You're cute and fragile, thus an easy target for Devils and fallen Angels. You need to get stronger and bolder, otherwise you'll have to apologize a lot from now on in Kuoh academy."

"Hyaaaah~, Yoko-san said I'm cute~. And she's trying to help me~. I'm sorry, but this is so embarrassing~." And again she went all red and embarrassed, covering her face from us and shaking around like a typical highschooler would. She's way nice and innocent, which means she'll be kidnapped a lot, like another dumb blonde we all know **(Aria- Stop making fun of my grandma.)**. "I mean, uh... I'm sorr-... My name is Whiswain, and I'm sorry for this, but if you think my name is lame, then t-t-too bad... For you!** *GASP!*"**

"Ah, ah! That's the way, that's the way! One step closer to be someone independent and dependable in so little time. And we didn't even need 20 volumes." I said as I slowly clapped, followed by everybody. Whiswain, who was covering her mouth out of pure embarrassment, suddenly flashed us a bright smile, although still covering her face. Well, there goes her introduction, I guess it's time for me too. I took a deep breath, and concentrating a little, I sprouted both my true ears and tail. "Well, I guess it's time for me to present myself. My name is... Akabane Yoko, I'm also a freshman in Kuoh academy. I'm the wife of the sekiryuutei and leader of the Kanto supernatural faction."

"Oh... I thought Nurarihyoun-san were the leader of the youkai faction." *SNAP!*, just by hearing that name, a small vein of rage popped out of my head. Apparently, it didn't pass unnoticed by my peers. "A-Ah! I'm sorry...!"

"Don't... Apologize. It's a common mistake." I said, trying and miserably failing at disguising my clearly enraged face. Oh, how I hate Nurarihyoun-kun! "Just remember this, for your own safety: He's the leader of the Youkai Parade! I'm the true leader of the entire faction. Please keep this in mind... From now on!"

"Hiiiih~... U-Understood..." That would be the time Ichijou would snap me away with a chop on the head, saying for me to calm down. Huh... Anyway, who's next?

"Tasha Campbell. Second year. Gremory-chin's Bishop. Let's get along." The perverted witch said with the following, coming closer to us and now holding hands with the said reaper, making her blush until the last string of hair! "You. Part of the group now."

"A-Ah...! Touchy...! I'm sorry, I don't know how to deal with this...!" Murmured the brunette and trembling like jelly, but trying her best to stay conscious and holding hands. I was quick enough to separate the two before she could explode. "Ah! Thank you, Yoko-san...!"

"Tasha, like I've said before: she might be part of the group, but avoid scaring her. Heavens knows what Nemesis-san will do to us." I said towards the witch, patting her head a little in a sign of easiness. She's alright, but too blunt, like a goddamn bat. The purple-head nodded, and then we all turned to the pinkerette who was too busy reading the homework from her students to actually say anything up until now. In the end, she lifted her head and stood up, hands on hips like a king she actually kinda is.

"And yours truly is the descendant of the one and only General of the three Kingdoms, trained under the tutelage of Sun Wukong himself and master martial artist: Liu Bei!" Said Ryuubi with a grin on her face and now bending over to look at the grim reaper from a higher ground. Again the shy reaper hid behind my back in a hurry. But in the end, after a few seconds of silence, she cocked her head to a side to look back at the pinkerette, and nodded with a smile. "I'm also a teacher at the college section of Kuoh academy, so if anything, you can ask yours truly for help in any subject or scholar matter!"

"T-Thank you very much, ms. Liu Bei. I-I deeply appreciate." And again the reaper smiled, a trembling but genuine smile. Good to see everybody getting along in their own twisted way. We're not even humans to begin with, so of course any kind of bond between us would be anything but normal. "I... I hope we can get along. I'll... I'll do my best to be also as useful as possible!"

"Good girl, good girl. You're walking the right path, now! Welcome to the group." I said again patting her on the head as she blushed and snuggled on it again. A lost puppy, that's what she is. "You already met Ichijou, and Gremory will introduce herself later, so I guess that's it for now..."

"..."

"Okay, okay. Hey Whiswain-san, there's one more member you'll meet. When we're done with her, you'll show her that side of yours as well, understood?" I said with a by of uneasiness in my voice, as Whiswain-san also turned kinda confused. Tasha, on the other hand, went starry-eyed for me, and nodded with the best smile she could muster, which is saying a lot for her. Yeah, I need to keep reminding myself that we're a family, and no one is excluded. At least in Tasha's eyes. I guess that's it for today. "So... That's it for today. Since mama Kyou's still on the hospital with Sarah-san, I guess dinner will have to wait..."

"Eh...? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Said the grim reaper with an interrogation mark. I responded to that with a curious hum, and as always, she hid herself behind a wall of hands, blushing. "I'm sorry...! It's just... I can feel life wavelengths... I think your friend you were talking about is... Over there...?"

"What...?!" Euphoria and alertness suddenly hit all of us as we turned to that direction, the place above the fine china closet! What the hell?! Not even my senjutsu was able to sense it! So much for a grim reaper! I dismissed my eyepatch and scanned that specific place a little and, soon enough, I could distinguish a certain creature on it! As soon as I spotted, however, it also noted my awareness, and jumped away! "It's running away! Tasha!"

"On it." The witch lifted a finger, and a barrier of magical energy appeared at the door the now silhouette of something was about exit. Completely surrounded, it tried to escape once more, but me, Tasha and Ryuubi were faster and caught that thing by the tail! "Bad animal."

Everything resumed in a cloud ball of confusion and conflict, as we tried our best to catch that sloppy son of a bitch! Scratches, punches, almost-theres, and finally, after a few seconds of madness, we did it! It wasn't Annie, much for our little drops of hope, but at least it wasn't an enemy either... I think.

"Ahaha! Caught you, you little idiot!" I said victorious, emerging from that little conflict ball victorious, holding that little furball, a black cat, by the tail! The two tails even... Wait, what? Huuh... This cat... Isn't a normal cat. I mean, it isn't Annie, but now that I think and feel about it, this one is actually oozing life energy, probably the one which it used to disguise itself on the nature... Huh. I guess I have a pretty good idea who this is. "Ginko-san, what are you doing here?"

"Nyaaaan~..." And it didn't even try to hide: the **black cat** meowed something like a sigh, and then went poof in a cloud of smoke. When that cleaned up, I was now holding the two tails of a pretty, busty, silver-haired young woman wearing a kimono and smelling like a dragon. There she is, Nemesis-san's second favorite knight **Ginko**, the silver Nekoshou. "Hey, Yoko-nyan. How are you doing? Also, could you let go off my tail, nyan? Ichi-nyan's love bite still hurts..."

***GRIP!***

"NYOWOwowowowow! Yoko-nyan, that hurts! I don't know about you, but I have bones in there, nyan!"

"Answer my question, please." That little squeeze on her tails made the Nekoshou yelp a little, as she was now suspended by her ass, but her lower body on the floor. She was wearing a black kimono, so her panties were showing. I heard a quick sigh by her, cutting the silence between us all.

"Alright, alright, nyan. When I heard that Ichijou-nyan awakened his Balance Breaker from Aria-nyan, I kinda wanted to pay him... A little visit, nyan." I could feel the throbbing in my head going worse, as my grip around her tails suddenly tightened, if her pleas for help are any indication. "Nyowowow! Yoko-nyaaaan~... Like you guys are any different! You and the rest of your peerage mouth-raping him at night without his consen-... Nyowowowow...!"

"Since when? Since when you've been here?" I said with a tight grip. Everybody is signing me to go easy on her, but seriously, I don't care if she's Lord Vali's descendant, I'll turn her into a bakeneko if she refuses to cooperate. She smirked a little.

"Since Serena-nyan came to deliver his homework. I sneaked inside her bag when she was talking to Nemis, nyan." So, she has been here this entire time. I should've paid attention to those details... And not eat the fried tofu that mama Kyou was cooking. Although she was still smiling, Ginko-san sighed once more with a tired expression in her face. "But, unfortunyahtely, whenever I try to... Pay him a little visit, there's always a group of certain fangirls ogling all over him, kissing him up to midnight, nyan. Even Rina joined in this... I did promise him a dinner with me, Nyan."

"So... You have been here this whole time..." I sighed, facepalming and pretty much wanting the soil to eat us whole in that moment. At least she wasn't around when Ichijou and I... Did it. It could've been either nightmarish or dreamy. I'm thinking too much again!

"W-W-Waaaaah~! Yoko-san and the others are r-r-raping Ichijou-san~...!" And then freeze! That trembling and weak voice reached my ears in an instant, and I so slowly turned to the owner of that voice, the Grim reaper Whiswain, who was now walking away from us. Wait, no...!

"A-Ah...! W-Whis-chan, you see...! Those are double-standards, and as women we can mouth-rape him and receive no repercussion... Oh, wait! Hey, backup!"

"We kiss him, It's true. It's bonding time. Much saliva, too Frenchy. Ever kissed, Whis-chin?"

"I certainly have no regrets in coming into contact with Hong Long's lips! It feels good and yours truly feels closer to him!"

"NOT THIS KIND OF BACKUP, YA DUMB EVIL PIECES!"

"Hiiiiih~...! Help me, Nemesis-sa-... Gaoh!" And when she was about to flee away from us, the grim reaper forgot that she can easily turn around to see her way, and knocked herself unconscious on the door. Oh great, that would be a bitch to explain.

"*SIGH!*, Ryuubi-chan, Tasha, would you guys mind taking her to Ichijou's room and help her with that? Also... Make sure to erase or at least explain everything. For her own sake and your own." I said with an unnecessarily eerie voice to the two evil pieces, and they so-casually nodded. Maybe I'm losing my mojo in being a demonic fox spirit, but I know they'll hear me out. Besides, it's not like I can't take them head-on. They picked the fallen grim reaper from the floor and took her away. My attention was now on the silver sneaky nekomata. "And now, about you... Wait until I tell Nemesis-san about this. You know her, the punishment will be severe."

"Y-Yeah, I know. Worth it, though." She spoke with a sighed and a cat smile, not that unfitting. To be fair though, I can kinda relate to her in a way, special since that happened, and I became quite the... Sexual enthusiast, for what's worth. Still, he's my husband, and I know he wouldn't like something like that, neither would I. In an act of mercy, I picked now one of her legs and began to drag her towards Rina's room. "Too bad for me, I really wanted to see Ichijou-nyan. Do you know who also misses him? Raven Phenex-nyan and Irene Dantalion. They like to talk about him and, because of that, Nemesis's going nuts around, nyan. Tell him to visit the underworld for more than just training, nyan."

"Will do. Now, let's talk to Rina for her to call Nemesis-san and discuss this whole ordeal." I said, now waiting in the elevator until it stopped on the rooms' floor. "Ginko-san, next time, please don't sneak around here. Ichijou can be... Very responsive to surprise attacks. Trust me, I... Know."

"Ohoh, someone is making some progress. Good for you, nyan." I blushed to that, but not before smiling a little for that honest remark of pride. I feel funny now, and I don't know if it's because she recognizes my relationship with Ichijou, or because we kinda covered those bases without feeling weird. He accepts me as his 'wife' and a pervert out of control. I huffed a little and smiled. "Maybe foxes can really be good lovers, unlike cats. If you want to talk about it, just ask me, nyan. I also want a share~."

"As if, Ichijou puts himself in the shortest leash, but I guess I can do something about it. Thank you anyway, I appreciate." I smiled, and shared it with her. With that out of the way, I knocked on Rina's door a few times, and waited for a response. "Rina~, I know about your headache, but can we talk about Ginko-san? She apparently invaded our house...!"

I waited a few seconds for a response, and nothing. Not even a grunt or at least something that would sign that she's alive and hearing me. I knocked a few more times and tried to peek inside, and yet nothing. Wow, we better call a doctor or something if she can't even react in the slightest like th-...

"Yoko-nyan, do you use your sage arts very often around here?" I heard Ginko-san say on the floor, supporting her head with an arm, her two cat ears on top of her head twitching a little. Well, not very often because I blessed this place so no evil spirits can come without me knowing about it, so... Wait.

"No, this place is actually blessed by me. Why would you ask?"

"..."

"Ginko-san, why. Would. You. Ask?"

"Uuuuuh~... Let's just say that... I can't actually feel Rina by the other side."

"..."

"Yoko-nyan...?"

***BAM!***

And then hearing those words, something snapped inside of me. Something big snapped inside of me! I dropped Ginko-san completely, and with one swift kick, opened that door the most showy way possible, entering Rina's room that was all pink and princess-like, finding a certain volume on the bed. I sprouted my ears out and activated my senjutsu, and in the end... I didn't feel a thing coming from the bed!

I pulled the blanket off the figure, and just like I was expecting, there was no Berolina Gremory under the blanket, just a cursed body-pillow with a picture of a semi-naked lady Rias Gremory in it!

Oh my, the **implications** here are disturbing now that I think about it...

Screw that! Where the hell is she?! Wait...

...

...

That...

That...!

Bitchrina Whoremory!

Sharing is caring, but still...!

.

~~x~~

.

Yawn... Oh man, it has been a while since I had a nap this good. No interruptions from Yagura, nor my usual nightmares, nor any kind of surprise during my sleep. Just peaceful and quiet sleep at Kuoh's infirmary...

Granted, that was after that fight I got myself into with Ren, and to be fair, I'm still not very good in formal fights without my Sacred Gear and sword to back me up, so much I think I dislocated a few good fingers. Still, I'm glad that we're friends again, no weirdo between us or problem that might arise. We now just need to find the final Mystery of Kuoh academy and wait for the Devil-Vampire meeting to meet Annie and give her a good one. I just hope we can still maintain contact after it. We're... Friends, after all.

Okay, time to get up, get dressed and go home. Mom must be scared by now no matter what Nemesis-san could've said, and who knows how much she knows about my fight today. Nemesis-san isn't a heartless person, I think she can come up with something to cover me up. Not time to think about that for now, I better get dressed and...

...

...

Why can't I move?

Wait, why... How... I can't even breath right. What's going on?!

"Hmmmmph~... Hmmmph~...!" I heard from my point of view, a muffled sound reaching my ears, while my numbing parts started to feel something again... And something is definitely happening right now! I tried to use my arms, but for some reason I couldn't move them very much! I shook my head to get rid of the sleepiness, and once that was done, I tried to open my eyes only to see...

... Panties. Black, lacy, sexy panties hidden behind a thin layer of black pantyhose, right on top of my nose...

...

...

What?!

"Wmmmh dah fhhhhhn...?!" I tried to say, but the aforementioned - Holy shit, I said 'aforementioned'! This is awesome! - panties were not only partially blocking my view, but it was also on top of my nose and mouth, slowly choking me to death! Man, this smell of panties is so goo- It's not the time to be perverted, damn it! Suddenly, all those strange noises ceased, and I felt the weight on that ass and thighs getting heavier.

"Pant!, pant!... Mooh~ Ichijou. If you keep moving like that, I won't be able to punish you!" I know that voice! I know that freaking voice! From the peek I can get from here, I saw deep Crimson hair, and when the stranger turned around to see me back, I recognized that pair of purple eyes anywhere, her mouth dripping with saliva of a sorts!

"Rina...?!" I exclaimed when I had the change to turn my face away from her ass, as she gave me an unapologetic look! She's really my King Berolina Gremory, and she's sitting on me like I'm some sort of carpet, while my wrists are tied to the bed with some sort of white string! What the hell! "What's going on here! Explain it right no-...!"

"It's your punishment, stupid Ichijou!" And then Before I could finish my sentence, she readjusted herself on me to sit on my face again! My voice went all muffled again, and before I could try to shove her again, *BITE!*, I felt something bite my most sensitive part, making me shiver down the spine and moan in between her thighs. And not just that, I could feel my pants sliding down my knees and something soft and cold stroking me~...! "This is... Your punishment, stupid Ichijou~! *LICK!*, I'll... I'll make you suffer with this~! And make you so numb you won't do those reckless things... Ever again~...!"

"Rina, what the hell are you talking ab-...!" And again I felt something soft and warm now sliding my whole dragon, until it reached the tip, concentrating on the it while also stroking the rest! I dunno what's going on, but it feels so... I dunno! "S-Stop it, y-you...!"

"Waaah~, it tastes so bitter, and it smells bad~, but I... I don't dislike it..." She said, gripping on me tighter now making me gasp in pain, while now passing that soft, moist, fast thing all around the top! Then, I felt now two things give a light contact on it. "*PECK!*, so this is how a blowjob is like~. Nemesis makes it look so easy. There's also something coming from the tip. Gross~."

Did I hear that right?! She's giving me a... Lip service in the middle of the hospital bay?! And does Nemesis-san knows her sister watches her doing it with Nero-san?! All of my thoughts shut down again as she began to lick me again, biting and sucking on me on every direction~. This is so embarrassing, being exposed and vulnerable like that as she licks my whole shaft and toys with my... Dragon. In the end, though, she went beyond that: with one final kiss in the top of my... Avatar, she began to let it penetrate inside her lips!

"Uuuuuuh~, R-Rina...!" I said as that new sensation was making me shiver! Is she... Is she trying to swallow me?! First I felt soft lips letting me in, and then pass it all through her moist, warm and slippery cavity, biting and gripping me until I felt my tip touch something! A-Ah...! She's...! She's swallowing me! "A-Ah...!"

"Gulp... Gulp... Uuuuuuh~...!" But before more of that could happen, suddenly can she stopped, and then I heard sobs and choking noises. Her mouth now began to tremble, as suddenly she began to cough and literally blow me. Is she choking?! In the end, we lost... Contact with each other, as she spat all over my lower areas and began to gasp for air. "Uuuuugh~... It tastes bad, and I almost threw up~! How... How does Nemesis do that~? It's like... Trying to swallow a whole choco-banana~!"

"I swear Rina, if you bite me off... Hmmmmph~...!" And again the redhead adjusted her ass on my mouth and nose, that smelly scent from her nethers now making me dizzy. Soft fabric, soft ass, and for some reason it's getting stickier and stickier. Is she getting horny too? And now she kissed my tip and began to let it penetrate her insides~. Ugh~, it feels so weird, but then stopped midway, letting go of it before trying to swallow halfway again.

"I'll... I'll just... Huuuumph~... I'll try to swallow the tip~..." She moaned, repeating her movements of up and down on me~. From here I can see her her nape going up and down and some strange sucking noises coming from there~! She's not just blowing me~, she's sucking me too~! This is bad! This is really bad! Her mouth is so warm, and her cheeks and tongue are so soft~! I could only moan under her wet panties as she went faster and deeper! I could feel myself poking something now~. "Sho... If fews gooff, wight? Ifffiyou...?"

Yeah, it does feel good, so good~! Her moist cavity, her soft things, her bare nipples poking my stomach and her thighs on my face~! I'm getting dizzy, and I can feel it coming~! My trapped hands began to twitch, and the sensation of buildup is getting unbearable~! She stopped again with me whole inside her mouth, biting the skin in there with her lips and licking the shaft as whole. A-Ah...!

"Hmph...! Hmmmmph~...!" I called for her with my muffled voice, as it happened: I blew my load and gripped my hands tightly, using my legs to thrust her mouth deeply and then release everything inside her mouth~!

"...! Huuuuh~... Uuuuuh~...!" It was her time to exclaim in surprise, as my body would shot into her moist, tight cavity and I would grunt under my breath and under her panties. Rina gulped and gulped, I could hear she trying to swallow, but she continued to moan since I wouldn't stop~! After a while, I stopped, and sighed inside her thighs, resting my head on the pillow and letting my body fall on the bed. I longer longer felt Gremory's lips on me, but I could still hear some moans and gasps, chokes and hums. "Huuuh~... Huuuuh~... Um... Um~... ***GULP!***, Ahah... Waaaaaah~, I-I swallowed it~! Waaaah~!"

"Eh...?!" Wait, is she crying?! I should be the one crying in this situation! What the hell! She let herself slide away from my face, finally letting me breath normally if not my nose and mouth covered in sticky the-hell-that-thing-is, and was now sitting on my stomach on a W, her thighs and legs trapping me between them. She shot her head up, and began to dry her tears with her hands.

"**Waaaah**~! What is wrong with me~! I just wanted to prank you as punishment, but end up doing it just like a slut~! Waaaaah~!" She monologued with a trembling and mumbling voice, as I moved my legs in a way my boxers and pants would slide back to censor me. In the end, she ended in a sobbing mess, her head down and uncontrollably trying to fight the hiccups back. I was about to try to say something just to break the mood, but then she turned around to face me and say the most ridiculous thing ever! "I-Ichijou, I want you to forget what just happened!"

"H-Haaaaah...!" Wait, she's the one who raped me, how the hell she wants me to forget about it?! I'm no Guts, I can't simply turn this into a shocking backstory! Rina turned now her whole body in my direction, making me notice that she has been with her shirt wide open revealing her black bra, and bent over to face me! I can still see some drips of... Manly milk running down her mouth. Gross!

"Forget about it right now! If you say anything to anyone, I'll tell my papa and he'll kill you on the spot~!" She half-threatened, half-cried, making a pouty face with teary eyes, which weren't enough to distract me about how fucked-up the situation is.

"Ahah! Fuck you, Rina! I'm the victim here! I didn't ask for you to blow me! If you say anything, I'll tell Nemesis-san!" I said also half-threatening, half-making my annoyed face. She tightened her pout even more like a blowfish(heh...), and licked the remaining... Stuff around her mouth.

"I-I said it was suppose to be a prank~! You almost passed out when you fought Ren-kun, and made everyone everyone worried about you! Stupid Ichijou! Stupid! Stupid!" And then the heiress of the Gremory clan began to lightly punch my stomach and chest in a childish fit. Oh boy, another one worried about me, this sucks. I'm glad that she cares, but it's me we're talking about: the human... Devilish walking disaster magnet. She stopped on her fit, sniffed and pouted again. "That's why... I'm punishing you! Next time you get yourself in a fight like that without my consent, I'll bite it off!"

"Rina, do me a favor and come closer so I can bite YOU off!" I said grunting, and she did the same, narrowing her eyebrows and going on a staring contest against me. Like I said, I'm not sorry for what I did to Ren, or what I did at all! This is... Men's stuff. In the end, however, I gave up, hoping that the uncomfortable position my hands are in isn't cutting my circulation or anything, and as always, sighed. "Yo know very well that I fight for anything, even for myself. I have my own pride, remember? If you're jealous... Don't be."

"Stop trying to sound tough and deep, Ichi-Baka. You're not that kind of character." Wow, what a bitch. I was trying to sound deep and thoughtful so that I could escape this situation with minimal damage, but still! She again sat on my stomach, and crossed her arms under her exposed bosom, still pouting, and now blushing too. "But still, you were... Really cool back then, Ichijou. So I went easy on you. It's not like you escaped punishment yet! Just let me think in another way..."

"So... Doing that on me without my consent wasn't punishment enough? I feel miserable enough, thank you." I said, and Rina opened an uneasy smile, one of those you want to look composed and smiley but end up awkward and kinda disturbing. I might be committing gender suicide here since no straight sane man would ever say that, but after that mouth service, I'm really scared of what more she has stored for me in this punishment. I huffed my nose, which was still kinda wet with her juices. "So, any ideas?"

"I know." She snapped her fingers. I was about to say anything, but suddenly, she fell on me, clashing her bosom on my Chest and hanging her face above my own! So sudden, I gasped in surprise as she crawled herself onto me and smiled. "Ichijou, I want you to kiss me!"

"..."

"...?"

"Can't you just cut one of my fingers off? I'm totally okay with that!" I said with trembling lips. Okay, that's going too far! I dunno if that's a devil's, supernatural's thing, but you can't just kiss someone or ask for it out of nowhere like that! Besides... We just started our relationship anew, to go around like that... I feel uncomfortable. Rina arched an eyebrow for that.

"What? It's not like we haven't kissed before."

"That time... Was different. You assaulted me then too." The Ludger era, what a ride. I still can't believe I didn't connect the dots together to get that pretty in-the-face revelation. Back to the subject in matter, you might be wondering why. Well... "Besides... There's something so unromantic about this, Rina. Only couples and Mafiosi can kiss like that. To do this so in-your-face... I dunno. It feels weird."

"..."

"Rina...?"

"Pffff...! Ahah... Ahahahah... Ahahahahahah!" And then she spat laughs at my face, her tears turning into rivers of sardonic salty waterfalls and her grin turning now into a whole mouthful of laughs! A vein of rage almost bursted out of my head for that! Now that's just rude! "Holy... Holy...! I can't believe how romantic and sensitive you are! This is pure gold! You're one of those guys who have his first kiss on the altar and lose his virginity at the honeymoon! Hahahah! Ichijou, the maiden-hearted sekiryuutei~!"

"Oh, shut up, you period-headed Devil! Leave me alone and die!" I said turned away from her and her laughs, burning tints of red decorating my face, as I could feel them on my face. Screw her, seriously! Yeah, I'm romantic, so what?! It's not like I'm one of those guys who pretend to be caring and deep only to jump at the first pair of open legs in front of him! Still not looking at her, her laughs began to cease, and in the end, she only huffed a cute one.

"Eheheh... This is stupid. You're stupid, Ichijou. Awkward, socially dense, moronic, slow, hard-headed, and the luck that follows you is probably as lazy as you." She giggled, now holding her mouth to avoid another burst of laughs, making me grunt under my breath and try my best to escape the grip of those wires on my wrists, up to no use. Before I knew it better however, she picked both sides of my head to turn me around, forcing me to look back at her. Her eyes were now calm and contemplating, an amused look on the for me. It was irritating, yet so soothing in a way. She came closer and touched cheeks with me. "But y'know what? I wouldn't want you any other way. You're Ichijou, my Ichijou. Although your personality could have some work on, really."

"Tch, stop contradicting yourself. You get what you pick. Stupid Rina..." I said back, yet she didn't seen offended in the slightest. I'm getting that strange feeling again, and things got slower and calmer. Rina then moved away from my face, and we stared at each other's eyes again, this time, no one speaking a word. And then, she closed her own, and began to get closer to me. For some reason... I don't want to fight this. She wants to kiss me... Yet I have no problem with that. She's coming closer and closer, so much I can feel her breath touching my lips and her perfume invading my nose. So soothing, so calming, so...

"Having fun yet, Ichijou-kun?"

***DON!***

"Gaaaaaaoooh...!"

"Kyaaaaaah~...!" And by pure instinct and scare after hearing that voice, I headbutted Rina away from me and turned around to see the source of that voice! My stray eyes then landed on a very known figure with blue hair, purple sharp eyes and a small band pinned to one of her sleeves. Oh crap, it's her, Kuoh's 1# Heroine! Jumping from where she landed, Rina also exclaimed to that! "A-Ah...! Serena-chan, look...! I can... I can explain...!"

"My childhood friend is exposing her chest and legs for the world to see, and one of my dear kouhai's with his pants falling off and smelling like fish. I guess there's no explanation for that." For the first time, Serena-kaichou's smile made me shiver, as she began to crack her fingers and come too close to us.

"W-Wait, Serena-chan...!"

"Kaichou, I... We...!"

***WHACK!***

***WHACK!***

"Uweeeeh~..." And Rina half-cried under her breath, that same throbbing bump in both our heads indicating how strong Serena-Kaichou really is. I was now stretching my sore wrists a little since I'm free from Rina's webs, as we all were sitting at the hospital bed, Rina and I facing the now calm president of the student council.

"Seriously, you two, you can't be this reckless around School ground. What if anyone ever finds you sexing again?" I blushed to her bold choice of words, but then frowned when I noticed for what that punishment was about instead of the usual punchline for indecent behavior(Since I'd also be kinda hypocritical from her about that.).

"Wait, you're scolding us for being 'reckless'... Instead of scolding us for indecent behavior?" I said with my usual face, as suddenly kaichou arched an eyebrow and gave us a Cheshire Cat grin.

"But of course. How hypocritical a devil has to be to scold another for indecent behavior?" She pinched one of our cheeks each, and resumed her speech with her typical, mischievous smile. To be honest, that smile is making the uneasy the most. "So... You two... Are a thing yet?"

"Uuuuuh~..." Rina pouted, black smoke oozing off her head indicating that she was upset. I'm also kinda nervous to say anything. Are we a thing? No, of course not... Right? The best I can say is... Sigh.

"She's... My king, Kaichou. We're together by default." I so boldly said with a gulp, picking a gasp from Gremory and an amused grin from Kaichou. That's not very far from the truth, actually. Vague, yet affective, and doesn't hurt anybody. I grimaced a little. "So... Yeah, we're together... Sorta, kinda, I dunno. She's mine... I mean! My king."

"A-Ah...! Yeah! Ichijou is... My queen. We're... Together. Heheh... Eheheh..." And then she backed me up, smiling so awkwardly he with her purple eyes shining confidence, enough to gain a satisfied puff of sigh from Kaichou. Rina and I shared gazes, and turned away again. Man, this is so awkward, can't believe having a girlfriend would be so difficul-...

Again, I called a girl my girlfriend without thinking...

Uuuuuuuuh...!

"I see, I see. Regardless of it, I'm glad that at least Rina-chan got herself some friends. Since I became a student at Kuoh and member of the student council, I couldn't give myself the excuse to see you. Sorry about that, Rina." And suddenly the place became warmer, and Kaichou so lovely came closer to Rina to hug and pat her on the head. For a moment, surprise, but then little miss redhead returned the favor in a cute pat in the back.

"Right, right. Thank you for this, Serena-chan." And that's that. The two favorite idols in Kuoh academy and childhood friends back together with a hug of friendship, and I so-awkwardly am here to witness that, complete with squishy breasts on each other. Of course, that's just a mental note for the scene, and I'm totally not looking at them out of pure lust. Nope, not at all~.

"But still, we were lucky that it was me alone who caught you two. Imagine the ruckus if anyone else, specially Sanada-kun, ever did the same." Serena-kaichou let go of Rina and gave a nervous laugh regarding that hypothetical situation, making Rina do the same and a stream of nervous sweat come down my forehead. I'm already in trouble about the fight I got myself into earlier today. If it was anyone else to charge us, either my mom or my sisters would kill me. I was about to nod for that, but then something on the back of my mind caught a certain word...

"Wait... What do you mean by 'we', Kaichou?" I lifted a hand, and she turned around with that same smile, a small tint of red decorating her pretty face. Suddenly, she began to unbutton her shirt to reveal her white bra and milky and well-developed body! What?! "K-Kaichou...?! What are you doing?!"

"Well, I'm still the president of the student council, and as such, I should report you two about any indecent behavior during school ground, but I think a little... Bribe should do it." And in a quick *CLICK!*, she Unstrapped the clip on her bra, letting her boobs bounce away from it! Her shirt fell off her shoulder, and now she was naked from the wait up! Both Rina and I were too shocked to come up with something. "So, for my silence, Ichijou-kun, you'll have to suck on my boobs."

"Eh...?"

"Yes, eh...!"

"Haaaaaaah~?! Serena-chan, that's going too far!" I went white after that, lost in between hormonal temptation and my own account of anti-perversion. I'm a healthy lad, of course I don't want to get either suspended or grounded, but that... It'll take a toll on my book. Rina stepped in and defended me. "Don't go around giving people this kind of treatment!"

"Uh~? What's the matter? It's not like either of you were doing anything different. Besides, it's either that or a note for headmistress Shizuka." Kaichou said still with that deviant smile, while the redhead backed a little away and bit her lower lip. She's divided between me and Nemesis-san. That's good and all, sisterly boné, but I'm the center of that conflict! "Also, it's not up to me, but Ichijou-kun. If he wants or not to play with my breasts, it's up to him."

"I dunno what you want with this, Serena-chan, but if I know my queen Well, He'd never...!"

"Okay, I'll do it." I said lifting my hand.

"Eh...?"

"Hah...?"

"...?"

...

"Eeeeeeeeh...?!"

"Uh... Not that I want that... Or anything, but I rather suck on Kaichou's boobs and get this over with than get a suspension, mom getting upset and my sisters on a rampage with me." I said with a side glance and blushing face. That's a freaking lie, how many guys would actually kill to have this opportunity? I lack the romance of a boob-lover, but I'm not stupid. Besides, at least I'm honest about it in my mind. A smile grew even more on kaichou's lips, with Rina was about to burst for the better or worst.

"A-Ah...! I-Ichijou is... Ichijou is... Hyah...!" And suddenly, her eyes went sharper, making her slitted purple pupils to shine even brighter! I thought she would throw a fit or something, but then she got rid of her shirt and unclipped her bra too! Wait, what?! "Okay, fine! But if you want to suck on Serena-chan's tits, you'll have to suck mine as well!"

"What the fuuu-Hmmmmph...!" And I couldn't even finish my curse, since the two vixens suddenly dropped on top of me with their tits, and I ended up in the valley of soft pillows! It's hard to breath...!

"Ohoh~, since when you began to be so greedy and selfish, Rina-chan? I thought you said your sekiryuutei could have any girl he would want in his harem..."

"T-That's the past me, Serena! He might have all the girls in his life, but me and Yoko are the main ones for him, accept no substitute!" And again I'm hearing a completely nonsensical conversation while in a completely tight situation! A scenario where any man would kill for is literally trying to kill me!

"Okay, okay. Now Ichijou-kun, which one you want to suck first?" I heard Kaichou say with her happy voice, Rina grunts of annoyance reaching my ears. Now they're giving me the option to choose, how lucky of me...

And by that, I really mean it.

"Kyah!" Whatever, I'll suck on Kaichou's first! She has always been teasing me with her body and sweet poisonous words, I'll show her! I tackled her on the bed, and buried my face into her valley, as she hugged my head to pull me closer. "Huhuhuh~, he chose me first~! Lucky me~!"

"..." Just shut up. It's not like... I'm enjoying this, no matter how my body actually reacts to it. My first course of action was to move my face and bite her left nipple, making her moan and pull me closer, now hugging my waist with her slender legs decorated with garter belts. Huh, suddenly I got a new fetish. Next, I gripped firmly the other breast. Whoa~, they're so big and elastic. Unlike the girls' soft breasts, hers are really squishy and malleable...

"Hyaaah~... Fwaaaaah~... Huhuh, it's good to see that side of yours, Ichijou-kun~. H-Haaaaah~..." She continued to moan in my ear and messing with all of my hair, even craving her nails in my head! Ouch. I felt something get tight in my pants, but since I need to concentrate, I didn't mind much. I removed my mouth from her nipple and began to lick that tip, in a way to pick by the tip of my tongue and let it collapse it away. "Hyuuuh~... Haaaah~... Fwaaaaah~...!"

"Awawawah~! Ichijou is really doing it with Serena-chan~!" I heard Rina said, as I peeked on her to see her hiding her face between a mask of hands. She's just as red as her hair, and for some reason, being seen like that is kinda making me hot.

"R-Rina... Come here a moment~..."

"Huh...?" Still a little dazed, Rina came closer to her best friend as I continued my breasts play. Before she could ask anything, however, Kaichou picked the redhead by the back of her back to push her closer, clashing lips with each other. I stopped now seeing the two girls sharing saliva and lip services. Rina tried to struggle, but soon she was jelly on Serena's mouth. "Fwaaah~... W-Wait, Serena-chan~... Hmmmm~... I-I... We're... Hmmm~..."

"Hmmmm~, fwaaaah~, Rina-chan, you taste so good~, taste like strawberries." Serena said in total bliss, biting and lick on Rina's lips, who was now all melted on us. I dunno why, but suddenly I want to join them. I gulped down another bit of my sanity, and crawled on kaichou's body until I reached their level. They both stopped with their kiss as soon as they noticed me, but before any of them could say anything, I pulled them together and clashed lips with them! It's payback time! "Hmmmm~! Hyah~? Ichij-... Hmmmmph~! Hmmm~!"

"Hmmmmph?! Ichij-...! Hmmmph~! Hmmm~..." Is shut them both up with bites and licks in their insides, sharing saliva and tasting their breath and mouth with our tongues in the threeway kiss. Since I already kissed Kaichou once, I attacked Rina first, surprising her as she gasped inside my mouth and Deepened our kiss, pushing me on the bed and letting her breasts touch my chest, with Kaichou still with her legs hugging my wait and now tracing kisses on my neck, collarbone to then unbutton my shirt with her teeth. In the end, she broke our kiss and gasped for air away from me. "Haaaah~... Haaaah~... Ichijou..."

"Yes...?" I asked, also trying to save some air for myself.

"Why do you taste like Serena-chan?"

"...?!"

"...!"

...

Oh crap, oh Crap, oh crap, Oh Hino Hideki! This can't be good. Suddenly my stock of air emptied, and the only thing I could so was to stare at Rina's pissed purple orbs, who so seriously staring back at me.

"Huuuh~, you see, Rin-Hmmmmph!" And another 'punishment': Rina went ahead and began to mouth-rape me again, picking me by the head and so savagely ravaging my mouth with her tongue. It took me some seconds to try to accompany her, pulling her closer and deepening our kiss again.

"If so... I'll make you taste like me~..." She moaned gasping for air, only to kiss me again, our tongues trying to fight for dominance. She really tastes like strawberries, but above it all, I can feel her passion and love. Yes, this is the real Rina's kiss!

We continued to kiss as Kaichou continued to trace kisses down my body, opening my shirt to lick my body and suck on me, leaving hicks all over my chest and neck, a few love bites here and there which would make me shiver. I wonder if she's a virgin after all...

"Look at those scars. You've been working so hard if those prove something, specially this one." Kaichou said with her typical sexy voice, pointing at a burn-like black bruise where my heart should be. Ah, that one. If my memories are correctly, back in the last Trial, Yagura said she would have to transform part of my heart and veins into dragon organs in order to move my body without crippling my arm for life, the result being that black mark on my chest. They're ugly, but still Kaichou kissed me there and smiled. "That part of you... I don't dislike it."

"R-Really?" I said as she continued to kiss, lick and bite my chest, right on the scar is. However, my attention shifted back to Rina's kisses, who was pouting for her loneliness.

"Stupid Ichijou, don't look at Serena-chan with me around~!" She murmured under her breath and kisses, completely pinning me to the bed and shutting me up with her tongue.

I'm completely trapped now, Kaichou now licking my stomach and Rina flooding my mouth with her saliva as we kiss, with me gulping down every last drop from her. I'm getting dizzier by the second, and my hands are moving on their own, caressing Rina's and Kaichou's flow hairs... It feels nice, but everything is getting so dark...

So dark...

...

"Hmmmmph~... It's still so bitter and dirty, but I don't dislike it at all..."

"Ah~! No fair, Serena-chan~! I want to... I want to do it again...!" And when I snapped back to reality, the first thing I saw was again a pair of wet panties staring right back at me and some really strange noises coming from below! Rina's black panties covered in a thin darker layer and kaichou's white panties with stockings and garter belt, both of them wet and dripping, some much a few dripped on my face~. I felt myself lick again on my lower parts, and for my surprise, not just by one, but two wet, agile and soft tongues now! Rina and Kaichou are blowing me at the same time~! "Uuuuuh~... Uuuuuh~... It's not... That bad when you get used to it... It tastes like eel..."

"It does, doesn't it? My head is getting blanker too~." I heard Kaichou say, shaking her ass as I could still hear her moans and licks. In the end, however, I felt myself entering somewhere moist and hot again! Going deeper and deeper, until I poked something in the end! Is it kaichou's mouth? She's even wetter and colder than Rina's-What the hell am I thinking! "Ghhhh~... Ghhhhh~..."

"A-Ah...!" I could hear Rina exclaim under her breath, as I was trying my hard to not to moan or lose control, entering and exiting Kaichou's wet cavity and also her strokes on my bases~! After a while, however, she stopped. The cold wind from the open way made me shiver and maybe shrink a little, but I could still hear something by the other side~.

"Y-Your... Your turn, Rina..." Wait, what the hell! And really, I could feel myself entering another wet place, reaching some soft cheeks and massaging the head with the tongue. Rina's moans and kisses, as I heard kaichou's voice of 'inspiration' also licking other parts! "Mmmh~... That's right, Rina-chan. Us from the Sitri had wetter bodies, but I heard it gets easier with time..."

"Hm-hum... Uuuuuh... Huuuh~..." And really, I could myself going deeper and deeper and hearing the redhead's moans of struggle. This is it, being strained and blown by two hot Devil princesses and serving as toy... This is it...

...

No... No way in hell!

*BITE!*

"Hi-...!" And I did it! Like hell I'll let those two control me like that! I might be outnumbered, but I'm not a guy that doesn't try, and with that in mind, I went ahead and bit that meaty part under Gremory's panties! Her reaction was instantaneous: something hot came out, and she gasped and moaned, letting me go from inside her! "Hyaaaaah~...! Ichijou~...!"

"R-Rina...? What happen-Hyaaaaah~...!" And who could forget the one made things worse! I poked my fingers deep on kaichou's panties and began to massage above the cloth covering her meaty parts. Her whole body tensed up and something hot came again! "A-Aaaaah~! I-I-Ichijou-kun...! Not there~...! S-Slower...!"

She moaned, but I was too busy licking Rina's dripping panties to care, so I continued to poke and massage her wet garters, hearing her moan get louder and louder. Rina tastes... Bitter and salty, but like she said, this isn't a taste you can dislike for too long...

"Uuuuuh~... Uuuuuuh~... Hyaaah~, not fair, Ichijoooou~...!" The redhead said my name again, as I could feel she going wilder with her tongue and licking me harder. I wonder if she's enjoying this as much as I am, which I'm not, but it's not bad. My hand also began to drop due to kaichou's juices coming out, she also going wild on me.

"Hiiih~! Hiiiih~! I-Ichijou-kun~, s-stop~! D-Do it slowly...!" So she can tease me all she want, but I can't it myself? Where's the logic in that? I dunno why, but I sneaked my hand now inside her white panties and began to touch her rawly. She yelped again, and her licks and bites became wilder and more violent. So this is a woman's... Place. It's so soft and meaty. "Uuuuuh~... Huuuh~... Hmmmmph~... Fwaaaah~!"

"Fwaaaah~! H-Hyaaaaah~..." Moaned Rina as I used my teeth to rip her pantyhose and push her panties away with my tongue to now lick her insides. Again, it's worse than I was expecting, it's bitter and doesn't smell very good, it's like... Kissing something very meaty. Her service then went overdrive, and she began to bite and lick me everywhere, same as kaichou. "A-Aaaaah~... It feels strange~... It's coming~, I-it's coming~...!"

And so we resumed our circle like that. With me kissing Rina's nethers and touching kaichou's with they would blow me in unison. I could feel kisses, licks, bites, my head spinning and spinning and drinking Rina's juices. My movements began to go faster as that feeling began to build up on me. I stuck my tongue to poke the deepest I could inside Rina, and gripped Kaichou as hard as I could, as they moaned one more time and I could feel them concentrate everything in the tip! So sensitive, so fast and wet~! They kissed me one more time, and that was enough for me to hold my breath and...!

"I-Ichijou-kun~...!"

"Hyaaaah~, hyaaaaah~! Ichijou, Ichijoooou~!"

And then we all climaxed all the same time. Rina blew something from her insides and Kaichou lost control over her lower parts and exploded on my hand, as they moaned my name as loud as they could and I reached cloud nine for an instant, going limp on the hospital bed and feeling the cold breeze on my now sweaty body, hearing now the ringing on my head and moans and gasps for air...

What am I doing with my life? Not very long ago, I was just a normal teenager who just wanted a girlfriend, nicer sisters and a way to not make my mom cry, and now I discovered that I have an almost-omnipotent dragon on my left arm, a good chunk of my classmates are supernatural abominations and... Entangled in those sexual encounters, even though I never even kissed a girl before. Sheesh, how am I not mad yet with such turns of events. Or maybe I already am, who knows...

"Hyuuuh~, hyuuuuh~, Chuu~." And snapping back to reality, I blinked a few times and saw myself kissing Rina and Kaichou again in a threeway tongue wrestling. They're all sweaty, dull-eyed and covered in white seed, but maybe I'm not falling far behind if I can say it myself. We separated ourselves, a string of saliva tracing with our lips, and they smiled. "Hyuuuuh~, Ichijou~..."

"Aw~, look at this. It looks like Rina didn't have enough of our big stud. To be fair, neither did I." Kaichou said with a smile and a bright blush on her face, caressing Rina's face in a calm yet teasing way. I gulped hard hearin that last sentence. Is this... Really happening? "So, Tsukino Ichijou-kun~, what do you want to do now~? We're all yours for now~. You just need to say it, and we'll do it~. For you. Right, Rina?"

"I-Ichijou~... Ichijou~..."

"So, how's gonna be, sekiryuutei?"

"..." I clicked my tongue when I opened my mouth instead of answering, as my words died in that crucial moment. My mind melted with my body, while Kaichou and Rina placed one of their hands on my chest and the others on each of my cheeks, coming closer and closer. What should I do now? What will happen if I say... Anything? I'm trembling, I'm overheating, I'm on the brink of a breakdown. If I say something, anything, this will seal my fate forever... Just... What? "I..."

"Yes~?"

"Yes...?"

"I... I... I..."

***CRASH!***

""Eh...?""

"Hah...?"

"Can I make a suggestion?" A cold-as-ice voice said from behind my back after something just bursted a window again. Before I knew it, from my back something exploded in light, and then a trail of demonic paper seals reached for the two Devils in front of me and bind them! "Bend over."

"H-Hyaaaah~, what the hell~?!" Kaichou said as the seals bind her in a rather... Compromising position and made her fall on the bed, her ass pointing at the sky, while Rina could only fall on her back! I-I'm... Saved(maybe). Kaichou then turned back to us and, blinking a few times, gave an exclamation. "A-Akabane-chan...?!"

"Yoko...?" I said, turning my head around and, yes, staring back at my fox husband, eyes shining in bright orange and gold, and an aura both soothing and threatening looking past me towards the duo of horny Devils.

"Trying to take the lead on me, huh? But always remember, Rina: a fox is always a few steps ahead." She said to a dizzy Rina, who was so in-the-clouds, didn't respond like a real... Devil would. My mind was still fucked-up, so I could only look around at the two on the ground, struggling and failing to be rid of the seals. Suddenly, a quick move, and Yoko made me turn around to look back at her. Huh, she's so pretty~... "Ichijou, darling, are you okay? They didn't... Push you too much, did they?!"

"I... I..." My mind is going blank, words are lost in my throat, and everything is getting so dark... I don't remember anything much past that, but I remember one thing: "... I...** I want**."

"What...?"

"I want... I want... I waaaaaan-..."

"H-Huh...?!"

And then, I passed out.

.

~~x~~

.

"Owie! Owie! Owie~! Not even my mother slapped me that hard~!" And after a few minutes of everything explained and hundreds upon hundreds of holy butt-slaps, we were all gathered walking away from the school, with both Rina and Kaichou massaging their asses on fire, courtesy of my husband, who were now hugging my arm protectively. "Yoko~, that wasn't very nice~!"

"That's what you get for trying to snag a piece without my consent! We have a deal; Rina!" The fox said hugging me tighter. I even didn't mind her last part, since my head was spinning like hell and the gigantic bag of ice on it had little to no effect on me. Ugh, I wonder if this is how a hangover feels like? A hangover of boobs, I wonder if that's possible... And I'm an alcoholic for it... An oppaiholic... Hahahahah, I'm going nuts again~. Ouch, my head~.

"Aaaw~, my pantyhose is also all ruined~." Rina moaned now stretching the hole I made on her pantyhose, showing off the damage... I bit from her, Kaichou giggling behind her hand. Licking my lips, I could still feel that bitter taste in my mouth, and then we shared stares, and she blushed. "But... It was worthy..."

"Huh~, I can't believe how much progress we're having in one night. Lucky of me, huh?" Kaichou said snapping her tongue a few times out of mischief, receiving a frown from all of us, and I grunted in pain because of the bitching headache. Instead of backing away like a sane person would, she came closer and hugged all of us, making us share warmth with each other. It felt nice, but Rina and Yoko tried to push her away. "Jokes aside... It's good to see how far you guys went. Remember a few months ago? I dunno if you guys noticed but... The aura between us three is better now. Am I right... Foxy, Ludger, sekiryuutei?"

"..."

We said nothing, only stopped with our little struggles, and looked at each other. She's... Right? Really? I don't remember the last time I called them 'Akabane' or 'Gremory', and while, yes, I rather have a normal conversation with them than active sexual encounters, I... I... Love th-... Like them! Yeah, like them... Very much.

Ouch, my head~...

"Y-Yeah... I guess you're right." Rina said, and Yoko nodded. I don't know if this is awkward or heartwarming, but I feel funny inside. It's... Warm, very warm. Kaichou let go of us, and summoned the Sitri rune once we were at the entrance of Kuoh Academy. Before she could teleport away with it, she turned around and kissed each one of us, before smiling and finally saying...

"Whenever you all settle in a deal, don't forget to call me too, okay~?"

We all exclaimed for that, but before we could sentence our surprise, she used her rune to teleport away and vanish from our existence. Thanks to that last remark, the walk towards home was awkward and quiet, none of us saying anything, only sharing some stares with each other and the occasional grunts due to the pains in my head. In the end, we all reached home, the goddamn hotel under the name of the Tsukino, an took our ways inside, Rina taking the lead...

"So, uh, I'll take a bath! I'll go downstairs on the springs and...!" She said turning to us and waving a quick goodbye, but before she could escape us, I picked her by the wrist to call for her attention. Uh, no. This isn't good at all. She's all dirty and smelly. This is a red flag right there!

"Uh~, Rina, I dot think taking a dip on the springs downstairs, y'know, the bathhouse we all share, looking like that." I said, as she blinked in realization. "So... Better take a bath either at my room or something. I'll take a bath downstairs."

"Oh, quick shave! You're right. So... Goodnight!" She said with a sigh of relief, and a smile. Hah, she said quick shave, when herself in shaved t-... Ouch! My headache. She nodded one more time and, clicking on the button, called for the elevator and took it to the rooms floor. Leaving only Yoko and I here at the lobby. My fox then turned her eyes for me, and sniffed me a few times!

"Hyuh, hyuh! Huuuuh~..."

"Yoko...?"

"Still pure. That's good." She said with a satisfied smile, making me shiver a little ok that. What the hell, that was creepy, like I'm some sort of slaughter bull... No, I can't think like that. She's my husband, I can't think of something like that anymore. She blinked a few times, and sighed. "Oh... Sorry for that. I..."

"Nah, that's okay, Yoko. Go take a walk, I'll take a bath and then we can sleep together like always." I said as I pat her on the head, and she smiled at me again, kissing my cheek before going to the living room. Now it's just me and no one else. Whatever, I also took my way to the lower floors, reaching our personal Freaking Hot springs, and once in the main lobby, I began to strip to take my bath and maybe relax a little at the springs.

What a day, and as always, a ride until night. At least today I settled things with Ren and everybody, my body is not that injured, and... I had a moment with Rina and Kaichou. I don't remember much what happened, but at least I feel at ease now. What Kaichou said... She's right, I guess. There's so much thing going on, I even forget sometimes that I had a life too. I wonder if... I'm doing it correctly. At least they said... They love me. This makes me feel happy... So warm too...

Ugh, some much thoughts, my headache is itching again. Okay, fine. I think that I'm good as things are for now. I like them, they like me, I almost had sex today, so I guess I'm all good for now. At least... I hope only now I can stop this crazy oversexulized world and just relax with me, myself and I with the sprin-...

"Kyaaaaah~! Please don't touch me~! Stay away and I'm sorry if that sounded rude~!"

"Nyaaaah~, but we need to make sure that everything is purrrpectly clean, Whiswain-dono~!"

"Noooooh~...!"

"Eh...?" And then it was cut short. I heard a bunch of known voices behind the door leading to the springs, and turned my head there. I was about to open the door, but then it hits me: if I opened it, something will be triggered, and in a way or another, the gag door will catch up with me. So I stepped away from it, and continued to take off my shirt. Whatever it is, I'll just ignore and it'll st-...!

***OPEN!***

"Please cease with this, Ginko-sa**Aaaaaaaah...!"**

**"Nyaaaaaaaaah~...!"**

"Oh, c'mo-...!"

***DOOOOOOOON!***

"..."

"Owowowow... Ah!"

"Oh..."

...

I can feel them. Their breasts on me, their naked bodies on me. A certain grim reaper and a silver cat girl who I don't see for a while clashed and made me fall, and now, I'm pinned to the ground, lost in the sea of boobs.

Just my luck...

"A-Ah... Ichijou-san~...!"

"Hey, Ichijou-nyan~! Long time no see, nyan~!"

"Hey, Ginko-san..."

I just keep forgetting this. No matter how much I try, things liked hat will always happen...

And I'm okay with this...

* * *

**So... My first ime writing a threesome lime, and I don't think I know what a good threesome lime looks like. I hope it ended up okay. Boy, it was hard to imagine, right? But as he said, it's all settled now, just one more mystery and we're good to go to the next arc!**

**Nothing more to say, only stay golden and goodbye~.**


	59. Between Dragons and Heroes!

**Hey, DxD fandom. This chapter was... Hard to pull out, I had several ideals about how to end this arc, but none of them could work properly without too pretentious, having no weight in the overall finale and being hard to articulate. Yeah, maybe having too many characters running around in a single spot was kinda verbing. but at lçeast the chapter came out before a month could hit. hahaha... I hope you all enjoy it.**

**As always. DxD doesn't belong to me~.**

* * *

"It's because of my fight yesterday?" I expeculated in front of my home room teacher, Nanami-sensei, on her desk on the teachers' office.

A day has passed since the last incident between me and Ren, and while no one made a ruckus about it, for some reason, during lunch break, I was summoned to the teachers' office. Nemesis-san was understandable enough to call mom about yesterday's incident, since I don't want my old lady to get mad or worried about me fighting like a delinquent, but apparently I can't escape the aftermath regarding the school staff. The young, dark-haired teacher, however shook her head negatively, and picked a bunch of paper that was resting on her desk...

"No, Headmistress Morimoto said that she would handle things for herself, so I guess I shouldn't bother about your condition, although I was kinda worried about you." She said, as I sighed in awkwardness and tapped the bandage on the bridge of my nose, courtesy from kaichou. Wait, she will not scold me for the other day? So why was I called? "You're probably wondering why I called you here. Well, I'm here to talk about your English test..."

"My English test..." Oh right, completely forgot that I have those in here. Huh, despite the title, sometimes I even forget that I'm still a high-schooler. "Midterms... Am I... Am I in trouble?"

"Not from me, you're not. But there's something about your vocabulary that's making me kinda nervous." What? I know I'm not that good in English sometimes, but I think I did a decent job. After all, doing push-ups with a ~80kg Chinese girl on top of you making you do math problems can practically mark your brain with formulas. She took a quick pick into the paper in her hand and made an awkward face. "For example... When the question asked for you to translate 'Jack has a pumpkin with a candle inside for a head' from the text, everybody wrote 'Candle' in either in katakana(キャンドル) or furigana(ろうそく). You wrote it completely in kanji."

"Oh, that question..." I'm remembering it now, that was tricky one, but I guess I answered it correctly, I dunno, verbs are not my thing in English. "Did I do wrong?"

"Tsukino-kun... You wrote 'candle' in Kanji(蝋燭), that's too many strokes even for a teacher. I don't think a highschool boy such as yourself should be knowing this kind of stuff." She said with trembling lips and pointing at the sentence in question. Oh, she's talking about that. Huh... I think I've learned a few things in poetry classes. She turned again to the test, drying some drops of sweat. "Not even I know that much, you're making me embarrassed... Another thing about it is how you wrote 'Mole'(As in, the animal): it got the 'earth' kanji, but this... I didn't know that you could write 'Mole' like that. Everybody just uses the usual kanji for dragon(竜)Any reason for you to use this one?"

"This one...?" I asked, as she pointed again at the words on the test. Oh, she means this kanji(龍). I guess that, when you hear 'Sekiryuutei'(赤龍帝) this, 'sekiryuutei' that all the time, you're bound to get use to write dragon like that. Not to mention, 'Hong Long'. I can't say that out loud, so my only answer for this is: "Ah... Ahahahah... It's because... It's cool, right? I mean, it's different, and old and stuff, so it's cool, right...?"

"Tsukino-kun..."

"Am I... Am I in trouble?" I said nervously. Oh crap, this is so embarrassing, I'll get a low grade because I was too pretentious! I'm not the best student in Kuoh, but to have a red one on my score will be bad! In the end, Nanami-sensei pouted and sighed, putting the paper down and scratching her left cheek, blushing a little.

"No, that's not it. Since you actually wrote them correctly, I had no choice but to give you a proper score. I just ask that... Please have mercy on your sensei~, sometimes she can be pretty dumb and not-married~." She pouted and mourned about her own single self, dropping a little on her desk, making me kind of uncomfortable. Huh, maybe hanging around the poetry classes and people who speaks in rather old-style ways(Ryuubi and Yoko) can have it's downsides. She passed me my test, and I saw the score in it...

I got an **81**...

...

...

...

***GRIIIIIIIIIN~!***

"T-Tsukino-kun...? You're scaring me..." Nanami-sensei said rolling away on her chair, trembling a little, while my own cheeks were hurting a lot because of the big dumb smile on them. I can't believe it! I got an 81 on a test! Holy shit, this is the highest I've ever got! I feel like screaming! "Tsukino-kun...?"

"A-Ah sorry, Nanami-sensei, I... Lost control a little. Sorry about it." I said covering my mouth and biting my lips real hard. The happiness is almost palpable! Before I could finally snap, I bowed her a goodbye, left the test on her table and walked away from the teachers' office.

Once I was out and I was sure that was no one around, I bend myself and shoot both my arms to the skies, screaming a mute one out of euphoria! I can't believe I actually scored that high in a test! Man, that's a first! But of course, this can only mean that something terribly horrible will happen to me today, I can almost feel it... Bah! Whatever, I'll at least enjoy this happiness a bit more before things go to hell, no point in doing the opposite, anyway.

"Well, someone seems to be in a good mood." I heard from somewhere near, and before I could turn around and see what is was, someone came closer and pointed a finger at my neck. This presence, I know very well who is. "Too bad, dragon. It'd be too easy to kill yo like that, wouldn't be?"

"Ren, why only my friends can ruin a perfect day for me." I said punching his hand again, and for a quick second, he removed his murder finger from my neck. I turned around, and there he was my albino ninja friend, a few bandages across his face and body, wearing his typical gakuran with arms crossed. We shared a state with each other, and shook hands. "Hey there, idiot. How's going?"

"A few bruises and cuts around after a spar with a certain jackass, but I'm good, thanks for asking." He grinned, walking with me around the corridors, hands in pockets. Seriously, even if he's all like that, I'm not sorry, but I'm glad we're friends again. Even if it does kill me, I'm glad for this. Since we're back to normality and he's with me during lunch, I think this can only mean one thing: "So, are you ready to find a the last Mystery of Kuoh, mr. Lady-killer?"

"Ugh..." You might be wondering why is that, calling me mr. Lady Killer out of nowhere, even though we know each other for a while now. The truth is, this is indeed the last mystery of Kuoh academy: apparently, there's someone or a group of someones who are bullying and attacking all the males in Kuoh academy and making them go away. That's the reason why there are no more pretty boys around Kuoh nowadays, and I'm one of the few males here. Freaky stuff. "What? Are you gonna use me as bait? I have you know, I'm pretty unpopular. I'm not like Sanada-senpai."

"Eh~, then why you transferred here in Kuoh if it was not for the girls? Truly, Sanada Hideyoshi has a pretty loyal fanbase, but since he's a devil, I think those stay away from him." Ren said, picking from his hammerspace a small wooden board with the names of the few guys around Kuoh and their 'level' of attractiveness and popular vote. Wow, is he looking for a boyfriend? "But, get this, did you know you're pretty popular with the girls as well?"

"W-Wait, really?" Wow; now that's a first. Since I was in grade school, both girls and boys used to avoid me since I was pretty girly back then, not to mention I still lacked a backbone to talk back against my sisters, so I was just the shy and awkward Ikkun. So that means I'm a popular guy now?

'Ugh, so much melodrama, Izuki...'

Shut up, Mizuki-san...

"Me? Popular? With the girls?!"

"Yep, you're pretty popular... With your upperclassmen!" He stuck his tongue out and laughed sarcastically. Wait, what? "According to this poll, no first or second year is interested in you, but a good portion of the third-years and college section, even some teachers, said you're the cutest thing ever."

"Eeeeeh...?!" Wait, I'm cute now?! I know that being popular in highschool is a once-in-a-lifetime-experience, but this?! The cutest?!

"Uh-huh. Look, they said you're fluffy, awkward, have this cuddly aura and a vibe of 'Hug me, I'm scared' all around you! You're pretty much this whole 'Cutesy little brother' material!" He continued to say those in a making face all over my face, and I snapped that carton board off his hands and began to read it to make sure he wasn't trolling me. 'Cute', 'fluffy', 'cuddly-face', 'lil'bro'... What the hell! He wasn't lying, all of my upperclassmen and some of my teachers think I'm really a cute little brother! "Hyarahahah! What do you know?! Instead of the pretty boy, you're the cute little brother! At least it's a thing, right? Hahahahah...!"

"**Fuck this**!" And in a smooth move I just kneeled that fucking board and broke it in half out of pure rage! Isn't that just great, I'm the cute little brother of Kuoh! No, this isn't... What the... This... Isn't fair. Uuuuugh~! After that little display of wrath, I kneed on the floor and masked my face with my hands in order to contain the tears. Shit~! "Fuuuuuuck~, what the heeeeeeeell~!"

"Hey, Ichijou. Cheer up. At least you're popular. Isn't that the highest of a highschooler's romance?"

"Uuuuuugh~..." I don't feel the romance in this, not at all. I'm in one of those moments when I wish I could use my status as the red dragon emperor and badass gauntlet to at least show-off a little for people to leave me alone, and now I'm the cute little brother... Again. I just hope none of them wants to be my big sister, I only have about 201 bones in my body. I took a deep breath, and stood up to clean up the sweat on my face. "Shit, why Am I the forever fragile one? Not even my mom thinks I'm cool enough to be... Non-cute. This suuuuuuuucks~..."

"You can bawl about this for the day, or we can use this at our advantage: whoever is crushing away all the pretty and handsome guys around Kuoh is looking for someone with a big fanbase around here. And you, my friend, is one of those, if not for... Completely different reasons." Is he trying to cheer me up? Is he trying to be an ass again? Actually, now I couldn't care less about it, my spirit was already annihilated by those news, and seriously, I feel like throwing up. The taste of my smashed pride is already filling my mouth, what difference a good amount of bile will make? "Cheer up, Ichijou. You already faced worse,at least no one calls you the Oppai dragon here in Kuoh."

"Oooh, Rapture. What a cruel mistress, destiny is. Is there anything, anything, that I can offer thou in order to break free from thy chains of oppression?"

"Stopping the poetry classes might be a good start." He offered me a hand, and since I'm already down, I took it to stand up. Eh, no. I won't stop with my poetry classes, those are the only way to deal with Minatsu-nee, and to be fair, they have their share of pretty girls. I'm not thinking in that way, but I dunno, being surrounded by pretty girls now make me feel more at ease. We resumed our walk around Kuoh back to my class, as I yawned a little due to my lack of sleep last night. "But I have this feeling that you might be the next target. After all, all the handsome men around here were already hospitalized, that male-burster might now be looking for the cute ones, such as yourself."

"Ugh, your choice of words only make my depression go deeper." I said with a sigh. This now, what the hell? What kind of person or people would be doing something like that? Maybe it's a bunch of biker guys jealous because they can't get a girlfriend, maybe it's a bunch of extremists who don't want men around this formed alliances-girl school. Whatever it is, maybe I'll have to deal with them the old-fashioned way, and if I do, Nemesis-san will probably lecture me about it. A student from her school, a delinquent, she'll definitely pull my ear all the way to Africa for that. "Do you have any Idea who or what this male-burster might be?"

"No clue. The attacks are usually swift and isolated. Besides, there are rumors that several male students are being challenged around campus for a fight, and all of them ended up in the hospital unconscious. The only thing we can do is to wait." He crossed his arms, and pouted with deepening his own thoughts. Wait for an attack, isn't that the best thing in the world? Now I'm nervous, waiting for something pop up from the ground and apparently try to swallow me whole. So much for my good score on English. "I'll stay at bay and see what I can find. You stay and have your dinner with your girlfriend."

"Shiori-san is not my girlfriend!"

"Uh... I was referring to the redhead and that fox girl." That one made me gasp in surprise and step back a few ones, as he also blinked in surprise. Oh... Uh, this is awkward. He just sighed and turned around, but not before turning his head SHAFT style and give me this final warning. "I would be careful if I were you. And I'm not just talking about the last mystery."

"I know." I sighed, putting my hands in my pockets and turning around to go back to my class.

Wasn't that kinda awkward. Whatever, I have bigger fishes to catch, and while sparring with him wasn't good enough, soon or later someone will be asking me for a fight. Well, if it's a bunch of humans I think... I think I can do it without attracting much attention. I just need to concentrate and remember to stay in the game. Hey, Mizuki-san, if you're hearing me, can you hear or see anything?

'I was just thinking about you, y'know. I can't hear anything abnormal around here, but you better come to the locker rooms and take a look at it yourself.'

"What?" I gave an interrogation for that, diverting my way to the classroom to take the path to the lockers and see what was going on. Is there something wrong there?! Before she could answer me, I finally reached the first floor and searched for that specific point where I put my shoes and notes, right in the middle section of lockers, I looked at my own and, yes, it was broken, it's metal door smashed and vandalized with several written and carved words, and all of them were writing the word...

_'Celebrate'_

_..._

...

"What?" No joke here. My whole locker was marked with the word 'celebrate'. I mean, what? Seriously? What is this? Some kind of prank?! I know this might be a challenge to a fight, but... Celebrate what?!

'Your guess is actually good as mine, Izuki.' I heard that smooth voice inside my head, as I jumped on place and looked around to seek for everyone's favorite ESPer. After that quick scan, I saw a certain strawberry-blonde with her arms crossed under her big boo-whooooa, she can read my mind, slow down. Too late? She grinned, much to my dismay. 'Yep, mr. Boob-lover. Too bad you won't be touching those. Kah, kah...'

"Ugh..."

'But changing to the subject, this is the problem I wanted you to see. I can't feel any ghost recreation here, which is quite peculiar.' She said, lifting a hand and showing small particles of light taking the form of human figures, all passing around like they were changing their shoes. Strangely enough, no one other than myself were here to cause this mess, at least is what Mizuki-san is showing. 'Either the wind was taking some steroids, or the said male hunters are quite the particular figure.'

"I was already expecting that." Things can't ever be so simple with me. I tried to pick the broken door and remove it from the insides of my vandalized locker, only for it to break away from it's hinges and just doesn't smashing on the ground because Mizuki-san was faster and telepathically pick it for me. There they are, my ruined shoes, more and more of the words 'celebrate' written or carved for whatever reason and... Is this a letter? I put my hand inside the broken locker and picked from there a small ball of folded paper with my name, rather, my title as the sekiryuutei, written in hiragana.

'Oh, a letter? Think it's from the culprit?' Mizuki-san thought as she approached me from behind. Well, a love letter is not, I can assure you. I opened it without a second thought, and read the words that were there, again, all in hiragana with sloppy handwriting...

**_"L-o-o-k f-o-r m-e a-f-t-e-r c-l-a-s-s-e-s a-t t-h-e s-c-h-o-o-l r-o-o-f. W-e h-a-v-e b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s t-o t-a-k-e c-a-r-e o-f, sekiryuutei."_**

'_Look for me after classes at the roof, sekiryuutei. We have business to deal with._'. Tch, no doubt about it, that's a challenge from the men Hunter. And I'm the next prey...

'Noooooo, are you sure?'

"Shut up, Mizuki-san..."

'I am.'

"H-Just shut you mouth... Mind... Ugh...!"

'Eheheheh...'

I just knew it that my day would turn it for the worse. Sigh, If looks like I got no choice...

'Wait, wait, Izuki. Are you thinking to really go there? I said this thing has no presence, so I can't see with that we're dealing with here.' Mizuki-san thought.

"I know it might sound stupid and stuff, but this... Thing knows I'm the Red Dragon Emperor, so there's no reason for me to hold back with my sacred gear." I said with a shrug. "Also, don't involve or tell anyone about this. From my fight from yesterday, I'm pretty sure to be scolded again. Besides, all of the other mysterious wonders of Kuoh have been quite harmless if not mischievous, and it wrote the word 'celebrate' in my shoe locker. The best it can it's... Stupid."

'Okaaaay, then. Just don't go crying when Gremory blows you again.'

"Fuck off!"

'Heheheheh...'

And here we go again...

.

~~x~~

.

So... Here I am, at the roof of Kuoh academy, wearing instead a red shirt with my uniform wrapped around my waist and Lady Akeno's ribbon wrapped on my left arm, in order to avoid trouble to Nemesis-san regarding Kuoh. I already fought in public yesterday, and for a nail the school didn't inform mum and the others. The least I can do is hide the fact that I'm a student from Kuoh and fight with all I got!

**[Well. Aren't you a bit of a romantic? Looking all mighty and stuff like a Japanese delinquent?]** The feminine voice inside my Sacred Gear said in my head, teasing me to no end. Yeah, this situation is kinda like an old delinquent movies my mum used to watch. I even skipped my duties as the vice-president of the Suggestion Box Club just to be here. They asked stuff, of course, but I just dismissed as just a small thing bugging me. Little did they know. **[but also Kinda dumb too. You have no idea with what you're dealing with, yet you still headed head-first. Can't say anything since pops was also like that, but... Can't believe you'd be that reckless.]**

"What can I said? It invited me for a fight, and like before, the girls wouldn't let me be maimed like yesterday, and you know what happened last time when I refused to fight." I sighed. I can't back down now, after all that happened yesterday. Besides, Ren is worse than I am, so bringing him here would only put his life in danger again, he'd become a deadweight for the situation. Not that I care that much about him, though. That's only me now. "It's more than honour, too. It knows I'm the sekiryuutei, so it not might be one of the mysteries of Kuoh, so dragging anyone here can not only be unnecessary, but dangerous too..."

**[Carrying the problems on your shoulder so recklessly? So not you.]**

"Maybe. But now, if the best it could do was to smash my shoe locker, what problem that thing could bring to m-...?"

***ZOOM!***

***PUNCH!***

***DOOOOOOON...!***

"Huh...?"

"Yeah, I'm not that stupid to let my guard down so easily! I've learned that much, asshole!" And I jumped away from harm's way using my** [CHAOS BRINGER: CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE], [FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS]** form to leave a shadow clone behind and escape by a nail. Even if I escaped, I can't believe I was so reckless! I didn't even feel a presence around me! But like Mizuki-san said, this one... Has no presence whatsoever. I summoned Rhogomiant and pointed at the cloud of smoke in front of me, where the hit landed instead of... On me. "Now, identify yourself!"

"Tch... This gauntlet, this color, and you're a male just like they said... So you're indeed the Red Dragon Emperor." I heard a single voice inside that curtain of dirt; as it slowly I began to see a silhouette inside of it. Wait... It was only a single voice, and by here, I can see... Only a small silhouette of a single person. Wait; what? "So I finally found thou... About time! Prepare yourself, Red Dragon Emperor!"

"Wait, what?" And then, the cloud vanished completely, revealing what was inside of it: like I was expecting, it wasn't a crowd of angry dateless punks, or a bunch of Amazonic extreme feminists, but a girl. Yep, a girl with black shirt shaggy hair**(the sex hair)**, with a longer low tail, red eyes in a frown, blushing face and wearing a white Chinese tunic... And yes, what a surprise, she's well-endowed. Not as much as everyone, but she's bigger than Yoko's. She looked at me with that face that was just screaming 'murder' and removed her fists from the crater she just created. "What do you mean 'about time'? Are you the one hunting guys around?"

"Correction: I was searching for the Red Dragon Emperor, and with the lack of information I had at the time, I decided to attack every single person that follow this pattern: A male, with the possibility of a harem, from Japan, From Kuoh academy." She said with the straightest face ever, looking at a small note from her pocket of her black monk pants. Wait a minute! So this means the thing that was actually hunting down all the boys of Kuoh weren't a bunch of raging horny delinquents or a femi-amazons, but... This?! Suddenly she frowned at me again, and made a battle pose. "Now that I've finally found you, I'll finally have my revenge on the Gremor-...!"

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Stop! Just stop!" I lifted both my hands and halted the entire event. This is going too fast! I lowered Rhongomiant and looked back at her, trying to find whatever reason this situation is given me! "So... The one who has been targeting boys and hospitalizing them ... Were you... And Because you were targeting me?! Couldn't you just feel me, like everyone else?!"

"How Rude. I have you know, yours truly can't possibly feel the energy around her, that's the reason why I was powerless against the onis back in the Jade Palace..." And now she's turning bitter, while this explained pretty much everything: she can't feel anything, and we can't feel her either. Wait, I remember that from somewhere. Wasn't Rina talking about a monkey who was being bullied by onis back when they found Ryuubi-sensei? And really... I can't feel anything coming from her. "... And that Gremory harlot from that demon clan stole from us, from me, our precious warrior under our leader Sun Wukong! The great Liu Bei, she escaped from my hands when I rented myself useless to protect her, as my descendants was, the wielder of the...!"

"So the one who also wrote those words in my Shoe locker were you!"

"Yes, that is true. In order to weaken the dragon, I decided to put a curse on him." Her eyes suddenly turned darker; taking quick steps towards. Wait, so not only she's from the Jade Palace, she's also somehow related to Ryuubi, as a loyal... Servant? Friend? Maybe she's... Wait, did she just said she 'cursed' me? With those things? Don't tell me...! "The reason why my mistress left the Jade Palace is because she found a way for adventure and thrill in the red Dragon Emperor. If I can defeat him, maybe she'll see her wrongdoings and come back for us. As such, I put several curses in the place where I found the possible candidate for the dragon host, and when we were to fight, he'd be weakened enough by the spells. As such...!"

"Uh, You wrote 'celebrate'..."

"..."

"..."

...

"Excuse me...?"

"You wrote 'celebrate'(祝) instead of 'Curse'(呪), I'll just have you know." I said lifting my hand, as she suddenly stopped her speech and eyes looking pretty distant right now. Huuuuh... This is awkward. I just burst her bubble now, so I have no follow-up for this. I feel even a little sorry: To be shut up for such a small error. That girl lowered her eyes, and began to tremble. Oh, dear... She's an idiot, above all else. It's pretty sad too.

"Oh... Oh, by heavens... I did it again... Such simple error... Tainting my reputation as Lady Liu Bei's right hand woman. I feel ashamed."and now she's saying that with a crying voice. Oh, was that a bad time to bring that up? Did I ruined the mood? Man, no matter the situation or even for the fact she's trying to kill, make a girl cry is such a turn-off for me. Now tears are dropping from her face. Oh, shit. "What will my mistress think of me now? What will lord Sun Wukong think of me now? I walked all the way from the Jade Palace to here, and yet I showed this weakness of mine... Such shame..."

"Uuuh... Cheer up. That isn't such a bad error." I'm lying of course, that's the kind of error you just find from kindergarten kids, but better just comfort her a little. I guarded my sword and Sacred Gear away and tried to reach a hand for her. Maybe she's just as harmless as the other Mysterious wonders. Who knows? I think I already know who she is. "Hey, I know where Ryuubi-sensei is, so if you just calm down and follow m-...!"

***BAM!***

***ZING!***

***CLASH!***

"Tch... So you know where my mistress is!" It took me just a few seconds, a few seconds to react and for a nail escape her blade from cutting my head off! I instead summoned Ascalon, with my boosted Gear now changed to [and clashed edges with her! The impact alone was enough to make both of us jump away from each other. "Red Dragon Emperor, I shall defeat you and take my Mistress Liu Bei back! In the name of my ancestors, my masters and this blade, I shall take your head!"

"Well, too bad! Ryuubi-chan is also someone precious to me, and I'm not letting anyone go away anymore!" I said, gripping tighter on my sword, while looking at her own weapon: a giant guandao, with a long red handle and a golden sash hanging from the safe tip, while the other had a massive emerald blade, tainted with blood marks, yet shinning like the sun itself. I dunno why, but just by looking at that blade is making me shiver.

**[PARTNER, WATCH OUT. YOU MIGHT'VE NOTICED BY NOW, BUT THAT IS A DRAGON-SLAYING WEAPON, AND A HIGH RANKED AT THAT!]** The guttural and hoarse voice inside my Boosted Gear said, reassuring me from my doubts. No questions now, that's indeed a dragon-slaying blade, and I have no more doubts of who this I'm talking to is. The again stood herself in a battle stance with her Guandao, and sharpened her eyes.

"Nice eyes, the eyes of a warrior. However, those are nothing in a real fight, dragon emperor. I shall show you how my determination is greater than yours!" She said, tapping the tip of her weapon on the ground as I also prepared myself for the incoming clash. I know now who this girl is! It's clear as day now! "Let me show you the power..."

Of **Guan Yu of the kingdom of Shu-han, the leader of the five tiger generals, and his trusted dragon-slaying qīng lóng yǎn yuè dāo!**

...

I was going to say **Kan'u Unchou of the kingdom of Shuu, leader of the five tiger generals and his Dragon-slaying Seiryuutou**, but I got nothing now!

"Whatever! I'll show you the power of the Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou!"

**[WELSH DRAGON! ALTER BOOSTER!]**

* * *

**What a chapter... And another girl, which is so gay for Liu Bei. So... Any chances for the new girl to be the new haremette? Just kidding...**

**So... For now, tjhat's it. Stay tuned for the next chapter with the battle it'll will unfold between those two! Stay golden and until next chapter!**


	60. I rather have friends

**Hello again, DxD fanon. Good to see you again, whoever you are. So we really reached the mark of around 60 chaqpters. Not enough to be considered an epic, not not too short either to be just a project. Hohohoh, I like the idea that I've reached so far. Maybe it's passion, maybe it's stupity, maybe both but eh, besides typos, writer's block and other problems, It has been a fun ride. and I hope I can still go on even with everything going on on this side...**

**Enough of my rant. I hope you can all enjoy the finaly 60-chapters!**

**As always, DxD doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

"Yoko, are you still mad? You're mad, aren't you? Please, talk to me. Yoko..."

"I'm not mad at you, Berolina Gremory-san. Not at all. Don't you worry about it."

"Why are you using honorifics agaaaaaain~? You meanie, if you're mad, tell me~! Let's talk about this and be friends again...!"

"What are talking about, Erolina... I mean, Berolina Gremory?"

"What's with that Freudian slip? So you're still mad!"

Hiiii~, the tension is so great in the suggestion box club room~! Yoko-san might seem calm and composed now, but her soul and aura are oozing bad intentions and aura, while Berolina-san's own were confused and going overdrive~! It's so scary, I'm almost diving back into my beloved box! I'm so glad Ryuubi-sensei and Tasha-san are here to protect me and balance the atmosphere.

I thought after the incident from yesterday with Ichijou-san and Ginko-san and a little overnight with Berolina-san's peerage, everything would be good and fluffy, but not only Ichijou-san's big sisters bullied him for me to be there, Berolina-san and Yoko-san have been like this since morning! I wonder if it's my fault~! Hyuuuuh~, I don't want that~!

"Tasha-san, could you please tell me what the relationship between them? Ichijou-san, Berolina-san and Yoko-san?" I asked the only free member of the club for a little bit of backstory since Ryuubi-sensei was a little busy arranging some papers and files. She's indeed a very diligent teacher. Tasha-san then bent over next to me to whisper something in my ear. Suddenly, I exploded!

Hyuuuuh~?! I thought Ichijou-san was only joking! "S-S-Sharing?! They share him?!"

"Gremory-chin loves her queen, Yoko-chin loves her Husband. Gremory-chin loves Yoko-chin who loves her back. They are... A family." My senpai said with a straight face, as she also pointed for herself. "I'm and Liu Bei-chin, mistresses."

"Hiiiih~, so that means they're not fighting over Ichijou-san, but with each other?!" So that's why they didn't mention him this whole time! This is way, way worse than I expected! Also, Ichijou-san is a liar, he is a beast of lust!

"We're family, won't take too long." Calm as always, Tasha-san whispered back with a wink. I stopped my line of thought to look back at the , and then to her. Again with this family stuff? Ichijou-san did say he really likes his peerage, but Tasha-san saying that they're family... I wonder. "In reality, Akabane-chin is scolding Gremory-chin. She's older, and wiser, Gremory-chin must shut up and listen for being selfish."

"Ooooooh~..." So they're so close like that~. Being like that can be nice. Ichijou-san did say he's happy to have so many friends, but this connection is deeper than he gives credit for. I turned back to them, and Berolina-san is now with her hands entangled together, in a swear pose in front of Yoko-san.

"C'mon, Yoko-sama~, mother of all youkai and leader of the Kanto faction~! It was a moment of weakness for me! I promise it won't happen again, so please talk to me~!" Said the redhead with anime tears running down her eyes. Huuuuh~, did I do that all the time? It's so embarrassing, no wonder Ichijou-san tried to make me stop. Yoko-san, on the other hand, gave her an aside glance, and crossed her arms with a devious smile. "Y-Yoko-sama...?"

"Oh~, okay, I'll forgive you, but under one condition. One condition, and I'll forgive you for your misdeeds, Berolina Gremory." Hiiih~, Yoko-san is oozing such a scary aura, Berolina-san trembling until the last string of her Crimson hair and black highlight! Before anything else could happen or the latter could say anything about it, Yoko-san suddenly turned to me and pointed a finger at me! Hiiih~! I'm this close to jump at that box! "Whiswain-san, if you don't mind, I'd like you to order Berolina Gremory to give me the proper apology!"

"Eeeeeeh~?! Me?! But... What should I do, Yoko-san?!" I screamed. This is seriously scary! Why is she putting so much responsibilities in me~?! Huuuuh~!

"Just give Berolina orders. Make her do something to apologize! She'll do anything." Yoko-san then turned to the Gremory girl, and softened her expressions. "Isn't that right, Rina? You'll do anything for us to go back together, right?"

"Yes! Of course!" Eh! Berolina-san is so bold and determinate! She spoke those without even blinking! What is sheeee~?! She turned her slitted eyes towards me and mimicked the pointing finger at me again! "So go ahead, Whis! Do your worst!"

"Eeeeeh...?! O-Okay!" I nodded with conviction. Berolina-san's so determined, I can't help but to try to mimic her determination! I can order now, so... So... Better do my best. Huuuh~, but what should I order now? "B-Berolina-san, I want you... To hug Yoko-san and say you're sorry!"

"..."

"E-Eh...? Too much?"

"Okay, sure. Here, come here, Yokkins." Berolina-san's face suddenly dropped some of her own determination and instead called for Yoko-san with her open arms, hugging her soon after. I heard a squishing sound as they embraced, and Berolina-san massaged Yoko-san's back. "I'm sorry, Yoko. I promise I won't do that again."

"It's okay, Berolina. I love you too." The fox said, also passing her hands on Berolina-san's back. I turned to Tasha-san, and she winked at me. Ooooh~, so she's right, they're a family. Berolina-san then turned to me and nodded one more time.

"So, anything else, Whis?"

"E-Eh?" So she want me to go on? I thought a simple command would be enough! Okay. "Huuuuh~... Berolina-san, I command you to give Yoko-san a kiss on the cheek and say again you're sorry."

"..."

"Huuuh~, too much?"

"No, of course not! Here, Yoko~!" And Berolina-san really did it! She went ahead and gave Yoko-san a light peck in the cheek! Hiiih~, how shameful! Are Ichijou-san and Ryuubi-san also that deprived?! Yoko-san also went ahead and kissed Berolina-san back! "Hah!"

"It's not like I like to kiss you, Rina. It's because you have a pretty skin, just like Ichijou's. Kinda remember of him." Blushed the fox spirit while blushing, still not letting go of the redhead in her arms. So they DO have that kind of relationship! Berolina-san then smiled again, and pecked Yoko-san again. "Huh...?"

"Eheheh... I dunno, I just felt like kissing you, Yoko. It feels nice."

"Is that so? Here,*CHU~!*, now we're even." And now Yoko-san kissed her as well! They're so intimate and close, no wonder Ichijou-san likes them so much! They shared a smile, but suddenly their expressions soured so much, as they're trying to strangle each other with just stares! Hiiiih~, what's happening?! "But don't forget: he's my husband."

"Ditto: he's my queen, my servant for life. Don't you ever forget about this." They continued to share vey frightening stares and even the whole room began to tremble, and I'm about to jump right into my beloved box! After a few seconds, however, they genuinely smiled to each other, and calmness returned to the suggestion box club. Thank goodness! I returned my foot back to my seat, as they separated from that embrace and nodded to each other. "He's ours. In one way or another. I'm sorry about that, Yoko. It was... A moment of weakness."

"Yes, I know. That fool is so full of openings, we might end up raping him one day." Yoko-san said she is going to rape someone, and is giggling about it! Headmistress Nemesis and Sitri-Kaichou said I was going to be safe with this people, but I'm so scared~! No! I need... I need to be brave. Calm down. Tasha-san also entered to embrace both and kissed each on the cheek! Hiiih~! Her too?!

"Don't forget about me. Gremory-chin, Akabane-chin." She said, and both of them also kissing her back! They're so intimate with each other! So this is what means as a family! I knew the Gremory family have some kind of special connect, but still~. "Liu Bei-chin, come here. Kiss, kiss~."

"I'd love to, but for now yours truly is thy teacher, and any further contact might compromise in my position." Ryuubi-sensei said blowing a kiss towards us instead. They all pouted, But then they turned to me!

"Whis. Kiss, kiss." Tasha-san called for me, letting go of the others to come closer! Hiiiiih~, bad touch! Bad touch! Tasha-san then embraced me and kissed my cheek~! It was... Good. Wow, it's so warm. She then began to pat my head. "There, there."

"Kuuuuh~, Tasha-san is getting too comfortable with me~. I don't know how to deal with this~." I whispered, feeling somehow safe into her bosom. This is the second time I feel how soft a pair of breasts are, and I feel safer now. Huh...

"Yep, welcome to the party, Whiswain-san! As the vice-president of the Suggestion Box club, I name you... Our treasurer!" Berolina-san said with a thumb up and a bright smile on her face, while everybody else just clapped at me. I'm blushing now, dear Hades, I'm blushing now! This is so... I dunno, but I like it so much~! But wait, there's something not quite right about this.

"Uh~, Berolina-san. Don't you mean 'president'?" I lifted my hand in question; as she crossed her arms and shook her head negatively. I don't get it.

"Nu-uh. The one who thou speak is the vice-prescient of the official suggestion box club!" She said with her chest filled with pride, hopes and dreams. I turned to Liu Bei-sensei, and she smiled while nodding. So she isn't lying.

"Is that so? Then, who's the president?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's Ichijou!"

"It's our Ichijou."

"President, Tsukino-chin."

"It's the one and only Hong Long!"

"Oh!" So this is how it is. Ichijou-san... Is very loved.

***DRRRRRRR~!***

"Hiiiiih~...!" What was thaaaaat~?! An earthquake?! Faster than I could, I hid myself inside my beloved box, and waited until that tremor ceased for now. What was that~?! So scary~! I turned my eyes towards the others, and they were also in a state of alert!

"Wow, what was that?!" Berolina-san asked and looking all over her the windows. "Speaking of which, where's Ichijou?! You guys don't think... This is his doing!"

"Calm down, Rina. If anything, he's in the roof." Yoko-San said, removing her eyepatch to look at the ceiling. I also turned my eyes upwards and, really, there was only Ichijou-san and his dragonic aura on the upper floors. And no one else. "But... That's strange. There's no one with him upstairs. I guess he's just training or something."

"Uuuuh~, Yoko-san is right." I said, lifting my hand and peeking off my box of safety. "Ichijou-san is... All alone upstairs. He's moving, but there's no one there with him."

"But to cause such tremor around, maybe he's overdoing or somet-...!"

*BAM!*

"Hiiih~!" Another loud sound! I hid myself in the box, and again peeked out of it to see what was going on! Then I saw, for the first time, Ryuubi-sensei looking distressed, her hands on the table and her pink eyes in a alerted wide. "R-Ryuubi-sensei?"

"Berolina-dono... Yours truly might have a slightest idea that Hong Long might be in bigger trouble than we anticipated!"

Hiiiih~! That's ominous! Too ominous!

.

**~~X~~**

**.**

***CLINK!***

***CLINK!***

***DON!***

"Damn it, General of the Three Kingdoms!" I said clashing Rhongomiant against her Seiryuutou, and the recoil and impact of both weapons pushing us away from each other. My Boosted Gear announced** [BOOST]** once again, as I used my [FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS] mode to land on my two feet. She's good, she's very good. I dunno if she trained so much or is just instinct like her ancestor, but I gotta hand it to her: she's an ace. She's even keeping up with my **[SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS]**. And that spear... Dangerous.

"I shall serve your head in a silver plate, Red Dragon Emperor! Withdraw now, and you Shall receive a painless and quick death!" She shouted at me, again moving forward to clash blades with Rhongomiant! She's way too fast, I can't even reach her with any of my** [CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE]** forms! Not to mention, one cut from that guandao and I'm done for. Sheesh, I have to think. "Very well! So suffer the death by the edge of my blade, red dragon!"

"Bring it, General!" I said while clashing my sword again! Every touch, even clash, I can feel my hands getting numb and tired. I gotta stop this right now!** *CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!*** the edges of our blades would dance and collide everywhere, causing minor shockwaves around and tremble the whole school! In one second, one small second, I faltered a little, and her own move hit me harder, making me be pushed away by the sheer force! Damn, I tried to stand up, but she was faster, almost reaching me! "Kh...!"

"This is your end, Red Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" I gripped my sword tighter, and as fast as my **[DRAGON SMASHER QUEEN]** form let me, I pushed Rhongomiant in her direction and channeled all of strengths in it! I'll use that! "Let's go, Rhongomiant! **[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIR-]...!"**

***SLASH!***

**"What...?!"**

***ZING!***

***DOOOOOOOOON...!***

**"GYAAAAAAAAAAAH...!"** Another second, and my world went blank. I tried to use and reflect Seiryuutou with my special ability, but it was no use. Like scissors on silk, her guandao simply cut down the barrier my [DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY SLASH] tried to make and hit me harder, making me be ejected away from the roof to the forest nearby, destroying some trees in the way until I finally landed next to the old building, hidden in the dense forest.

**[PARTNER, STAY WITH ME! CAN YOU STAND?!],** the hoarse voice inside my sacred gear said, but I was too tired and damaged to answer anything; my face looking at the cloudy sky and Rhongomiant right next to me, filled with scratches. She... She just cut through my absolute defense like paper, that's not a good sign.

"Trying to. Not much success..." I picked Rhongomiant and used it as a crutch to help me to stand.

I have no energy to use my Balance Breaker, and even if I try to use **[CLOTH EATER]**, she's way out of my range because of that damn spear. If I could only used it and explode her clothes and suck her energy out of her tits just by looking that th-... What the hell am I thinking?! And even if I had energy to wait for some help, she'd either spar me away or cut down my defenses... This is getting complicated.

Sigh, I have no choice. Since her dragon-slaying powers come from the blood of a dragon in the Seiryuutou, this means she's still somehow vulnerable against dragon-slaying spells herself. In that case...

**"[ASCALON]!**" I put Rhongomiant away and summoned the legendary Dragon Slayer, as always weighting a hundred times more than Rhon despite being way smaller. It's a hell of a bet again, but this is not the first time I'm being reckless.

***DON!***

"You disappoint me, Red Dragon. To think my precious mistress wandered around with the likes of you this whole time, I bet herself was the one who saved your sorry arse countless times!" Something quite large and hard landed right in front of me, lifting a dust curtain, and coming from it, the dark-haired descendant of the most badass generals who ever lived, her guandao hanging around her nape and she shoots poisonous stares from her Crimson orbs. "Killing you will only bring shame for the name of general Guan Yu, but yours truly guesses that bringing milady Liu Bei can compensate for such shameless and shallow victory against yourself."

"Yeah, I'm trash, I'm worthless, I'm shit and useless. I'm used to this, thank you very much." I said sharpening my eyes, unsticking Ascalon from the ground and pointing at her, the holy and dragonic aura oozing from the blade like some sort of burning flame. She also frowned upon seeing the energy in it, and then her guandao also began to ooze a translucid emerald aura. The winds around became wilder and stronger, blowing everything away with the waves of energy around us and, in a third instant, we stood against each other in battle stance. "But guess what, Kan'u! I'm not a fan of assholes taking my friends away either! I'm sick-tired of it, so whatever it is a Devil, an angel, a fallen angel or even super-powered human who trained under a divinity, I won't stand like a jackass and wait for something to happen!"

"So be it! Whoooooah!" She concentrated her power into a pillar of light and energy, as I did the same forming a dark red one instead, me and her, burning our remaining bits of energy, ready for a final clash! Let's see if the blood frozen into the Seiryuutou can withstand the power of the red dragon emperor and the dragon-slaying mythical sword, Ascalon!

**[BOOST!]**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

We both lifted our blades, which were now burning in uncontrollable aura, and in a swift, quick move, we unleash from our respective weapons a beam of pure holy/demonic energy!** *DOON!***, her white one and my Crimson one clashed against each other and lifted a even larger pillar of dense energy, blowing some trees away and slightly clean up the sky!

They were evenly matched clashing against each other, but suddenly something happened: an extra white beam of energy was shot from Ascalon's grip, and before I knew it, my Crimson **[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY]** slash morphed into a dragon's head, which then bit Kan'u's own energy light and rushed towards her, parting her beam from the Seiryuutou apart like a rock on the middle of the river while eating it all the way towards her!

"No! It's impossible!" She said face-to-face in front of my white dragon **[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY],** which she tried to slash away once again, only to her guandao to bounce away from it! Even so, her red eyes shined even brighter and the grip around her handle, even tighter. She pointed her guandao at the flash of energy in front of her and walked forward! "No! I won't give in! I shall show the power... **OF MY JADE DRAGON SPEAR**!"

And without even flinching, she moved forward and stabbed that beam dragon with all of her might! The clash provoked a shockwave which caused more destruction than the previous one, and there she stood, fighting against that magic beam with her guandao as she was pushing away a shield made out of red light! This is insane, she's way stronger than I am, and my [**DWF**] slash was indeed being backed up!

And with one final scream, the descendant of the general Kan'u Unchou picked the grip of Seiryuutou with her both hands on opposite directions and sides, and with one final move in a yanking maneuver, she slashed her blade upwards, and redirected my dragon beam upwards to the cloudy skies above! The pillar of light went up and up, until it vanished in a single red line towards the heavens, leaving no trace at the silence of the heights above. And then...

***ZIIIIIIN~...***

***BAAAAAAAAAAAM!***

"..."

"..."

I was speechless. Before my own eyes, that line of red energy disappear in it's way towards the sky, leaving no trace behind, and then, from a single point above, a loud shockwave occurred, and what used to a heavy weather of black clouds opened like curtains for a show, revealing from within the Crimson tone of the evening sky. A single slash from Ascalon, and it opened the sky...

...

Oh, lord Desmond will have my head on a plate...

"AND THIS... Is the proof of my undying loyalty for my mistress, Red dragon emperor!" I turned my eyes back at her, and after the dust cleaned up, I saw that the impact just ripped part of her tunic, revealing her bandaged sarashi bra and ripped and scarred body, not unlike Ryuubi's, not to mentioned a bursted bleeding arm. She's strong, way strong. And she's doing this all for her Ryuubi. "Can you do the same for her?! Stand before one of the strongest beings in this universe for her?! Can you?! Answer me, Red Dragon Emperor!"

"I... I can! Don't you dare...!" And I tried to give one step forward. But then, *BAM!*, I faltered, and lowered myself on my knees after an eletric Shock ran through my legs. Shit, that last one drained a good part of my stamina, my [CRIMSON QUEEN GEAR DRIVE] turning into dust and leaving me with only Ascalon and the Boosted Gear. "...!"

"Naturally. Words have no meaning in a war, red dragon emperor. If you can't back them up, then you're nothing but a coward." She said, using her Guandao as a cane to walk towards me. I can't let her have the upper hand, so I stood up using Ascalon and point it back at her.

"Stop saying those stock phrases of DxD OCs and face me, Kan'u-...!" But again, my legs weakened in the worst moment, and back to my knees I went, as out of nowhere Ascalon reacted in my hand and let me go of it's Damnit, what a moment to lose all of my powers!

Before I could even blink, she jumped towards me, Spear at hands, but I dodged that one by an inch using my Boosted Gear, the metallic Crimson gauntlet redirecting her attack away from me, cutting part of it which began to hurt like hell and ooze steam! The momentum made her land on me instead, and we rolled over the grassy ground uncontrollably, we us trying to bite and hit each other. In the end, I landed on my back and kicked her away, making her fall on the ground on her three. I rolled back to look at her, her Crimson frown clashing with my emerald one...

"Pesky little dragon... Why don't you die?!" She said, reaching for her Seiryuutou once again as I tried, but failed, to summon Rhongomiant, as another [BOOST] took a mouth of air from my lungs, and her cut in my hand bleed even more. That wound fucked me up worse than I expected. Shit! And again, In that moment of hesitation, she gripped her guandao and ran for me, one broken arm hanging with the other so loosely gripping it's weapon! She doesn't give up in the slightest! "DISAPPEAR NOW!"

Shit! I need to think fast! She's wounded and acting recklessly, so this means this, of all times, is the best time to attack! But how? [CLOTH EATER]? It might boost me up a little, but knowing Ryuubi-sensei, I bet Kan'u won't even bother with her breasts and clothes and things will only get worse from that! I can't summon my sword to counter her for too long either, and Ascalon might reject me, anyway! I have no choice, this last attack will have to put an end to this match! And there's only one way for that! One way!

Welsh Dragon, Yagura, we'll have to do... **THAT**!

**[Oh, you mean THAT? Sounds like a plan! But I thought mr. Prim'n'proper said it was a very risqué technique even for himself~!]** I heard Yagura's voice tease me inside my mind. Lady, in war and love, there's no such things as principles and rules! I've been training this for a while, and this is the best moment for it! Also... I want to see what happens. I heard a laugh inside my Crimson gauntlet**. [Yeah, yeah. At least you're honest and stuff! 'Nuff said; Tsukino Ichijou, let's see what that new power of yours is capable of!]**

"Easier said than done!" I formed a fist with my gauntlet, and concentrated all of my remaining forces there, making sure this will be it!

"Do not waste energy and die, Red Dragon emperor! Taste the power of my Spear!" Kan'u with her Seiryuutou is coming closer by the second, so I probably just have one try! This have to, and will be, my final move, the one that will end it all in a way or another! When she was close enough, I pulled my fist with all of my strength in her direction! I got only one shot! Let's go, we can do it! **BOOSTED GEAR! "AND GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT DEFEAT!"**

**"[EVIL... AIM!]"**

***VOOSH!***

***ZING!***

***POKE!***

"W-What...?!" And it connected! It was a risqué move, and a single mistake could've settle my fate for once and for all, but using the scales of my Dragonic arm, I was able to deflect her dragon-slaying blade off me, just cutting my cheek and oozing energy from there. That wound hurt more than anything else, but I did it, I broke through her defenses! Before she could react, I aimed my fist for her exposed chest and in the last moment, I poked my pointer finger out...

... And poked her chest, specifically, where her nipple would be!

"Now, Ddraig! Yagura!"

**[TRANSFER!]**

***SHOCK!***

"H-H-Hyaaaaaaaaaah~...!" And after a show of lights, I transferred all of my remaining strengths into my contacting pointer finger, and she gasped in an instant. In another moment, her face burned up, her eyes wide and her whole body tensed up, and as moan filled with satisfaction and ecstasy escaped her mouth with a bit of saliva, her eyes rolled with the sudden shock running though her body, letting go of her Seiryuutou to fall on me, her head resting on my shoulder, her whole figure going limp on mine own. Kan'u was now a trembling doll on me, her eyes trying but failing to aim at me, and her erotic gasps blowing on my ear. That's... Kind of a turn on. "P-Phwaaaah~... Y-You fiend... W-What, Hyuuh~, what have you done to me?"

"I... Touched you." I said, and then she passed out in my arms, drool running down her mouth and her body trembling every time she breaths. What a day to be... Reincarnated, I just found out a new ability using** [TRANSFER]** and girls's bodies, and I'm ashamed for this. Not even senpai who is considered the biggest pervert who ever lived had this idea on his head, and here I am, with a girl whom I helped reach cloud nine with a single touch. I defeated my enemy... With a single touch, and not in the way senpai could or I wanted to. Although... **[EVIL AIM]** is not a bad name. Not at all...

Not at all...

**[So, tell me how it started...]**

**[IT ALL STARTED A FEW CENTURIES AGO, YAGURA-SENSEI! I WAS A FEARED AND RESPECTFUL DRAGON UNTIL SOMEONE WHO BECAME LATER A LEGEND MADE ME RECEIVE THE TITLE OF OPPAI DRAGON! SINCE THEN...!]**

Hey, hey, I want some consultations too...

"Master...!"

"Eh...?" And cutting down the silence of the woods I stand, I heard a pretty childish voice coming for me. After a few seconds, yes, my little apprentice appear among the trees, running for me, the string of hair on tip of her hair dancing uncontrollably. "Sally-chan?"

"I've finally found you, master! I saw that pillar of light and I felt you presence with it and...! Oh!" She said catching her breath and resting her little body on a nearby tree. When she finally could focus on me, she instead gasped on her hands, and smiled. "Sorry for my rudeness? Am I... Interrupting something, master? Maybe you can allow me to watch how is it don-...?"

"Absolutely not!" I said lifting a hand, only to push Kan'u-san on the floor and clean up the drool and sweat she left in my uniform. I tried to stand up, but the bruises and fatigue are still hurting like a bitch. Fortunately Sally-chan was there to help me as I used her shoulder as a support. "Thanks, Sally-chan. It has been a while since I used so much energy. I'm beat..."

"Parting the sky like that, no wonder I wanted you as my master!" She smiled, and she helped me rest around on a tree. Once there, Sally-chan went ahead and took a place besides the fallen Kan'u, who was still twitching after that my... [EVIL AIM] ability. "And who's that? She got big boobs, and a pretty face. Is she another of your cumcubines?"

"No, of course not." I said again with one of my hands lifted.

"So... Another harem candidate?"

"You're sounding now like a harem novel reader in a net forum." I sighed. Kan'u even tried to stand up again, and for whatever reason, Sally-chan kicked her on the head, putting her out of commission again. Wow, what a thing. I heard some bushes and trees moving around, and escaping from there, there was my peerage. "Oh, hey guys..."

"So it was you, indeed! What's your problem, Ichijou, you dummy!" And Rina went ahead and slapped me in the face! Ow, it didn't hurt much, but thanks to my previous battle, my body reacted accordantly, and I almost lost my balance. "And before you say anything about honour and confidence...!"

"It was out of honour and confidence, plus it was a challenge from her. My bad, sorry." I sighed, and again she pouted at me, despite the fact she was also on the brink of tears. Soon enough, Ryuubi also came by, but instead of coming to help me, she instead went into the fallen girl on the floor. We all turned there, and Rina gasped.

"Oh! It's her! The monkey girl!" She gasped, leaving me on the resting tree, and also coming to look at her. Tasha came to me to help me, also looking at the general on the floor.

"So... I was thinking with myself by now, but when you guys were at the Jade Palace, back in Golden Week, Rina said something about a monkey girl being beaten by onis?" I turned to the witch girl, and she turned to me. Poor kan'u was still eating dirt. "Don't tell me... She's actually that punching bag monkey girl?"

"Bingo." Instead of answering me rightly, Tasha blinked at me and shoot at me with her hand-gun. I'm having a strange Deja vu feeling about all of this. Like, mentioning something that was, like, several weeks ago. The purple witch then turned fully at where Rina and Ryuubi-sensei were next to the body. "Miss Guan Yu tried to prove her worth by picking a fight with onis. Didn't work. We helped her out. And met Liu Bei."

"Long story short." I said with a sigh. I turned around to look at the duo in front of my newest rival, and for the first time in a while, something like a forced grin was spread in Ryuubi-sensei's face. She looks... Awkwardly uncomfortable. "Eh? But why is Ryuubi all like that? Shouldn't she be saying 'rejoice for meeting my previous loyal general', or something like that?"

"Uuuh, Tsukino-chin, actually..."

**"LADY LIU BE-..!"**

**"啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊...!"**

***DOOOOOON!***

"A-Ah... My Apologize." And when I thought I would have to fight that crazy chick yet again when she practically ejected from her previous position, Ryuubi screamed on top of her lungs and slapped that bitch so hard the whole forest trembled and she created a bigger crater there. We all turned to the most level-headed and mature member of our group with eyes wide in disbelief. Did she just... Lose it? "Eheheh... Please don't look at yours truly like that. Being exposed in such way... Is embarrassing."

"Liu Bei-chin... Left the Jade Palace because of miss Guan Yu, Tsukino-chin."

"Oh..."

It makes sense, actually...

.

~~x~~

.

"996... 997... 998... 999 and... **1000**! You can rest now, red dragon Emperor Tsukino Ichijou!" And a hard and loud *SPLASH!* sound echoed through all of my Underground hot spring chamber as my remaining strengths couldn't hold the Vampiric prime minister on my back, giving it up on the last of my 1000 push-ups punishment. Apparently, while very confident about his abilities, lord Desmond doesn't like doing the same job over and over. Now I know from where Annie got that bad habit. "Rest knowing that the one and only Prime Minister of the Vampiric council and the righthand man of the Vampire King himself, Nosferatu Black, Desmond Hellsing, was kind to you. I could've Pushed you to a worse punishment, but I don't feel like it. Be grateful for my unlimited kindness."

"Thank... You... Lord Hellsing..." I sighed, still kissing the floor and trying to get a hold of my breath. I just fought a crazy lesbo with the powers to cut dragons down and which reflected one of my strongest attacks. And now this vampire bastard made me do 1000 push-ups. Well, at least my body's better than before, so such punishment wasn't such a big deal. Of course, I won't say that out loud.

"Hohohohoh! But I must congratulate you, lad. The mist created by the one and only Prime Minister of the vampiric empire and The righthand man of the Vampire King Nosferatu Black, Desmond Hellsing, was suppose to be stronger than the last one! To even part it away like you did is indeed a impressive feat!" And acts that little rant, he began to praise me. I just gave him a tired and trembling thumb up, only to fall flat on the floor once again. Before I could catch my first breath, However, I felt someone picking me by the collar and in one move, throw me to one of the pools from the hot springs! "And here's your reward!"

"Gyaaaaaaah...!"

***SPLASH!***

...

...

***BLUB. BLUB, BLUB!***

"Gaaaah~! Arf~, arf~...!" And I was fighting for air even harder now! That vampire bastard just throw me at my own springs with clothes and all! I stood up from the waters and spat some of it out of my system. I turned back to Lord Desmond, and he only laughed at my expenses. Okay, calm down, he's way stronge than you, and he complimented you, be grateful and avoid him snapping you like a wood stick. Instead I got rid of my shirt and sat on the water floor, enjoying the hot springs. "I'm... Better now. A stay like that for a while and I think I can handle it."

"Gooood~. It must be my massages which caused such positive vibes on you, Sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou. But you don't have to thank me, after all, the great prime minister of the Vampiri-**Yadda, yadda, yadda.**..!" I think it's only natural for someone, anyone, to start blocking everything he says in his daily boost mantra about himself, so I casually hid my ears into the waters in the way it'd fill it and block my eardrums so that he could finish it without me breaking his heart... And in return he wouldn't break my spine. The last thing I heard was 'something something it's only natural something something'. After that, he stretched himself a bit more and turned around to walk towards the exit. With that, I poked the rest of my head above the waters to hear him clearer. "It'd love to stay and enjoy even more thy new home, but I'll have to create a new dark mist in order to shield my compatriots from the Sun. Until next time, but please not in such way, Sekiryuutei."

"U-Understood." And he's gone. Finally, I can relax and enjoy this gianourmous underground hot springs.

I splashed some water on my face, and sank into the waters deeper, reaching my shoulders, to take a relieved breath.

Man, what a week, I'm glad I'm the kind who can heal pretty much everything within some days of rest, although the scars still remain around. This hot springs, they also have some medical properties, not as much as the ones back at Mt. issei, but at least some of my deeper wounds are closing and the smaller ones, disappearing. Wonder what will happen if I drink it? Uuuh... Better not, the girls bath in here too.

I splashed some water on my face again, and sighed, letting myself sink into the waters and supporting my back on the border of the spring looking up, not even bothering to take off my socks or pants. I just need to avoid getting lightheaded again. I'm so weak in hot springs, it's pathetic since Aria-san told me she will teach me how to breath fire or something... That would be neat, breathing fire... After all, I need a more serious technique, otherwise people will start calling me a pervert and a molester. Senpai would probably flip from his grave from [CLOTH EATER]. Hahahah...

...

I wonder if he would be proud of me.

Ah! Ah! I'm getting lightheaded. Stay in the game, Ichijou. Thinking too much means you're going stray with your thoughts, and you might drown yourself in the bathtub! Life for now... Is good. I have friends, I got a good score back in school, I'm getting stronger, a day to have a date with Shiori-san, I'll still try to control Ascalon and... I won't let anything of that go away again. Thinking too much again, stupid Ichijou. I sighed and shot my face forward to take another breath...

Only to stare at a pinky peach floating on the waters...

...

...

Uh; what the hell?

"What?" I stood up from the waters, and took a few steps into it's direction. The steam was kinda messing with my view, but in the end, I saw what that was: it wasn't a peach, but the ass of an ass. "Oh, Kan'u-san is also here."

"Affirmative. Ryuubi-san said that, no matter what, we should treat her wounds and at least give her some points in hospitality. Besides, she's the last Mystery of Kuoh, just here to fill the blank." I turned my eyes for the direction that voice was coming, and I saw Ren, the lass only covered by a towel, approaching us with his arms crossed under his breasts and sighing deeply. That Ryuubi, she's a nice girl, but still, the house is mine. If anything blows up, I'll be one guilty! I sighed as well. "This place is huge, by the way Ichijou. I don't even know why mother bothered to take a bath in your room."

"Let's not talk about it ever again." I said, crossing my arms and taking a quick peep on his breasts. Not at the same level as Rina's or Tasha's, but still impressive, even more for the fact that he hid those all that time. What? It was a big revelation out of him, the minimal I can have is to look at them like that.

"Stop staring at me, perv." He said, turning his golden orbs to me and judge me with them. "I chose the path of the shinobi instead of the kunoichi. I'm just like that because you know about it, but stop staring, I feel... Weak."

"Okay okay, Boobs'Mcgee. Just don't crush your ribcage." I said with a grin, and he just hid his breasts with his hands and blushed with teeth showing. Say whatever you want, ninja, you're still girly at your heart. I'm used to this, anyway. "But; y'know what? I kinda don't mind that secret of yours anymore."

"Ichijou...?"

"I mean, it was surprising, yes, and I was really mad that time, but then I came to the realization that, whatever you're a guy or a gal, I don't, I wouldn't mind." I said, scratching my cheek and looking back at him. A light tint of red was decorating his cheeks. "I don't want to lose anyone anymore, this includes you, Rina and Nemesis-san. I like you, I really like you Ren, and if that little detail makes me ruin our friendship, then it means I'm no better than Julia-chan and Nina-chan's father or my own sisters."

"..." He could only blink at me, his blush going even redder and he began to hyperventilate. Ren turned his eyes upwards, downwards, and back to me. This is really going under his skin, eh? "A-An... What are you saying? I said that I wanted to be your friend, so of course those little things... Wouldn't change anything between us. Never compromise, remember? This goes for relationships as well."

"Ahahah... Thanks, Ren." I laughed, but actually I'm kinda relieved. So, even if he's a ninja and holds a few other secrets, it's good to see that we still be in better terms.

"But remember this..." And he stuck his tongue out and pulled one of his eyelids down; making an ugly face. "... I'm a ninja. Those sweet talks and Harem-lead charms won't win me over, ever."

"Hahahah! Like I would want someone like you, if I ever wanted a harem!" I grinned at him and flipped him the bird. Yeah, who needs him? If I ever wanted a harem, I already have my own fair-skinned, tsundere busty girl! We make faces to each other until we almost laughed ourselves to death, and in the end, I sighed, and smiled. "But to tell you the truth, I'm glad that I have you as a friend."

"Ichijou...?"

"I mean, if I want a harem of supernatural girls, I just need to show them my Boosted Gear, like everyone here. Having you as a friend... The kind I can rely on and just play around, calling ourselves names and making fun of each other... It kinda makes me happy!" I said to him. This feeling of easiness... It's good to have friends! Him, Mizuki-san, Sally-chan, Rina, Yoko, Shiori-san, and the others. I'm glad that I've met them. "So, yeah. Thanks for being my friend, Ren."

"A-Ah... Ahah... Ahahahah! I've already said, Sekiryuutei! Those sweet lines of cheap harem protagonists don't... Don't work on me!" He made a trembling smile, and turned around away from me. I could notice that his whole face turned red, and his face was really tearing apart. In the end, still facing away, he lifted one of his hands and gave me a thumb up, giving me a side glance with one of his big golden eyes. "But... Thanks for being my friend as well, Ichijou. It might not be forever, but it's a worthy one."

"Yeah." I gave him also a thumb up, and sighed with a smile. Yeah, forever for never, that's the bitter thing about friendship. They're... They're not eternal.

I know this... That much.

*HUG!*

"Nyaaan~, what a cutie. You're indeed more galant since the last time we met, Ichijou-nyan?" And hugging me from behind and making me feel her inflated bare breasts touching my naked back, I saw two dancing cat tails snuggling around my nose, making me snort a little. It doesn't take a genius to figure who it is. "Maybe it's because you reached Balance Breaker during that meantime, but you always had this strong scent. It's a little stimulating, nyan~."

"Yo, Ginko-san." I said, acting like nothing happened, and then out of the sudden let myself sink into the water with her. Once with it, her cat instincts kicked in, and then Ginko-san jumped away from the pool and landed on one of the edges. Serves her right! "Also, stop attacking me out of the sudden! If my sisters or the girls ever finds out about, we're both screwed! Don't you have to go back to Nemesis-san or something?!"

"Ichijou-nyan, you meanie! I have you know, I'm having my vacation, and Rina-nyan said I can stay with you guys for as long as I want!" She pouted back on her place, and again that urge to punch Gremory... Rina back into the Cocytus hole came again into my fist. I gotta start steeping up my game as well, but for now, I guess it's okay. "Also, you didn't say anything about Kan'u-nyan or Ren-nyan!"

"Both of them also came by uninvited. It's not like I tell everybody to come by my house randomly. But it looks like I don't have a choice."

"Yay~, nyan." And after a few seconds of water touching, she finally could immerse herself into the waters, and she quickly swam for me to again cuddle me. Give me a break. "Hey, you know who misses you? Raven Phenex and that girl from the Dantalion house. Ever wondered in paying them a visit, nyan?"

"Oh, really?" I sighed, not even bothered by the naked girl cuddling on me, and now Ren also taking a side besides me, sitting on the border of the pool of hot waters. To be honest, I also kinda miss them, even what happened between me and Irene-san. Paying a visit for the Phenex house and Rei-chan, it doesn't sound like a bad idea, now that the whole 'Seven Mysterious wonders of Kuoh' have been solved. Isn't ... A bad idea. "Well. I have nothing better to do(besides losing another possible date with Shiori-san), so yeah... I think... I'll visit the Underworld this time."

"Yay~..." And Ginko-san hugged me even more. Now that I'm stronger, I think I can pay a payback at Hyung too! And show auntie Alice some of my new tricks too. Heheh... It's a good idea indeed...

Uh... Something's wrong... I'm getting... A little dizzy...

"By the way, Ichijou-nyan, Hwan Jin-young-dono is also talking about you! He wants to talk about that new Manga from Jump+ and some ideas about, nyan!"

"..."

"And you kinda have to control the mess between him and Raven-nyan, because they're again arguing about the superiority between Shounen and Seinen. I don't mind much, nyan, but they say you might have the answer..."

"..."

"But everynyan also wants to see you and your Balance Breaker, nyan! The Quarta siblings can't shut up about and even Uncle Cohen is kinda...!"

"..."

"Ichijou-nyan...?"

"..."

"...?"

"***BLUB! BLUB! BLUB!***"

"Nyahh! Ichijou-nyan!"

"Oh, so he's a lightweight. Good to know..."

Shut up. Ren...

**[THE SEVEN MYSTERIOUS WONDERS OF KUOH ACADEMY ARC: COMPLETED]**

* * *

**Special Omake: 60-chapters**

**Rina -** Hey, Ichijou! We did it! 60 chapters!

**1 -** Yep, after countless adventures, plot-twists, and lots, lots and lots of references...

**Tasha** \- From the back of my head: Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tokyo Ghoul, Medaka Box, Kingdom Hearts, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Neo, Saiki Kusuo no Sai-san, Assassination Classroom, Dragon Ball, Shokugeki No souma, Queen, Michael Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Pokémon, Battle Vixens Ikkitousen, Dangan Ronpa, Asura's Wrath, Persona 3/4; Nyaruko-san; Trinity seven; Inou Battle Nichijou ke; Cromartie High-school; Dirty Harry; Boku No Hero academia; Kill La Kill; Gurren lagann; Bakemonogatari; D-frag; some abridged series...

**Ryuubi** \- And JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Lots and lots and lots of JoJo's Bizarre adventure like a good Japanese would!

**Rina** \- And we probably are one of the few OC fanfics which the story doesn't give two shits about the protagonist!

**1-** Yeah... Wait, what?

**Whiswain** \- Sorry to say this, Ichijou-san, but your presence and past are underwhelming compared to other's. I mean, you have no dark past, or special lineage, or special treatment. I'm really, really sorry for you to say this, but you're... So normal.

**Annie** \- I didn't appear for like 20-chapters and my backstory is getting build-up with each passing chapter. The best you had was little flashbacks, like, the ones side-characters have before they kick the bucket.

**Kan'u -**60-chapters filled with beautiful ladies(Including my own beloved mistress), and yet a virgin as well. Pathetic.

**Yoko**\- 'And you not even won a single major fight through all that.'

**Yagura** \- So... Yeah! At least you reached your goal: You're a teenage virgin loser with no victories, dense as black matter and no depth or development whatsoever! You're practically Issei Hyoudou, now!

**1**\- Whaaaaaaat~...!

**Yagura -** So... Congratulations!

**1** \- Wait!

**Ddraig -** Congratulations!

**Rina** \- Congratulations!

**Yoko** \- Congratulations!

**Annie** \- Congratulations!

**Ryuubi** \- Congratulations!

**Tasha** \- Congratulations!

**Mizuki** \- "Congratulations!"

**Sally** \- Congratulations!

**Ren** \- Congratulations!

**Serena-** Congratulations!

1 - Guys, you're not helping!

**Nemesis** \- Congratulations!

**Aria** \- Congratulations!

**Nero** \- Congratulations!

**Hwan Jin Young** \- Congratulations!

**Akio** -Congratulations!

**Nadja** \- Congratulations!

**Faust** \- Congratulations!

**Ginko** \- Congratulations!

**Alice** \- Congratulations!

**Raven** \- Congratulations!

**Irene** \- Congratulations!

**Riser**\- Congratulations!

**Mary** \- Congratulations!

**Calico** \- Congratulations!

**Cohen** \- Congratulations!

**Haruka** \- Congratulations!

**Desmond** \- Congratulations!

**Juno** \- Congratulations!

**Basara** \- Congratulations!

**Xion** \- Congratulations!

**Nashiro** \- Congratulations!

**Elizabeth** \- Congratulations!

**Vali** \- Congratulations!

**Albion** \- Congratulations!

**1 -** Oh, c'mon! You guys too?!

**Rei** \- Congratulations!

**Sarah** \- Congratulations!

**Eiko** \- Congratulations!

**Kurumi -** Congratulations!

**Suruga** \- Congratulations!

**Kiruko** \- Ah-caw! Ah-caw!

**1 -** The fuck you guys doing here?!

**Mikan** \- Congratulations!

**Hideyoshi** \- Congratulations!

**Enma** \- Congratulations!

**Arthuria** \- Congratulations!

**Ludger -** Congratulations!

**Nekomecha -** Congratulations!

**1 -** Who are you, people?!

**Satsuki** \- Congratulations!

**Shion -** Congratulations!

**Minatsu -** Congratulations!

**Futaba** \- Congratulations!

**Hajime &amp; Kyou -** Congratulations!

**Shiori -** Congratulations!

**1 -** Uhhh~... Thank you all?

**Fuck you, my father;**

**What the hell, my mother;**

**And to all the Readers;**

**Thank you for reading up to this point~!**

**Congratulations for the 60-chapters!**

...

...

**1-** Can we stop the references? I think we will break something...

**Rina -** You're right! Up to the next chapter!

* * *

**And so it continues...**

***muffled ROUNDABOUT on the background***

**-To be continued.**


	61. A place to call

**Hey DxD fandom, How's it going? A new chapter, but can we call this a chapter? I think not, it's more of a prologue, actually for the upcoming arc, full of build-ups and maybe some comnedy, but... Yeah, I guess you can call it a prologuer, hahah, ignore me, please.**

**As always, DxD doesn't belong to me~.**

* * *

"Hum~..."

"..."

"Hum~...?"

"...!"

***BITE!***

"Ah...!"

***PICK!***

"I win."

"Goddamnit! I'm the old maid again!" And Ichijou tossed the last lonely joker on his hand on the table, screaming in agony as the rest of our group laughed, except Whis-san, who jumped behind the sofa! Kahahah~, I don't know if he knows, but he's so easy to read. I wonder how his lips are not sore for all of that biting!

Currently, we're now on my family's special dimensional train, taking us through the Dimensional Gap to the underworld; all of us comfortably lazing around in the main wagon, playing Old maid and throwing talk around. Too bad Yoko couldn't come since: 1- His sisters would get suspicious and; 2- She's not affiliate directly to the Gremory, so she couldn't possibly use this. Too bad for her, she's losing this show: This is Ichijou's fourth loss, and I think he might be getting sick of it.

Like I said back in the epilogue, he has zero luck with anything~!

"You guys are not using magic to mess with me, are you?! This would be a real dick move from you!" He crossed his arms and supported himself on the leather seat. I couldn't help but to laugh behind my hand at his pettiness.

"Ichijou-san, if it's not rude for me to tell you, you bite your lips when you're in a pinch." Whis-san lifted one of her tiny ghost hands and pointed out his flawed habit, which he soon covered with one of his hands, hiding his mouth and grunting under his breath. Tasha was sweet enough to pat him in the back for comfort while Liu Bei shuffled the cards again.

"Deception, quick-thinking and exploration of one's weakness is the key for victory! With that said, we're all having fun, so we're all winners." Said the Chinese lord, ending her shuffle and distributing the cards for each one of us. Whis-san is also quite easy to read since by the beam of her smile, she wasn't the old maid. "Ahah... I got the fateful card! What a start for yours truly."

"You're not suppose to tell us, Ryuubi-sensei." Said the sekiryuutei with a sigh and tossing his own set of pairs. Before any of us could say anything else, *BAM!*, a crimson rod descend upon and hit him in the middle of his head! The saw stars and Suns for a few seconds before sharpening his eyes and turning around to see the one who gave him that head bump. "Oe, what the hell are you doing, **Kan'u?**!"

"You mind your words when you speak to my mistress, Red Dragon!" The other general of the three kingdoms said with her weapon at hands, pointing fingers at my Queen and almost causing sparks to go off from the states they're giving each other. Hahahah, I dunno if I should be honored or scared, but now I have two hysterical figures in my peerage. After that incident, I couldn't believe that miss **Guan Yu** would bend on her knees and be for her to become one of my Evil Pieces, so that she could join her mistress Liu Bei. While Ichijou apparently agreed with our deal, since she promised she wouldn't murder anyone anymore(what~...?), Liu Bei herself seemed kinda uneasy by the proposal, but said nothing. Now I have a **new Knight** and a **new Bishop**!

Of course, I had to push the 'Mistress Liu Bei' button so that Guan Yu would accept her place as a Knight and not a Rook like her 'dear mistress'. Was I like that before my character development? And now the two were trying to murder each other, Guan Yu locking Ichijou in a very tight headlock!

"Die for once, Lousy Red Dragon Emperor! It was because of you that my mistress decided to leave the Jade Palace in the first place!"

"Between you and Rina, Anybody with a functional brain would chose be part of a peerage, you bitchy General! Go ahead and drown like a good Chinese girl!"

"Ah~! ah~! Please stop fighting~! This is no good between Team members! We're a peerage, please!" Whis-san tried to separate the two dragons in a lock, but unfortunately they turned all of their rage on her in a grunt that simply spelled 'murder', and my new Bishop whined away and hid under the carton box she brought for this ride. "Hiiiih~! I'm sorry~!"

"Please part ways, you two~! This is not the right moment for a conflict~!" Said our teacher in a incredibly nervous and quiet tone, waving both her hands for the duo fighting. Hearing that, miss Guan Yu halted her assault and kneeled before her 'mistress', while the latter laughed nervously.

"Anything for you, my mistress and General! My loyalty towards yours truly will accompany you to thy grave!" She said, and I swear, a massive amount of sweat drops fell from all of our heads. What a loud servant...

"Precisely what yours truly fears..."

"Come again, my mistress?"

"Nothing at all, Guan Yu..."

"Let's resume our game; shall we?" I picked my own set of cards, and began to toss my pairs like everyone else, until there was only one pair each, and someone has the Old Widow. Devils planning a card game, how ironic... I'm sure this won't be a major plot point later on. Nu-uh, not at all!

"So... This is the Dimensional Gap. The Place where the Dragon of Dragons live." After a while into our match, Ichijou pointed out, looking outside to the Kaleidoscope environment that was surrounding the Gremory train. For a moment, there was a small greenish glow on the back of his left hand, and then it disappeared. Oh, is he talking with his dragon~? How exciting! But in the end, he sighed. "Pwah, shit. According to Ddraig, I can't pinpoint the DxD even with my Sacred Gear. Do you think if I try hard enough, I can find him?"

"No possible way." Hah! That was too dry and direct, Tasha! The witch simply said without a single drop of remorse, and Ichijou almost felt on his seat! I know she's right, but that's way too cruel~! "Things like casualty, probability or notion of physics don't apply to the Dimensional Gap, the link between realities. Who knows, maybe DxD is right besides us, yet there's a full clash of casualties preventing us to see or detect him."

"Haaah~? What are you talking about?" Questioned the dragon, picking again another card from Whis-san's hand and biting his lips, while the grim reaper nodded apologetically. Oh, so he's the old maid now. "Besides, I forgot to ask, why we need this train to travel to the underworld, anyway? Last time, I used a magic circle and went to Kuoh just fine."

"Because it was just you. Even more than that, Ichijou, Kuoh academy is a Gremory territory, so there's already a link between my house and it." A small sting pierced my heart a little. 'My house', my home... I wonder how mother and... Father will face my return. This is already making me nervous. "This train has a special function to find and transport a lot of people to the underworld. Think of the Dimensional Gap as a HUB world, the only difference is that we die if we try to stay too long here."

"Oh, I get it, now." Said the Red dragon snapping his fingers. He picked another card from Liu Bei's amount and tossed his pair into the mount on the middle of the table. He sighed one more time. "That's a pity. I really want to see the DxD... Or maybe Ophis."

"Dragons are dragged to one another, Ichijou-san. I have the feeling that you'll find either of them very soon! Just... Have faith!" Whis-san said with a nod and a smile, picking her last card and tossing her last pair, just like the rest of us except Ichijou and Guan Yu. The gloom atmosphere around him suddenly disappeared. Yay~! He's all fine again. Can't say 'happy', but at least my queen isn't on the blues anymore!

"While you're at it, you can let yourself be killed by the DxD, for what I care, Red Dragon." Hyah! Guan Yu is being mean again, and the optimism in his eyes then turned into rage! Ichijou huddled his anger away and turned his hand towards the other last player, the lancer herself, who again was eyeing him so disdainfully. "Don't forget, luck and pluck won't get you anywhere very far, our match proving this by a mile. If you're ready to face the DxD, just remember that he easily dwarves your current strength. You're still too weak."

"The word here is 'still', mr. Sensitive-breasts. I'll still get stronger, and find the DxD. Can't say anything else before I try." And I won't even comment on his first observation that left the lancer blushing and in shock, he's willing to get stronger! That's good, that's fine! I'll also try to get stronger! Everybody else but Guan Yu began to smile and nod for his words, as my newest Knight reached for the last pair of cards on Ichijou's hand. She stopped in one hand, and immediately he bit his lips again! Recovering from the shock, Guan Yu sighed a laugh.

"Strength without purpose is meaningless, and weakness is not just measured by one's physical approach, but also by intelligence and wit." And her slender fingers picked the card Ichijou bit his lips for; a grin creeping on hers own as she already picked both cards from his and her hand to toss them on the mount on the table. "And now, for both our matches, I've show you that you're indeed wea-... Hah?!"

"Huh...?" We all turned for her surprised face, but before any of us could say anything, Ichijou rapidly snapped the sole card on her own hand and in a sonorous ***PAFT!*,** tossed the final pair on the table.

"Bam! I won! **Suck it, Kan'**u!" Everything went so fast, but he was right, he had a pair! Miss Guan Yu, who for the moment was so confident, suddenly went white from all the movement, and a small gust of air then blew the card that as hanging from her assaulting hand, landing right on top of the mount: it was the joker card. She was the old maid. "Guess what? I can bite my lips whenever I want. Ever thought of that?"

"Whenever... You want?" Those words hanged from her mouth, as her red eyes turned directly to the cards that were beneath her joker. I tossed my gaze there as well, and it sure was a pair! Hah! So Ichijou...! "You... You fooled me..."

"Yep."

"Wah~, Ichijou-san won his first time! He's smart!" Whis-san said clapping her hands, while Liu Bei and Tasha were blushing a little, a smile decorating the former's face. Me? I was laughing under my breath!

"Hyahahah~! So Ichijou-kun knows how to use a lead to trick his opponents! So at least on that you're somehow savvy!" I said that of loud, but at the same time I'm blushing. That was cool, that was very cool, so much that I'm kinda getting hot from that aura he's emanating. Still, he's way too dense sometimes, can not let him forget that! "Too bad you can direct that to something better, like people-reading!"

"Hahah~, very funny, Rina. Since when you started to crack those snarks?" He asked as he shuffled the cards with that smirk of his. Really, I can't pinpoint clearly, but he seems healthier since the last time we've met. He began to distribute the cards around, and gave a nasty grin towards the lancer general when it was her turn. "Although I also kinda got a hold in cracking some things, to-...!"

***BAM!***

"Gyaaaaaaah~~!" And then as before, a flash of light crossed between us, and now my newly knight and my queen were locked on the floor, rolling around and now hitting each other! "Okay, now I'm pissed! I'll give you a piece of my mind, you scatterbrained shitty general!"

"Don't you dare speak like that to me, you good-for-nothing Red Dragon! I shall break your neck for talking to me like that! Receive thy punishment!"

"Wah~! Wah~! Stop fighting, you two, please!" The grim reaper girl again began to try to put the two pieces apart, as well all sighed at that, Liu Bei hiding her pretty face from embarrassment and shame, while Tasha sighed and began to continue to shuffle the cards. I don't want to get involved in those affairs, besides, it has been a while since I saw Ichijou this pissed off. However, something began to happen: Whis-san, out of nowhere, oozed this strange energy, and in the end, she opened her mouth to the point of dislocation, and screamed!: "please... **STOOOOOOOOP**~!"

***WHOOOOOOOH~!***

"Huh...?"

"A-Ah... G-Gah..."

"U-Umuh..." It was again too sudden for words, but just like Nero-nii-sama, Whis-san produced a wavelength with her voice so strong that stunned Ichijou and Guan Yu at the same time. They paled and their hairs were tinted with grey, popped veins showing as they said nothing before falling on the ground like a pair of statues. Oh, so that's the special ability Sally-chan was talking about. Neat!

"A-ah...! I did it again~!" And when she returned for herself, my newest bishop began to fumble on her words, seeing the two paralyzed teammates by her feet. However, soon something else happen: Whis-san gulped down, and tried to frown. Failing and instead showing a swallowed pouty face! Cute. "I-I mean... This is for... This is for ruining our peace, Ichijou-san; miss Guan Yu! I-I hope you can learn from that... And please don't hate me~!"

"Ah, don't worry, Whis-san. They're made of iron! Probably the least thing you'll see is either of them dead." I joked, but she took it the wrong way and jumped hearing the word 'death'. Eeeh~, at least we got some peace now. Liu Bei, however, turned to me and apologized with a bow.

"I'm sorry for my protege, lady Gremory." She said in a uncharacteristic sullen and gloomy way, still trying to smile. I laughed a little, so little miss perfect is not always what it seems.

"Ohohoh~! No worries, at least now we can play!" I said, as Tasha finished to shuffle the cards and distributed them for the rest of us, while the pair on the ground was twitching a little, but no longer signs of life. Sorry, Ichijou-kun, I'll help you next time and give you a reward for your effort in controlling Guan Yu. I promise! "Let's play."

"..." She still looked sullen enough, but with my little spirit liftup and the fact that her protege is out of commission, a genuine smile shines on her lips! Yeah! I did it! We all picked our decks, and she was the first to toss her pairs. "Umuh! That's what I'm aiming for, Lady Gremory!"

"Gremory-chin is getting better..."

"Teehee~!" And so our game resumed, as the announcer on the ride said we're getting closer to the underworld...

And closer... To home.

.

~~x~~

.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back, Satsuki."

"Oroh? You're already home, Shion? I thought you would stay the whole evening in the Host club." I questioned my younger sister who was playing video-games on our plasma tv, splattered all over the sofa, hanging my white coat and getting rid of those pesky heels. Sweet release.

"It turns out, Gou-nee, the president said we're free from club activities until a new establishment is build." Oh, is that so? Or is she just trying to snitch her way away from me and her club activities? "According to her, a dragon-shaped Lightning struck the building during the rain and destroy the whole place. So no hostess service from Tsukino Shion for now, so it seems. What a pity, really~."

"All right, then. Doesn't mean you're free from your home activities." I snagged my place on the sofa, and picked myself a bag of chips. Hohoh, lazy moments like this are also good. "How about Minatsu, Futaba and Ichijou? What are they doing? If your answer is 'lazing around', tell me where I can find them?"

"Mii-chan and Fuu-chan are cleaning the bathrooms, while Ikkun is out for now. He cleaned the springs before leaving, though. Said something about going on a trip" and she defeated the boss of that level, and snagged herself some chips from my bag. Wait, what?

"Ichijou went on a trip? Why? With who? And to where?" I asked her.

"Dunno, with Rina-chan and the others and I don't have the slightest idea. Don't care much either." She so nonchalantly said. *SMACK!*, I by her from the back of her head, making her almost drop the controller in a pivotal encounter, and grunted. Stupid Shion, momma will kill us if anything happens to that little idiot. "Ah-ah! Violence is a no-no, Gou-nee. Besides, do you think that, with Rina-chan around, he'll have any fun?"

"Still, the old lady might break our bones again if she finds out he ran for his death again." I grimaced, face-palming and sighing. Huuuh~, how the hell this house becomes a mess when either Ichijou or I aren't around? Things are getting complicated back in the clinic, too. That little shit better be prepared for a beatdown once he gets home. After a while in lazing around, I stood up, stretched myself a little and put things to work. "I'll go ahead and make dinner. Since none of you knows how to cook."

"Now, that's mean, Gou-nee. I can make ice, remember?" Shion said with a pouty face, which soon turned into a mischievous grin. Ahahah... I elbowed her right in the middle of her nose for that! "Owowow~! And that's even meaner!"

"Thank goodness that piece of shit dad taught us at least that." I pulled and folded my bloodied sleeve so that it won't be in the way for cooking, and headed for the kitchen to prepare some meals for those lazy-ass sisters. Calm down, Satsuki, they're your younger sisters, although from different mothers, so be tough, but not mean. Sigh, I failed. At least dad's self-defense lessons were for something. "If you know how to make ice, than prepare a bag for that nose of yours. Today's meal will be noodles, by the way."

"Owow~... Thank God the host club is destroyed, or else I'd have to take a break for that broken nose..." She moaned in pain while holding her bleeding nostrils and running towards the kitchen. I followed her soon after, and when I was about to pick some noodles from the closet, Shion called for me. "Oh-oh! Sister, if you need some assistance...!"

"Do you want a dislocated arm too, Shion?"

"None of that! None of that! But! Yoko-chan is around! And she knows how to cook. Maybe she can help you with it." Oh, that actually seems helpful. I turned my gaze for the dark-haired woman that was washing her bleeding nose, and picked some bandages and cotton balls for her. Without even batting an eye on me, she picked those and stuffed on her nostrils. "Thanks, Gou-nee. Maybe one day you'll be the kind of sister that will help me before putting me into shit."

"Say it yourself, troublemaker." And with that, I decided to take the elevator and maybe ask for Yoko-chan's help. For some reason, she has been so cold towards us and protective to Ichijou.

Are they a thing now? I hope so, because I won't have any more problems with him getting out of control. As they gonna get married and have kids? I wonder, I wonder. Here I am, being delusional again since I just broke up with my latest boyfriend. Fortunately, the Tsukino genes work wonders when the thing is attracting the opposite gender, the main problem, of course, is keeping them, exemplified by my piece of shit father, his three wives and an affair. I shook my head getting rid of the thoughts of the brother that with us is no more(1- don't say like I'm dead or something.), I entered the elevator and waited for it to reach to the fifth floor...

We have the rooms and guest rooms in the fifth floor, a whole dojo and library on the fourth, the changing floor and main closet in the third, the bathing center on the second, the living room, storage and kitchen in the first and an underground hot spring. How on earth the government or the taxers aren't suing our asses for spatial violation is beyond me. Not to mention, the bills are pretty low for a house like this. Which begs the question, why am I questioning myself that if I've been living here since forever? Maybe the clinic is really taking a toll out of me, I need a vacation...

I finally reached for the room floor, and so quietly reached for the doors, where a small plate with the number 9 was hanging from one of them. There it is, Yoko-chan's room. Minatsu and Futaba are probably cleaning the bathroom downstairs, since I can't hear anything around. I sighed, and was ready to reach my hand to give a knock on the door when suddenly...

"Ah~... Ah~... Ichijou~, not there~...!" My eldest daughter ears caught a sound. And not just any sound, but the sound of someone sexing around! My whole body, including my hand, stopped completely, and so calm and quietly, I sneaked around this floor, hearing a voice echoing. "Aaaaah~, this is... Hyah~, don't tease me like this, you meanie...!"

That voice... Is Yoko-chan's! So apparently either Shion lied to me to try to cover them, or he simply is doing one last time with one of the girls! Wait, wait! Calm down, Satsuki, you can't jump into conclusions again. There's another girl involved, so her testament is as valuable as yours. Instead, I reached myself for Ichijou's room, where I was hearing those indecent moans, and leaned closer to the door. And again, Yoko-chan moaned!

"A-Ah~, stop it~! I'm f-feeling funny~! K-Kyah~, stop... Not like t-thaaaaaw~! M-My body... Can't control this hotness, Ichijou...!" Oh! Oooh! **Oooooooooh**~! They're really at it! Oh my God, my brother graduated from his virginity, and he's still a highschooler! Damn you, Tsukino genes, you ended up creating another Hajime! We tried so hard to make him fear women, but now, this whole ordeal was pointless, fruitless, useless! He'll go around assaulting all the girls around and making children with them like a madman! I gulped down hard, and tried to hear anything else. And they're still at it! "Mmmmph~! This pose is so embarrassing... Mmmmph~! And this smell is driving me insane~! Mmmph~, make me your slave, your whore and cumcubine~! Oh no, I'm... I'm...!"

Oh, the hell you're gonna do anything anymore, you little shit!

***BAM!***

**"ATOP RIGHT THERE, YOU HORNY TEENAG-... Oh!"**

**"Ah...!**" And I kicked the door so those horny teens could stop whatever they were doing to look dead at me, and was ready to jump and give a roundhouse kick on Ichijou and save Yoko-chan, but the actual scenario made me stop on my tracks: there was only Yoko-chan in the room, stripped from anything aside from her panties, snuggling and burying her nose on Ichijou's covers and pillows and with one of her hands pinching one of her nipples while the other was inside her panties and oooooooh~!, her little butt pointing at the sky. Oh... So doing the sole player. She stopped dead on her doings; letting a small string of ooooh~! Ran from her panties, and looked at me. We were both frozen in time. "A-Ah...! Sister Satsuki...! I thought... I thought you were...!"

"Yoko-chan..." I gulped down hard, and soon enough, regained my calm to from at me. Before she could say anything else, I kicked the door behind me to close it in a loud ***BAM!*,** and crossed my arms. Gotta stay calm, so that she can stay calm. I looked at her dead in the eyes, and she moved so that she could sit properly and hide her exposed breasts with her arms. I took a deep breath. "I won't tell anyone, but I want you to explain Yourself. I'll give you **seven** words!"

"U-Uhuh...!" She gulped hard, another stream of sweat running down her forehead, and her little orange eye not covered by the loose eye-patch going everywhere. She's lost, and like a fish, she opened, and closed her mouth. "_I-It... It is not what it looks lik-..._!"

"Try again! Seven words! One more chance!" I stomped on the ground. She jumped from my sudden movement, but in the end, she gulped down one more time, and said it.

"_I touch myself thinking about your brothe_r." She said with a heavy sigh. With that sincere and calmer explanation, I sighed, crossed my arms again, and sighed.

"Okay, next question: do you want to talk about anything?" I asked, calmer this time although the feeling of wanting to do violence with her is far from tiny. She picked her clothes on the floor, and turned her eyes for me, with a sharper line this time. Is she confrontational.

"Only if you're willing to talk to me, Tsukino Satsuki." She said in a challenging way. "And it's about you, your sisters and my Ichijou."

Ohohoh, bold, aren't we? She's clearly something else. Let's see what she got!

.

~~x~~

.

"Okay! I'm leaving now, mom! Dad! Ichirou! Jirou! Saburou! Shirou! Gorou!"

"Have a nice day, Mukuro!" And with a final wave, I bid farewell to my family, walking away from home up to Gekkuokan highschool, but not before take a good look in the middle, and adjust my spiky dark-blue hair in a high ponytail, so that only a few strings were falling on my fair face and brown eyes, the scars cutting my eyes vertically not standing out too much now. That's good...

My name is **Miyamoto Mukuro**, and aside from being the only female child of six, I have... Nothing to stand out. Despite my name, I have no Royal lineage, no dark secret or tragic past. I'm just your average first-year student from Gekkoukan highschool trying to live the spring of her life, which would be more fitting if summer wasn't just around the corner and those freaking clouds weren't in the way! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this weather!

Well, I kinda like the cloudy atmosphere, so that's my only complaint for now. Aside from that, I was just walking around to reach my destination that was Gekkougan high, when in the middle of nowhere, in the forest-crossing that is near the cliff which my house is, I sensed a presence filled with ill-intent, and jumped away a few meters. As I was expecting, a dark, mysterious figure wrapped in a black cloak landed there, and turned it's hidden face(I guess it's a face. Is the only part of the cloak that wasn't covered.) to me only to say...

"You, Miyamoto Mukuro! Would you like to be my bodyguard?"

"..."

"...?"

...

"What?" Yeah, as in, what the hell? That thing is asking me to becomes it's bodyguard? I mean, like in that classic movie, or those who just are there to die by the end? I'm confused. The cloaked figure lifted it's head for me, and I could see a golden orb looking directly at my soul. Brrr~, creepy as hell.

"Yes. I was looking for someone like you." The figure, assuming it's a chick by the feminine voice, said to me in a clear tone of mockery, as I made an '~' with my eyebrows. Isn't that romantic?

"I'm sorry whoever you are, but if you're a girl, I don't swing that way." I said waving my hand in dismiss. She only laughed.

"Hahah, clever, but I'm not here because of that, lass" the cloaked figure said. "Miyamoto Mukuro, the sixth child of the Miyamoto house and the only girl in there. 'Were the captain of the kendo team in middle school, and now is trying to be part of the highschool team. It also says that, when you were 6 years-old... You were attacked by a **werewolf**. And since then developed **lycanthropic** powers."

"...!"

"Ohohoh... Y'know what, you kinda reminds me of an old friend of mine." I don't know how the hell she knows so much about yours truly, but the way she's doing it is pissing me off. Royally. I dismissed my bag, and sharpened my eyes, looking back at the golden orb hidden in mystery.

"Cut the crap already, however you are. What do you want from me?" I said, stomping both my feet on the ground and readying myself for a possible clash. Again, that cloaked figure chuckled under it's mystery and looked back at me. "Answer me, otherwise I'll cut you into pieces!"

"Relax, will ya? I'm just here to make a proposal." I heard a loud ***CRACK!*** from her, and I thought it would be something else, but in the end, it was just her cracking her fingers. "There are not many lycanthropes around here, and one of them is already part of a group of Devils. I'm here to say this: There's gonna be a meeting between Devils and vampires near Kuoh town, and if you help me with them, I can give you a big reward."

"As in... Cash?" I said. Now we're talking: there's no such thing as too much money. The cloaked figure nodded, and I lowered my pose a little. A little. "Very well, it doesn't seem like an easy job, though. Why exactly are you recruiting me?"

"Lycanthropes are deadly against vampires, if you don't know. Besides, I just want someone who's also pretty sharp to help me bypass some securities." Ohoh, never thought that attack from ten years ago would come in handy in this time. "If My plan is successful, I'll become the Vampire King, and have enough treasures to reward you. How about it, huh? Sounds promising?"

"Indeed it is." I smiled, thinking how much meat I'll be able to buy with that! However, whoever is under the cloth, she's pretty stupid. She's small and fragile-looking. If she wants to take down an empire... Well, they'll take her down first, that's for sure. "But there's a big flaw in your plan."

"Huh? And what it is?"

"This plan is **stupid**." And I passed around her like it was nothing. I mean, yeah, having a werewolf such as yours truly sounds like a wonderful plan, but here's the thing: she said it's gonna be just the two of us. That's downright suicidal! Like hell I'll agree with that, no matter how many bucks are in. "Like, just the two of us against, what you said?, an entire empire? This is stupid. I'm out of here."

"What if I can say... I have a plan?" And before I could do anything, I blinked and that same cloaked figure was right in front of me, again the *CRACK!* sound echoing in the silent forest! So fast, I jumped away, and turned around. Yes, she was there before, and to move in such speed like that... She's strong. "Do you really think I wouldn't have a plan for that? You're just a small part of the plan I have stored. So don't worry, it's not as suicidal as you think. But I'll need you, miss werewolf."

"..." Man, when she put it like that, even I'm feeling a little pumped-up for that. But still, who the hell cloaks itself from someone they want trust from. Sounds fishy. "I dunno... I have exams to do... And seriously? I'm not putting too much trust in you."

"Of course. So there's only one way to show you that I'm serious." And sudden, for some reason, I felt the smell of blood, my accurate senses going overdrive for that foul smell. I looked back at her, and there was a thin Crimson mist surrounding her. What was that? Is that her power? Shit, she's up for a fight! "I challenge you to a duel, Miyamoto Mukuro. I shall show you my power... And my will to become the one and only vampire King!"

"Is that so? Okay, guess I have no choice." I said with a sigh, and sharpened my eyes against her. I don't give two cents about her objective, but when someone threatens me, it's on! "**[Sword Birth]**!"

And with just that command, several strange swords sprouted from the ground. I have this ability since I was a kid, and everyone says it's pretty neat. The ability to create swords, isn't that kind of ironic? So much it's annoying, it's like fate itself thinks I'm related to Miyamoto Musashi or something...

"Oh-hoh? So you have a sacred gear as well? This is perfect." The cloaked thing said, pulling the hood of her cloak as well, showing a doll-like girl with short green hair and golden eyes, but for some reason she was wearing an eyepatch. From one of her sleeves, she also pulled a ninja knife on her bandaged hand. "Don't mind my appearance, those are just collateral effects from a defection. I can still kick ass. I'm a ninja, after all."

"So this thing is called a Sacred Gear... Neat." I said in response, finally knowing what to call this besides the name that echoes in my head every time I use it. Without losing any more time, I picked two swords on the ground and charged at her. "Okay then, En GARDE!"

"Gladly!" And she charged at me, until we finally clashed blades.

Like I said, I'm just a normal highschool student trying to live the spring of her life... **Not**!

* * *

**Hey, people thanks for reading my chapter. Not exactly a chapter , more like a prologue, but at least now I can put the teams in perspective and set up what is going to happen next. Also, I think sally-chan will be human... for now, at least. **

**Has anyone read the last chapter of Bleach, btw. Yeah, too much loose ends in this mess, but at least the kids are cute and Ichigo is happy. Was it rushed and unsatisfatory? Yes. Did I regret reading it? Nope. Am I currently vomiting ideas thinming about those cuties Ichika and Kazui? Yes. But above all else, Poor master Kubo, I think this is not the ending he wanted. Editors can be a bitch sometimes, right? That's why DxD Issei will never reach a certain point. Sigh...**

**But, aisde from that, that's the chapter. Have a nice day, sorry for the rant and stay golden.**


	62. Home, family and other disasters!

**Hey there, fanon. It has been a while since I last wrote a chapter this long. So much my own computer crashed a few times and I had to put the later-half in another file, for what's worth. But that aside, it started now the mini underworld arc. New development and characters. I hope you all like it, but don't expect too much. I'll doing my best, thgough! So please root for me!**

**as always, dxd doesn't belong to me~!**

* * *

"Ooooooh~, so this is the place Berolina-san lives~. It's so big, it's scary~..."

"As expected from Gremory-dono! Generations of such prestige and name can only reflect in one's home! Yours truly might say, it's even intimidating."

"Umuh, big house indeed."

"Tch, this is nothing compared to the Jade palace where milady and I used to live. Those expectations are still betraying me."

"Oh shut up, Dynasty Warriors! Put the Seiryuutou in an alternative dimensional instead of up to your ass."

That comment to that little stuck-up aside, here we are, at the Gremory mansion, in the underworld, which is hell somehow. I never ventured besides the innards of it, so seeing the actual size of this mansion by this angle is, I must say, very impressive. Sure, the damages are still bigger and broader from this side, but this is a really big mansion, way bigger than my own. I was told that the Gremory, despite taking major attacks during the Dark Ages, still retains part of its territories, which are the size of Honshu. I feel like an idiot for not noticing that big of a house, but at least I have the excuse that the place Rina's family owns is FREAKING HUGE!

However, for whatever reason, our little hostess stayed quiet for the entirety of our way down to this place, which was kinda odd. Sure, there was some problems regarding Rina and her family, not to mention her father which is one of the current demon lords now, but the way she fiddles with her skirt and avoids looking at the big house in front of us is telling me she looks hesitant...

"Poke."

"Kyah!" And of course, the one to snap her out of her stupor was the purple witch, who had the opportunity to poke one of Rina's breasts, Making her react with a cute gasp and a jump. Once out of her blues, she turned to her assaulter. "Mooh~! What was that for, Tasha?"

"Chill, don't need to worry about it." The witch simply said with a wink and a ghost of a smile, which made Rina's pout turn into a surprised expression, for then draw an awkward and trembling smile on her face, scratching one of her cheeks with a finger. Again, Natalia's bluntness save us from the usual monologue.

"O-Oh... So you noticed. Ahah... Ahahahah. Sorry 'bout it, guys! But... Yes, I'm kinda nervous being here, after all I've been through..." I rolled my eyes, remembering everything that happened between us, Nemesis-san and even some of the Gremories. Must be hard for her to come here and face all of her problems that she left in the air for maybe two or three months while she was in the human world. "... I mean, yeah, they're my family, but after everything that happened... I don't think either my mom or dad will be thrilled to know that I'm back... Not that it matters much, but... This is my home."

"Oh... That's sad."

"..." I said nothing, only did what I thought I could do and patted her on the head. What to say now? Before anything else could come to my head, I saw Rina's eyes turning to a side, where a certain someone was pulling her sleeve.

"A-Ano... Berolina-san, you're family might not accept you anymore but... But I guess we can be your new family." Whiswain, shyly as always, hid behind her bangs while saying those words, her luminescent blush even passing through her disguise. This made Rina wide her eyes, the grim reaper now holding one of her hands. "I-I mean... We're not nobles, or rich, b-but if that's okay for you..."

"Whis-San..."

"Right, Gremory-chin." And then it was Tasha's turn to call for the redhead's attention, pulling one of her cheeks. "Don't forget about us. Even if your family doesn't accept you, we will. It's literally in our lives, now. Oh, kinky."

"T-Tasha..."

"Now my life belongs to you, Gremory-dono. The family that you need is right here, with us!" Ryuubi-sensei also entered and hugged the redhead from behind, making the lancer by my side blush in an envious purple. However, the same pinkerette turned for us and sharpened her gaze for her. "Isn't that right, Guan Yu?"

"If milady thinks is the best, I shall also accompany her." Was all Kan'u-san could say for that, taking her side by the redhead and crossing her arms. She might be in denial, but I could see from here that she was blushing and, I gotta admit, even with her being a bitch, that was kind of cute. The central Gremory, on the other hand, surrounded by her pieces, was on the verge of tears.

"A-Ah... Thank you, guys... I love you all too." She said with a trembling voice, closing her eyes and letting wet salty trails leave her eyes. However, she blinked once more again, and turned her gaze towards me, followed by the others. Oh crap, me what now? "Ichijou...?"

"Uhh... Huuuuh~... Damn it..." I sighed, also taking my side beside the girls and putting my hands on my hips, looking away so that they wouldn't notice my blushing and sweating face. Shit, why the hell do they need me for that?! The moment died long ago! Sigh, I got no choice. This is so lame! "Okay, fine. Y'know what, Gremory? Sorry to say this, but even if they accept you back, even if we're practically forced to... You can always turn back and have us as your family, because, well... I care about you. So... Don't forget that you'll always have a home... With us."

"Oooooh~..."

***LOCK!***

"Stop using complicated words, you damned Mongrel! Just trying to look appealing will only drag you faster to hell!"

"And I thought the likes of you were more poetic than that! Guess I was wrong, you damn gorilla!" And in a flash that three kingdom bitch locked me in a headlock and we began to struggle with each other! Holy shit, can't I take a break from all of this nonsense?! And here we all causing so much commotion and we're not even in the house! "Let me go, bitch!"

***DON!***

"Hush, you two." And in another swift move from her fist, Ryuubi-sensei simply subdued us with a punch, and soon enough Kan'u-san let go of me. After that, the pinkerette then turned to her oath sister and began her little lecture, in a uncharacteristic harsher tone. Huh, so that's why she didn't want to talk about her back then. Kan'u Unchou is a pain in the ass even for her. "Now, we're about to enter an environment that requires class, Guan Yu. Even if you don't agree, please cease your violent behavior once, and look presentable for our hosts. Honestly."

"U-Umuh. Please, forgive me, Milady." And once on the floor, the general could only moan in pain and hit her forehead on it, seeking forgiveness, which only earned a sigh of tiredness from her 'lady'. I feel you, Ryuubi-sensei, I feel you deeply. Anyway, with that out of the way, they looked back at me, and again I sighed.

"So... Yeah, no place like home, with us. Take what you will, but I won't be going anywhere. And neither will you, Rina." I finished. Gosh, did senpai have to come up with those on the daily basis for his harem? And why the hell am I implying that I have a harem to have those kind of thoughts in the first place? Ugh, what the hell~! In the end, the redhead simply smiled, wiping the tears away from her face.

"Heheh... Thanks Ichijou. I love you too." She said, and hearing such strong words... I feel weird! What the hell!

"S-Shut up, Rina."

"Hahah... Hey, Ichijou."

"What...?!"

***PECK!***

"...!" Shit! And again with the kisses! Just just pecked me in the cheek and jumped away before I could bite her head off! Everyone else just 'oooh'ed in awe. What!

"Huhuh... And that's for... Staying with me. Thanks." She said with a smile, and I returned the gaze. Maybe... Maybe being with her is not that bad. Granted, I knew that from the start, but everyday she and the others are giving me reasons to repeat that over and over again...

And that's not that **bad**, at all.

"Rina..."

"Yeah~?"

"You know very well that you'll have to kiss everyone in here, right?" I said with a hand up, and for my bluntness, she went wall-eyed for a second. Yeah, I'm not falling for that.

"E-Eh~...?"

"What I said was **NOT** any different from what everybody sdaid. My was even the weakest of them all. Be a good leader and give a share to everybody as well." I frowned at her; and she began to sweat cold, fumbling on her words. Yeah, I mean, what I did isn't any different from anyone else's, I was just the one to pull the end of the stick, and that's that. What? Just because I'm a guy? Now that's some sexism right there, and this is the youngest and the only son of five talking.

"A-Ah... Ahahah... W-Well, you see... Ichijou is... Ichijou is..."

"Tsukino-chin is right, y'know." And again snapping her for the worst, Tasha went behind her back and hugged her from there, using then her arms to pick her by the chin and turn her head to a side, which was now facing the witch's. And that's... Kinda hot. "Now, pucker it up."

"H-Hiiiih~...!" And she didn't do it. In the last moment, Rina simply slipped away from Tasha's grasp and returned her mighty and all pose in front of all of us, facing the door to the Gremory mansion. "A-A-Anyway! I'm feeling better now! Hahahah! R-Ready or not, Here I come! Whatever it takes! C'mon now, maximum effort!"

Rina took a deep sigh for both of her situations, and murmured something under her breath while reaching for the knob and gripping it tightly. Now everything went quiet, we all waiting for something to happen, specially to her, after she turn that golden knob around. With one final gasp of faith, she turned the knob around and as ready to face her destiny from now o-...

***CLICK!***

"..."

"...?"

...

"Oh, right. I forgot to **unlock** the door."

"Gahoow!" And like a Showa-era anime, that moment-killer made us all fall on our back in frustration with a loud ***BAM!***! What the hell! I was doing a mental speech here, and she goes ahead and murders her moment of glory! I stood up and picked her by the cheeks that are so elastic to pinch~! "Why, you...! That was your moment, your time to shine... And you go ahead and blows it! Think about the flow of the storytelling for a moment, will ya?!"

"Iffifyou, iff hurffs~!" She said with her face pulled until the utmost limit, and after a while, I sighed in defeat and let go of her rosy cheeks, which she proceeded to massage. Whatever, hopefully nothing weird happens again in this meantime. And I jinxed it again! Ugh~! She picked the key to open the door and, without the previous tension and hesitation, pushed it without second thoughts. "Sigh... Cut! Can we redo this scene again? You're right, I blew that part. Can we... Can we start over?"

"Just go, Rina." Huuuh~, this is so frustrating. But whatever, at least she's more confident now, and that's good. And as much I won't say out loud, Yeah, she's free to come home anytime, whatever happens. I'm her queen, after all. She pushed that massive door further, and in the end gave us space to get in.

"H-Hello~! Is anyone there? It's me, Berolin-..."

***ZING!***

"Intruder, prepare to be eliminated."

"Wait, wh-...?"

***ZOOOOOM!***

"Aiyaaaaaaah~!" What the hell?! Why all of my visits to the underworld end in disaster?! Rina barely entered the house, and out of nowhere a shadow with bright orange eyes began to throw Crimson arrows at us! Aaaaah! Whiswain and Guan Yu are down, and it hit me right on the knee! "Rina, what the hell is happening?!"

"Aaaaah~! I dunno~!" She screamed back as we, Tasha and Ryuubi-sensei were dodging the deadly arrows that wouldn't stop coming! After a while, she gasped in realization, and snapped her fingers before they being arrowed! "Wait, I think I know! Hey Lucrezia-san, please stop! It's me, Berolina Gremory!"

"...!" Suddenly, the arrow stopped, and after that fletched nightmare, I could finally land on both my feet and gasp for air, seeing those red arrows now dissolving in air like dust. An inherited ability? I turned my eyes to the door for the Gremory mansion, and behind the shadows, I saw a new figure: a tall; beautiful and fair-skinned woman with bespectacled orange eyes and short azure hair wrapped In a high-tail, who was wearing a sexy maid outfit. She was wide-eyed, taking a few steps in our direction to look closer to my King, adjusting her glasses. "Berolina-sama, is that you?"

"Y-Yeah, that's me, Lucrezia-san. Please, no more poison arrows. Eheh..." Said the Crimson King with an awkward smile and a pat on the other's, Lucrezia I think, shoulder. Everyone who has been stuck by the said arrows were now waking up, too bad that Kan'u-san couldn't stay out of commission longer, as the maid opened a big smile, and cupped Rina's cheeks. "A-Ah, Lucrezia-san..."

"I've been waiting for you, Berolina-sama. I'm so glad that you're okay. It brings me joy that you're so healthy even without my care." And to top it all, Lucrezia-san brought Rina's face closer to herself's and rub them in a very intimate way. Wow, Aria-san said something about Gremories and their love for their servants, but that's a little too much. I think this kind of affection is creeping Rina as well, as she blushed and jumped away from that... Display of affection.

"Wowow~. Okay, thank you for your care, Lucrezia-san but... You're embarrassing me." Rina cutely pouted and pushed an arm of a distance between the maid and herself, which didn't faze the former in any way. I felt a pull in my shirt, and Whiswain was looking at the duo in front of us by my shoulder, dangerously too close.

"Ooh~, that must be the Gremory affection that other Devils always talk about." Wondered the hybrid grim Reaper, and I gotta say, she may not be wrong, but by Rina's reaction; maybe this time is probably one-sided. Tasha as always came closer by the two and lifted one of her hands.

"May I ask who you're suppose to be; missy?" She said. The maid blinked away from her mistress and smiled towards us, nodding while walking for us. Whiswain again hid behind my back, while the others joined beside me to face Lucrezia-san.

"Oh, yes indeed. Where are my manners? You must be Berolina-sama's peerage, if I'm correct. Nemesis-sama talks a lot about you all." Nemesis-san talks about us to her maid? Weird, but what do I know? Like a proper lady, Lucrezia-san held the edges of her dress and both leaned and bowed towards us, which make me blush a little. "My name is **Lucrezia Onoskelis**, and I'm the chief maid of the Gremory family, together with Faust-san. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and I appreciate your care for my dear mistress."

"Hihih~, maid-san is complimenting us~! I feel weird." And so dreamy our newest bishop blushed and hid her smiley face behind her hands. Even I'm a little embarrassed by Lucrezia-san. A real maid, so polite and pretty, and she seems so calm as well, it's kinda soothing...

**[And she got big boobs too!]**

And she got big boobs t-... **YAGURA**!

**[Hahahah...]**

"I have a question for Thyself, miss Lucrezia!" And guess who comes storming up! As always, Kan'u pulled Rina away from Lucrezia-san and, getting too close, clashed bosoms with the maid, the soothing expression of the latter not even a little altered by the sudden movements and even the monkey girl in front of her! What now! "What was thou thinking when lifted arms against thy mistress?! If you call yourself a loyal maid, then you'd known better that you almost harmed the mistress of my mistress!"

"Yes, I'm aware that I almost attacked my mistress in the crossfire, and for that, I apologize, for all of you." The maid-san sighed with one hand cupping her pretty face, but then blinked back at us, and tilted her head to a side. "However, I wasn't expecting a visit from her. Milady didn't even inform Alice-sama. Really, it was an unexpected visit."

"What...?"

"Hah...!"

"..." And again, after those words, I stopped dead on my track, and stiff as a rock, I walked my way towards the Gremory girl, who just like me has frozen in place. Those news... Are good to know: I wonder if they're true. *PAFT!*, I landed one of my hands on her shoulder. "Gremory-san..."

"A-Ah... Ichijou..." And again, so stiff I could hear her neck hinging like an old rusty clock, she turned to me with that half-assed smile of hers. Oh, she won't escape me this time. "W-Well..."

"Answer me, Gremory-san. What Lucrezia-san said... Is true?"

"W-Well, you see..."

"Gremory, answer me."

"Y-Yes... Yes."

"Good to know."

"P-Please, be gentl-..."

***KICK!***

"Kyaaaaaaaah~...!"

"You stupid... **DEVIL LADY**!"

And after we just politely discussed and solved matters at hand, Lucrezia-san let us venture inside the Gremory mansion, as a bunch of other maids and butlers was there to receive us. Wow, some many of them, apparently they weren't joking about the Gremory's prestige. Again here I am walking this long corridor with a long red carpet, lamps hanging from fancy chandeliers and a great view outside from the pretty mosaics.

"Hiiih~, so many butlers and maids, and they're all looking at me~. So scary." And Whiswain whined behind the witch Tasha, who as ever was eyeing everyone in there. Rina was taking the lead with Lucrezia-san following soon after, leaving us for ourselves.

"I gotta admit, I'm feeling a bit icky, too." I said, looking around the maids and butlers making me feel uneasy. What can I say? Being around people usually gets me into trouble. "When I was around, there wasn't that number of maids and butlers. I thought only the Gremories and the demon Lord lived here."

"Surely, those times weren't worth the trouble for those servants." Kan'u-san observed, also looking around and again giving me that contemptuous look. I know she's doing this just to piss me off, but eh, back then I wasn't that flash either. "With us around, milady specially, all the minor care is ridiculous. Not to mention, the return of the lost Member must've trigger this event. Read the mood, Red dragon."

"Sigh. Yeah, can't argue with that." I said, shrugging in my own misery. She got me in a tight spot, that's for sure, so there's no way for me to refute that. However, instead of any sign of victory over me, she stayed quiet, still with that same contemptuous look in her eyes, and walked over to give me a slap on the back of my head! "Hey...!"

"Self-depreciation won't get your anywhere, Tsukino Ichijou." She simply said, without even looking at me and going ahead to match Rina and Lucrezia-san, but not before saying something else to me. "Keep your heads up, dragon. You have big shoes to fill before being miserable."

"..." Okay... What was that? Was that encouragement words from the lass? It's really, really freaky coming from her! The rest of our group soon followed suit, and I turned to the eldest member of our team, who was carrying Whiswain around because apparently Grim Reapers can also have low blood pressure. "Uuuh~... Sensei, what the hell was that about? Was that... Encouragement or passive-aggressive behavior?"

"You'll get used to it, Hong Long. Guan Yu is... A complicated person. Even I don't understand her sometimes." Said the pinkerette, surprisingly calmer than her usual outspoken self, scratching one of her cheeks with her fingers. "She might not like a whole lot of people, but she doesn't want anyone on their knees so easily either. I guess it's because of her position."

"Huuuh~, makes sense." I observed, while Kan'u-san again turned around to give me a side glance, and I responded equally. Despite this, after our ocular match, I saw some shine into her orbs as she turned back to face forward. "She still hates me, though."

"Might be the case, Hong Long. But at least yours truly believes in you!" She said, returning to her usual boastful self.

"That's your chance now, Tsukino-chin. Pick her by the heart, make her yours." Tasha again reached for to push me closer and unfold her little plan. For that, I rolled my eyes and flicked the tip of her nose. Yeah, right, like that will be a thing. 'Ichikan'? Not in a million years, and I'll live long enough to prove that. "Meh, killjoy, Tsukino-chin."

"B-But Ichijou-san and miss Guan Yu should really learn to like each other." Whiswain said, and I returned to walk forward. I can respect her, but eh? 'Like' is strong enough for me regarding that gorilla.

"Someday... Someday..." I said with a sigh. As always, I shall learn how to live with that, with my life as the red dragon emperor, the sekiryuutei...

"I'll say, Lady Raven, shounen mangas are superior because they can become popular without the appeal seinen mangas have!"

"And I say shounen manga are just cheap ways of enterteniment with nothing to offer but cheap bucks! Seinen Mangas are more fleshed out and artistic, not to mention Shounen Jump that...!"

"Eh...?" And those voices, together with loud stomps on the floor, made me hold my gaze forward, where from here I could see a very-known blonde walking besides a tall, dark-skinned man with an epic beard and black hair, wearing a grey suit. Oh, it's... "Rei-chan...!"

"Huh...? Ah! Ikk-...!" I called her attention, and after a quick blink, she opened the biggest smile and lifted one of her hands to wave at me, but for some reason she halt her movements and instead closed her mouth with it. Still sealing herself, she walked all the way towards us and stop right in front of me, arms crossed and eyes closed, now speaking loud enough for everyone to hear . "Ichijou Tsukino from the Gremory house, mind your words when talking to me, **Raven Phenex** from the Marquis Phenex house! Such disrespect, Gremories sure need to learn to be harsher with their servants!"

"A-Ah... Right. Sorry, lady Raven Phenex." I said with a sigh and a bow, and she opened one of her eyes, looking around with it with no one looking anymore. In the end Rei-chan censored her mouth by the sides and came closer to whisper.

"Ikkun, not here. You'll ruin my image among the servants of Gremory, not to mention the implications! Let us speak later." She said, a small blush tinting her cheeks. I nodded for that, and then she pulled herself away and look at us all. "And that be engraved in your mind, servants of Gremory!"

"Huuuuuh~? What was that, Phenex-chin~?"

"A-Ah! Stay away from me~. Know your place, servant of Gremory!" And Tasha advanced against the Yakitori, who jumped away from her and blocked any advance with a still hand. Didn't stop the witch from touching her with in it.

"Tasha, stop. This is not our turf." I said standing between the two, and the witch simply shrugged, while Whiswain was poking her head out by the witch's shoulder, taking her place beside her and bowing to the Phenex girl.

"A-Ah! I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady P-Phenex! I'm Whiswain, Berolina Gremory's newest Bishop!" The grim reaper bowed more than she should, and as always, a grin creeped on her lips.

"Eh~, at least one of you knows your place. I guess there's always the good exception. Hohohoh~!" And what's with old lady's laugh? Maybe she got caught in a cliche shoujo stream now. Whiswain bowed one last time, and soon enough took her way to hide behind my back.

"P-Phenex-san is scary~. So the sayings about Riser Phenex are true~." She whined, now avoiding contact with the Yakitori, who was now talking with the other peerage members, and apparently again entering a quarrel with Kan'u-san. I pat the grim reaper on the head.

"You just caught her in a bad mood. Just wait until we're with her without anyone around." I assured her with a wink, and Tasha did the same, but the ever scared Whiswain was still holding to my sleeve like a lost child. Now, it was the dark-skinned one, who smelled like ash, to approach us and pat me on the back.

"Oh-hoh~! Good to see you again, Ddraig! And with Berolina-dongsaeng as well with her peerage! It has been a while!" The figure said with the biggest smile and those teeth that look like fangs. Wow, who's that now? I'd recognize someone as hunky as this guy, but no one comes to mind, at all. Before I could ask from where this guy knows me, a bright emerald spot shined from my left hand.

**[INDEED IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, HWAN JIN-YOUNG. GLAD TO SEE YOU WELL.]**

"Wait... Hwan Jin-Yong?!" What the hell?! This... Hunky guy is my Korean Dragon master?! I knew dragons could morph into humanoid forms, but this is too much for my brain! But wait... Now that Ddraig has awakened, was he referring to him... Or me? "You mean... Nemesis-san's Rook... The grey dragon...!"

"Yes, indeed, current sekiryuutei Ichijou Tsukino! The one who with thou speaks is yours truly Hwan Jin-young, who finally learned how to morph into a human-like being to finally buy his beloved hent-... Debatable content without relying on his king!" The man... Dragon... Thing! Said in a strong voice that only now I could recognize as Hwan Jin-young's! Plus this bombastic speech, I can now see the shadow of a certain manga-loving grey Korean dragon. "I assume this form in order to wander around the Gremory mansion! I'd rather be in my true form back at Mt. issei, though."

"Because it feels like walking on high-heels and wearing full make-up for several hours, right?" I paraphrased that random-ass quote a certain someone told me once, and human!Hwan Jin-young shot me with his hand gun, as saying I hit a jackpot. I grinned for that spot-on, but then Snapped to something quite unique now. "Wait, Hyung... What did you call me?"

"Tsukino Ichijou. It's your name, right? Now, you're worth your own title, little dragon." He winked at me with a shrug, and for that, I tilted my head to a side in confusion. What's that now? I thought he was the one confusing me with the welsh dragon! "From my eyes, I can see the volatile energy the current host of the welsh dragon now emanates! When I first met you, it was little to nothing. Now that you've come so far, I can only give you that: your own title, Tsukino Ichijou. You've... Finally grow beyond your Boosted Gear..."

"..."

"...?"

...

"Man, handwaving like that must be tiring."

"Come again?"

**[KAHAHAHAH! IT'S HIS WAY OF THANKING YOU, HWAN JIN-YOUNG! YOU SHOULD'VE KNOW THIS BY NOW.]**

"No, I'm not." I said to the shine in my left hand. Shit, I wish I could hide the blush in my face because, no matter how dangerously cheesy that line was, I let myself be caught by it. Kuh~, compliments are a thing I'm still not used to. "But thanks, Hyung. That means a lot to me... In a way. Still, I need some ham and bread for that."

"Hahahah~! At your service, fellow servant of Gremory!" He laughed.

"Hey, Ichijou-san, who's he?" I turned around to see the rest of my peerage minus Gremory looking at the dragon-turned-man in front of me, with eyes of admiration and curiosity. Even Raven ceased to chit-chat with Kan'u-san to walk beside us.

"Ah! That's Hwan Jin-Young! He was my combat mentor back in Spring. Remember the dragon? That's him." I said with my thumb point at the dragon behind me, and everyone wet starry-eyes for him. So I'm not the only one going new for this new form. Maybe he won't need his hentai so soon. "But, seriously, why would you be here of all places, Hyung? I thought Mt. Issei was your turf."

"And right you are, Tsukino Ichijou. However, currently the demon lords are having a reunion in the Gremory manor, so I was ask to babysit lady Phenex while her parents and granduncles are in it with lord Belphegor." He said with a grin, while said Phenex girl elbowed him right on stomach with an annoyed face. Wow, a reunion between the strongest Devils in the underworld, happening right on the corner. What a thing!

"I was planning to just wander around with this shounen-maniac until Rhea-otou-sama and Ruval-jii-sama are dismissed by Lord Belphegor, but seeing this much people, I guess I have no choice but to offer some cakes and tea for the guests as a good hostess. Be grateful, lowly servants!" Raven said loud enough for everyone around to hear, but then she came closer, censoring her mouth by the sides again, and whispered for us: "Drajeena-okaa-sama gave some pastries for me to eat while in the Gremory manor in case I get bored. We can share some back in the living room."

"Sounds g-... I appreciate your infinite kindness, Raven-sama." I said with a bow, and she blushed a little, avoiding eye contact and saying something like 'You're going too far now, idiot'. Cake in my first day in the underworld, maybe this visit won't be that bad. I felt someone poking my cheek, and noticed it was Kan'u-san.

"So, the infamous charm of the red dragon emperor already made another victim. Such hideous power." She said in that tone of now heavy hatred and despise. And now they're implying me and Raven, we're just good friends, although she is pretty... And rich. And Pretty rich. I poked her cheek in return, and also clicked with my tongue.

"Watch out, or else you might fall for me as well." I said with a wink only an asshole would be able to, and with that, a blush spread all over her face, as her furious frown tightened even more, removing her assaulting finger and stepping backwards.

"As if. Don't tempt me to destroy you, red dragon. Last warning," she said with a furious growl, and turned away from me. Peace at last. The only thing that remotely made me roll my eyes was Tasha's thumbs up and Ryuubi-sensei's smile.

"So, shall we be going? Don't make me wait, red dragon and peerage." And Raven said, despite her tone not a single trace of malice in her voice. She then turned around and, followed by Hwan Jin-Young, was ready to take her way. "The living room is in this way. The kitchen is right next to it, so don't worry abou-... Ah."

"H-Hello, Raven." But before Rei-chan could give the first step, someone who up until now was quiet in front of us simply take a step forward to greet the Phenex girl. Out of the sudden, Rei-chan's eyes lost their shine, and they turned... Dull, like they lost all respect for the creature in front of it. Rina was, on the other hand, hesitant. It's like looking at a rat facing a lion. After seconds that looked like hours, Rei-chan blinked one more time, and finally spoke in a voice harsh as sandpaper.

"Oh-hoh. Berolina Gremory, it has been long enough." The Phenex said in a voice so cold it sent chills down my spine, and Rina visibly dryly gulped.

"L-Look Raven, I know that you're upset, bu-...!"

***KICK!***

"Gahoow~!" But then the blond devil went ahead and kneeled Gremory in the stomach! Such a rapid move we all went speechless for that, as Rina bent down to spit either saliva or some bile. However, she didn't seem enraged, but quite sad. "R-Raven..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Since this harlot didn't say anything bad about my honorable grandfather or clan, I thought a good hit might've fix it. Oh well." And Rei-chan didn't bat a second a look at the fallen Rina, and walked past her towards the kitchen, but not before calling us one last time, as it nothing ever happened. "Hurry up, servants of gremory."

"H-Huh, right."

"Hiiiih~, B-Berolina-san~!" The rest of the peerage then went to help our fallen King, who was having some difficulties to get up after that one. She didn't seem too affected by the hit, instead the words from Rei-chan. "A-Are you okay?! Does it hurt anywhere?!"

"I... I certainly deserve this..."

"What do you mean, Rina?" I asked her while serving as a small crutch, and the response I got was a cough. Well, those two have history, that's for sure, and something tells me her previous personality has something to do with it. I turned then to the only one who knows Rina better than me... In this group! I mean in our current arrangement! "Lucrezia-san...?"

"Oh, that. Don't be mad at lady Phenex. She and Lady Berolina... Don't have the pleasantest of memories together, at least not after some events." The maid-san sighed and bowed to me. Yeah, I figured that out that much...

Those phantoms are now coming to haunt the new Rina. As expected from that...

.

~~x~~

.

"And now, the Judgement of the moon calls upon the guilty, Akabane Yoko-dono!"

"Really? Judgement of the Moon?"

"It's a pun, Yoko-chan. Don't take it too seriously. Not my idea, though." And the eldest of the siblings said to me, wearing nothing but a towel to cover her shames since the so-called 'judgement of the Moon' for some reason is taking place in our underground hot springs.

After being rudely taken away from my... 'Me' moment of the day, I was dragged and immerse into the waters of the underground Springs, where now the four bitch sisters of my dear husband were gazing at my figure with sharp eyes. I'm not ashamed to admit that I touch myself thinking of Ichijou, but to be mutely judge by those women. The second youngest, Minatsu-san, then began to knock on the wooden stool on her lap.

"Very well, those who are here present at the eyes of our Lord, we shall bring the wicked one down and punish it such as our divine rules command!" Said the blonde with big boobs with a straight face, which made me and everyone around cringe a little. The youngest one, Futaba-san, slapped her older sister on the back of her head.

"Speak Japanese for once, Mii-nee!" Said the delinquent wannabe, adjusting now the bandana-towel on her head and now looking at me, body curved in a way she looked like a typical yakuza, and now speaking between her teeth. "Oe, yoooou~! Ya hearin' me, Yooooou~! 'The hell ya thinking, yoooo-...!"

***SPLASH!***

***SPLASH!***

"Man, how not-classy are my sisters, no? What a shame." And defending me without a single care and still with that face smile of her, the second older, Shion-san, came closer and buried both of her youngest onto the waters. That's insane! What the hell is wrong with this family~! Satsuki-san then came closer after nodding at her younger one.

"Now that we don't have any more interruptions, we can start with our... Judgement of the moon." Said the eldest of the Tsukino siblings, pulling her hair away from her face and sighing looking at me. I'm not afraid of her! "Akabane Yoko-dono, our guilty one, I shall ask you the following... Are you and brother a thing?"

"What if we are?" I questioned her again, and for a secknd, I saw her clench her fists and frown a little before signing and returning to her usual firm self. She wants an answer. "I can't really say that... We are a thing... I really like him, I really want us to be a thing, but I can't say for sure... If we are a thing."

"I see. Well, I already have a welcome gift in mind once he comes back, that's for sure." My blood boiled the moment I saw the eldest one clench her fists and crack her knuckles just by doing it so. She wants to hurt my Ichijou again! After everything that she did to him, she still wants to hurt him more!

"Why can't you girls just leave him alone?! Ichijou did nothing wrong! For what I know, you guys are the ones who're the worst!" I said back. Satsuki-san blinked back at me, and for a second, that second narrowed again. I know everything since I shared sake with mommy snake and entered her memories. "Yes, he told me! Back when he lost both of his childhood friends and you all started to bully him for shits and giggles! He can't even crack his fingers because of what you all did to him! Why can't you guys just leave him alone?! Do you guys hate him that much?!"

"..." The eldest said nothing, only crossed her arms under her bosom and snapped her fingers to sign her younger sister to release the other two. Minatsu and Futaba emerged from it and started bickering with each other. "You're wrong, Yoko-chan. We don't hate Ichijou, in the slightest, nor he hates us, in the slightest. We're family, we can't hate each other... Except maybe that shitty dad of ours."

"Hah...?!" What does she mean?! Of course he hates them! I would! Before I could say anything, Shion-san half-hugged the other youngest ones and turned back to me.

"Don't take precipitated judgements, Yoko-chan. We might bicker and fight with each other, but that doesn't mean we hate each other." Said the dark-haired beauty of a sister, both sisters at hand, turning to them with her usual falsetto. "Isn't that right, Sisters?"

"I don't have any idea what thou speaks of, Sister of mine, but the feeling of hate is nonexistent between us, the daughters and son of Tsukino!"

"Shut up... I hate you all, you idiots."

"Ichijou so happens to be the most distant of our group, and thus the most dangerous one as well." Finished the eldest one. What? What does she mean by 'needy'?! That's ridiculous!

"Why's that? Just because he's distant... He's the dangerous one?! Isn't that just sexist? What are you talking about?!" I said with poison in my voice. Satsuki-san didn't even seem fazed by my choice of words or implications, but she did come closer to cup both of my cheeks with her hands!

"Tell me, you who's been around him since the beginning: have him ever, even in the slightest, said to you, or Rina or any girl for that matters, anything like 'I like or I love you'?" She let go of me, still looking at me dead in the eyes, while the other sisters went quiet after the question. I was about to say something for that, but then, the words died on my mouth as I realized something...

No, he never said it.

He never said 'I like you' or 'I love you' to any of us, even if we said those on the regular basis for him. The best we got so far was a 'I care about you'. I love when he says it, but this doesn't disprove what Satsuki-san said. No, not even close to anything like that, and he doesn't even take what we said seriously... He just laughs and waves it as a joke. I gulped hard, and turned my gaze from my navel to the eldest daughter, who blinked with a judgmental stare.

"Right? Right. You may not know, but I don't blame you, and here's why: Ichijou used to be emotionally dead." Satsuki-san said with a cough, and for that I gasped. What now? Emotional dead... What does she mean by that? "After uncle Henry took Nina-chan and Julia-chan away from Japan, how can I say, Ichijou just... Stopped. He wouldn't laugh, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't talk or even live, he was just... There, breathing and walking."

"That little punk wouldn't react to shit. we tried to take him to a psychologist, but he wouldn't open up to it." Futaba said, coming closer and scratching her neck, blushing a little. "Ever lived near a zombie? Creepy as fuck, it must be. We tried to cheer him up, but it was worthless. So we started punching him for giggles."

"...!" H-How?! What kind of response was that?! They couldn't cheer him up, so they end up beating him?! What kind of logic is there in it?! "And how you girls hoped to help him by bullying him?! I don't understand!"

"That brother of mine only then began to understand and let people into his heart~! Like a herd, we're close enough of his soul, but too distant to interact with him~!" The third oldest said with a hand-heart and a smile, despite the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded us. Satsuki-san sighed and shoved Minatsu-san away.

"What she tried to say is that Ichijou began to show emotions after a while. He started to react with Futaba's beating, Minatsu's humiliation and both my and Shion's treatment, so I guess it was a start. Doing anything else wouldn't help. We were literally beating the trauma out of him." The eldest one said, coming closer again to reach my chest where my heart should be with a finger. "When mother found out about us bullying him, she cried, and for the first time ever, he showed some emotion and told everything. I guess it worked back then."

"That's preposterous! You want me to believe you bullied him for his whole life, up to not long ago, because you care about him?! How fucking stupid you girls think I am?!" I screamed. I don't even care if I'm cursing and ruining my image of a perfect wife candidate, those women are just... Devilish! I don't care if they're right about him, trying to justify everything so far is... Is! "He was emotionally broken! But instead of saying that everything's gonna be okay, that he could still move on and have friends, you bullied him and told him that he was worthless and would never have anyone! Why?! I don't understand! Why couldn't you said that you guys love him or something?!"

"Ohohoh~! Yoko-chan is so naive~! She thinks love will cure our little brother, as if she knows about him more than we do~!" Shion-san laughed, appearing besides her sisters and crossing her arms, giving me that kind of look, that shit-eating grin. Before I could say anything, however, she opened her eyes and spoke again. "Let me give you a challenge: think for a second. Think how many marriages and affairs our shitty father has in his back, how many of us are, and how that separation fucked Ichijou's perspective about love up to this point. Think about this, and ask that question again."

"...!"

"I dare you... To be that cruel, Yoko-chan."

And silence befell us once more. I gulped, and looked down on the waters, small ripples echoing through them as the tears coming from me wouldn't stop. How broken Ichijou is... But also how distorted his world is. Three marriages and an affair, three sisters from different mothers and a friendship ruined in an instant. Of course he wouldn't understand, and even if he does, how would he see it as? Something so ephemeral, fragile? I was mute for this whole time, when I heard a cough. There she was, Satsuki-san, clearing her throat.

"Well, all in all, think what you want, Yoko-chan, but I'll tell you this: Ichijou's a mess ever since that day. He only now began to relearn what emotions are, so he doesn't know how to react with anyone or anything, and that's why... He's so dramatic when he snaps." Satsuki-san said with a melancholic tone, then shrugged still with her crossed arms, looking again at me. "That's also why we taught him to avoid getting closer to any random stranger . He's unstable, so he can be easily manipulated and get attached to them. And then we'll have another Nina/Julia incident, and a broken Ichijou or worse, a worsened Ichijou and a future Tsukino Hajime..."

"..." I gulped hard one more time, and then they relaxed on the springs, I think completely forgetting about the trial. That's... A new perspective about them. I just entered and read Mama Kyou's memories, so the best I can get from those histories are from theirs truly, but I don't think they're lying. I went quiet for a while, and only snapped back with a bucket of hot water on my face! "Kyah~! What the hell~!"

"Chills, don't think about to much. At least he's showing some emotions nowadays, so it's all good. If we continue like this, he might break away and become at least a shadow of he used to be." Satsuki-san sighed on the waters after splashing some on me, shaking me off my groove. "But of course, if he snaps again, I can say he won't be coming back... Like ever."

"Still, what you guys did was wrong!" I said back, and all of them narrowed their eyes for me. Yeah, excuse what an excuse might be, but I'm not letting him be around them anymore! He needs... Something more than them! I know I'm one of those 'manipulative bitches' they wanted him to avoid, but... But in the end, I'm his cute, responsible and foxy wife, and I'll treat him better!

"Ohohoh~! What, really? You think you can 'help' him your way? That's so adorably fucking stupid!" Laughed the second eldest, coming closer to me and cup my face and press my cheeks between her fingers! "Remember, Yoko-chan~: Ichijou is now a hollow shell of his former self, and everything you know about him he learnt from us. And after seeing how much of a mess he is, and how he faces your relationship and the concept of love, you still want to move on with him? This isn't a light novel, or an anime, or even a fanfiction, Yoko-chan~! There is no 'happy ever after' or 'eternal love', there's only how much any of you can take until you get bored of the other and move on~!"

"Don't compare what we have with your own experiences, Shion-san!"

"What...?!"

"Aw shit, sis! Ya just got ROASTED!"(**Futaba)**

"Are we doing Macbeth again, sisters? Because we just witnessed a MURDER!"** (Minatsu)**

"Sharp tongue, I like that." **(Satsuki)**

"Ara, ara? Remembering that dad taught me how to break some legs with a kick? Are you guys really that eager to die~?"**(Shion)**

"AND!" I interrupted the little quarrel that broke between the four, and crossed my arms, narrowing my own eyes in order to not falter! I'm the great leader of the Youkai faction of the whole Kanto region, daughter of one of the three fox leaders and the Ichijou's cutest girlfriend, so nothing is too big for me! "That's right! Whatever you think it's good or not, That doesn't faze me in the slightest! I love MY Ichijou with a burning passion of the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and won't ever stop loving him, and I'm sure he feels the same! And with it, I shall break that emotional barrier he put on around himself, and prove to all of you that LOVE can be more than you guys give credit for!"

"..."

"..."

...

"Pfff... Ahah... Ahahahah... Ahahahah! Y-You're... You're funny, Yoko-chan." The rest of the sisters said nothing, but Satsuki-san was the one who came closer to look at me. This time... She was smiling. "Think you can help him your way? Can't say that you'll make it, and what lies beyond that 'barrier' you said might not be of your liking. Moreover, Yoko-chan, Ichijou might be confused about what he feels, but there's the possibility that he might not love you, at all. 'You want to take that risk?"

"..." I bit my lips. What if he... Doesn't love me? No, no, that's... That's being selfish, Kurama. Of course there's that chance, but that isn't about you, but him. I want him to be happy, and even if he's happy without me, I'll be... I'll be... "Yes. Because... This isn't about me, it's about him. I want him to be happy, and be able to laugh, and even if he doesn't love me the way I do, just knowing that I'm by his side, it'd bring immense joy for me. He has already many problems on his back. If I can hold his hand and comfort him, it'd be... It'd be enough for m-..."

***PUNCH!***

***SPLASH!***

...

...

...

"Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! By the heavens, what was that?!" I said after Futaba-san appeared out of nowhere and punched me so hard I splashed water all over the place! What was that about?! I stood up in the waters, massaging my cheek, and turned my gaze to the assaulting sister! "What was that about, Futaba-san?! Did you lose your mind?!"

"Don't give me that crap, you lousy fox! You won't get anywhere with him with that attitude!" She said in a angry voice. Is she... Is she angry at me? For what?! "Three out of four, Yoko-chan! You really think you'll be able to reach Ichijou like that?! 'Boohoo, he's too good for me, but I'm okay in being his bitch just because'! Fuck off!"

"That's my line, Futaba-san!" I said back to her, and pushed her away from me. What's wrong with this family? Bullying for help, unable to understand love, such a distant but needy relationship! I really want to know! "But, seriously, what Ichijou is to you all?!"

"Isn't that obvious?" Shrugged the eldest one. "He's one of those troublemakers I care for so much."

"He's my useless, good-for-nothing, lousy cute little half-brother."

"He's the empty warrior! The one who carries the sorrows and pain of separation, and yet after countless trials and by the Tears of his progenitors could break a little out of his former hollow self, and yours truly's younger brother."

"He's a tough cookie."

"In short, he's OUR Ichijou." Said the eldest one again posing in a battle stance and looking at me deep in the eye. "My cute little half-brother that is more broken that Greece. And we won't let any random girl with such small will take him just to break him again even further. Prove to us that you can be his so-called 'help' or just forget about him."

"...!" What the hell?! Now they're protective about him?! What kind of twist-brocon bullshit is this?! No... Kurama, you're also his wife! You want to treat him better than those bitches, break away from his shell and make him love you! Yes, that's my... Determination! "Bring it on, sisters of Tsukino! I don't swallow that story even for a bit! You're all harlots you treated him like that with such excuse! I shall take him away from you all and give what he deserves, because HE IS MY HUSBAND!"

And I won't let anyone hurt him ever again, not even me, or his sisters! It's game time!

.

~~x~~

.

"Atchoo!"

"Ew, gross! Clean up your nose, Ikkun!"

"My bad, Rei-chan. Someone's probably talking about me right now." I said with a sigh, and Lucrezia-san picked a handkerchief to give it to me. Ugh, don't tell me I'll catch a cold even here on the underworld.

Currently, all of my peerage, Rei-chan, Lucrezia-san and Hwan Jin-Young were again at the big, luxurious living room, the first place I met back in the Rating Game, sitting on the couch and eating the delicious pastries(pastries! I said pastries!) lady Phenex sent us with Raven...

Except Rina, who was sitting on the corner on a baby table set and eating her minimal share with imaginary tea...

"Well, I deserve this, this is the least I was expecting going back home, to be honest..." Said the youngest child of Gremory, so miserably picking her part with a pink plastic fork and chewing the cake mixed with her melancholic tears.

"Hang in there, Berolina-dongsaeng. Phenex-dongsaeng can't be mad at your forever!" The dragon... Humanoid... Thing that is actually Hwan Jin-young Hyung said with a hopeful tone to the forgotten Gremory on the corner, turning back to us scratching the back on his... Head, which had still some horns in it. "Am I... Am I right, Phenex-suiseng?"

"Humph, she can rot there for what I care." Rei-chan spoke in a really spiteful tone and not San bothering looking at the Gremory one. I forked one of the pieces of cake, and ate it up. Oh, wow! This cake is delicious! Better than mom's! Not just that, it's just so fluffy and yummy I feel like dying a little.

"Awawah~, Phenex-san's cake are delicious~!" Said the little grim reaper sitting next to me and tastin her own share, with an expression that says that, if this was a cooking manga, her clothes would be bursting up! By the look in Hyung's face, he's probably thinking the same think, that otaku dragon. The compliments were followed by the others as well.

"Delicious, indeed."

"Such a powerful flavour, I wonder if there's something akin to the flavour of Gods in a devilish recipe!"

"It's... It's not bad."

"Huhuhuh~, well, my dear mother, Drajeena Phenex, former member of the house of Oriax, wouldn't be part of the Phenex clan if she wasn't a terrific specialist! In fact, she's he one who rules the most popular cooking show besides lord Granzboa Astaroth!" She said puffing her chest in pride. If I had those skills in culinary, no doubt I'd be doing the same. It's that good. Cooking show, eh? Maybe I can learn a thing or two with that. "But of course, those are custom made from my mother, with her special ingredient only she can provide."

"Really? What that would be?"

"Oriax's breast milk."

"..."

...

...

***BITE!*,** well, I'm already in hell, might as well say hi to Satan. I bit that piece of sin one more time and enjoyed every second of that delicious cake, while everyone had the same reaction, and Rei-chan look terrified...

"I was just joking! What the hell is wrong with you guys?!" She said out loud, Hyung laughing at our expenses while the Phenex girl would recover herself and cough her nervousness away, back to eat her fake with a frown on her pretty face. "Honestly, I don't know if you all are messing with me or seriously don't mind eating breast milk, but that had a bad taste in my mouth."

"You're the one who began with the joke, Rei-chan." I said with another delicious bite from that delicious cake. "All in all, jokes aside, is good to see you again, Rei-chan."

"O-Of course it is! We're frien-Acquaintances, aren't we? It's only natural for you to miss me. Haha... Ahahaha!" She began to nervously laugh with a tone of an old lady, but seeing that no one was buying that, she blushed again, and sank her face on the cake, again looking elsewhere. "I missed you too, Ikkun. Gosh, it looks it has been a year since we last met."

Hah, I get it.

"Friend of yours?" Whiswain said with a blink of curiosity. Now that Rei-chan wasn't scary and (un)holier-than-thou anymore, she could try to approach the Phenex. I pointed at Rei-chan.

"More or less, she helped in some issues back a few months ago, and because of that, she gave me new ideas for my Boosted Gear. She also the one who showed me around." I said, another bite on the back, while Ryuubi-sensei and Tasha turned and nodded to their other partners. "But hey, Rei-chan, how about Irene-san? Is she also in the meeting? Her parents are two of the Demon Lords, after all."

"Ai-cha-... ***CAHAM!***, Irene Dantalion from the Dantalion and Purson clans is currently busy with her own Rating Games." Oh, so Irene-san is also in those Rating Games. "She wouldn't stop talking about you, though. You should visit the Phenex household one of these days, she's around there most of the time, anyway."

"Eeeeh~. Are you trying to seduce our Red Dragon Emperor, miss Phenex?" Tasha said, coming closer to the Phenex girl and blinking a few times with her purple orbs.** *POKE!***, I felt something also assaulting me, and I saw it was now Rina-San who was poking me, a small grin creeping on her face.

"Eeeeh~? Aren't you close to Raven-san and the daughter of Beelzebub-sama and Belphegor-sama? I had no idea. Good to see you getting more social with girls."

"Both of you have no right to talk back at us like that! Specially you, Berolina!" Rei-chan raised her voice at both of our pieces, and both hid behind me together with Whiswain as she saw two flaming wings unfold behind her back. Ryuubi and Kan'u-san were standing up to fight anything that might come, but then Hyung and Lucrezia-san came closer to hold the flaming Phenex and telling her to calm down. In the end, Rei-chan calmed down, but in a fit of rage she picked the fork and tossed against Rina! *STAB!* "payback!"

"Gyaaaaaaaoooooooh~?!"

"You two, shut u-...!"

"**EXCUSE ME, THE DEMON LORDS ARE TRYING TO HAVE A REUNION!" *BAM!*** The door leading to this very room abruptly opened, and by the other side, we were already expecting someone with this snappy personality. There she was, headmistress Nemesis Gremory, her hair back in being the bright Crimson but her attire reminiscent of her Morimoto Shizuka persona. She blinked once, and her frown turned back into being a confused neutral face. Some members of her peerage is here, too! Unfortunately, those I can't remember well. "Oh? Rina, you're back!"

"H-Hey, sister. I can say the same, apparently." Said the youngest of the sisters, removing the fork that was deep buried into her forehead and then causing a fountain of blood to shower the room. Lucrezia-san put a bandaged there, finally stopping it. "Although our 'return' has different contexts. Eheheh..."

"Oh, are you being smart with me, Rina?"

"None of that! None of that! I'm just... Glad to be back." Rina smiled with trembling lips and tired eyes, while Nemesis-san blushed and, in a typical tsundere move, turned her face around to scratch her cheek. "Can't say that mother and father will be the same."

"..."

"Ahahah... Yeah."

"Rina..."

"Huuuuh~, maybe it's my old age, but you seemed to have grow quite a bit, red dragon emperor." I blinked trying to reach Rina and maybe comfort her and then this tall, elderly man with grizzling spiky hair and epic mustache, wearing a suit smiled at me, teleporting right in front of me to scan every corner of me with his full grey eyes. Oh, I know him back from the Rating Game: Nemesis-san's butler! "It has been a while as well, but even an old fox such as myself has a good eye for everything."

"Y-Yeah, thank you... Mister..." I back-stepped a few times to gain some space for myself back, and he only chuckled and scratched his chin in a very gentleman way, whatever you take from that.

"Michaelis. **Faust Michaelis**, the chief butler of the Gremory household and Lady Nemesis's trustful Rook. I see that Lucrezia-kun also introduced herself, that's good." He said, now side-stepping to look at the other members of my peerage, beginning with the other Rook, now facing each other. "And Miss Liu Bei. Good to see you as well. You look healthy and energetic as ever, couldn't expect less."

"Yours truly also notes that your wounds from our previous encounter have healed just fine! I praise thou for that, Faust Michaelis, fellow Gremory servant!" Ryuubi-sensei smiled and extended a hand for Faust-san, which he happily reached his own. Ah, they're getting along. "I'm glad to have your cooperation and I hope we can fight agai-...!"

***VUPT!***

***GROPE!***

"H-Hyah...!"

"Indeed, indeed very healthy indeed."

"Fiend!" And it all happened to fast for us to see, but Faust-San slipped his hand away from Ryuubi-sensei's and instead reached for one of her breasts! The pinkerette just laughed a little, but Kan'u-san was livid about it! So much she draw her Seiryuutou and began to try to stab the surprisingly agile bishop! "Bastard! BASTARD! I'll send you to the depths of the Naraka for your insolence against my mistress!"

"Ohohoh! So full of life, the Peerage of mistress Berolina is! Life shall be never boring with them!" The butler were barely moving out of his initial stance, but he was completely dodging the deadly blade of Kan'u-san's guandao like it was nothing! In another moment of carelessness, Faust-san rapidly teleported to behind Kan'u-san to squeeze her boobs! "This one has first-class material as well. Such is youth, apparently they won't even sag against the cruel lord that is time."

"Why you... Kyah~." And again our so called 'newest Knight' fell for 'THE HAND' and lost her balance after another squeeze on her funbuns. With the two pieces unarmed and defeated, he soon shifted his attention to the others. Oh, you don't mean...!

***ZOOOOM!***

"Hyaaaaaah~...!"

"Huh..."

"So elasticity in the Grim reaper's bosom, and the witch is wearing such a daring underwear. Such is youth, such is youth." The butler suddenly appeared right on my back after traveling around the speed of light to grope Whiswain and flip Tasha's skirt! What a speed demon! I turned around to try to face him, but before I could say anything, he landed a hand on my shoulder, give me a thumbs up and a smile with a bleeding nose, and proudly declared. "Sekiryuutei... Red dragon emperor... You have a good material in your hands."

"..."

"...?"

***ZING**!*

"Just die!" I summoned Rhongomiant and tried to reach that perverted old man with it for touching my gir-... Touching my group! But he was too fast, and jumped away with an amused face. He's making fun of me!

"Oh! Jealous, aren't we? Don't worry, it was just a routine exam. My verdict is they're all nice girls." He laughed, trying to escape my blade since I was the one chasing him! "Your reflexes and movements have also increased, lord Red Dragon, but don't get cocky. You still have years to come to even try match with the ultimate butl-...!"

"You, shut up!" And I couldn't even finish him off, as nemesis-san appeared out of nowhere and axe-kicked the perverted butler to the floor, causing a small tremor around. And so Faust-san's terror had an end, and Nemesis-san could only sigh. "Now stay down and think what you did, perverted butler! It's not because they're your juniors that you can go around and harass them!"

"Y-Yes, milady. I'm sorry, milady."

"Hah! And that's why I stick with 2-D chicks, Faust, you perverted old man!" The Korean dragon said now lightly stomping on the butler's body in a playful way. The butler; on the other hand, lifted his head and laughed a littls, only nodding for both of his fellow peerage members. Huh, they do care...

"S-Sorry for Mr. Faust's behavior. He's not that bad of a guy, and he's pretty helpful, but sometimes he needs a pull." Said a certain dark-skinned, blond young woman covered in tattoos approaching us with an awkward smile and a head-scratch. The other bishop of Nemesis-san, Nadja Sustrai if I remember correctly. "Ah! Where's my manners? Sorry, my name is Nadja Sustrai, and I'm lady Nemesis's bishop! Pleased to meet you."

Yeah, I know this, but that doesn't mean others do. Multifaceted understandings of the world is one of the basics of storytelling...

*ZING!*

"Now listen here, bishop of Nemesis, don't you even dare touch my mistress like your fellow peerage member! As Lady Berolina's knight and milady's guardian, I won't show mercy! Take this as warning!" And trigger-happy went ahead to point her Seiryuutou on Nadja-san's neck, who almost went blue for the shock and was now sweating buckets!

"A-Ah...! N-No! I'd never! Please don't kill me!"

"Kan'u-san, please don't do this! She didn't do anything~!" And our newest bishop went ahead before I could break Kan'u-san's blade on the stick and pushed it away. Now bowing towards the other bishop, her face as red as a tomato... Or Gremory's hair(there's other things in the world besides the Gremory hair, I can't keep using this comparison every time.). "I'm so sorry, Nadja-san! Kan'u-san is really snappy, but she's a good person! She just want to protect us, so please forgive her behavior!"

"O-Of course, I understand! I should be the one saying sorry." Said the now calmer shaman, also bowing to the grim reaper. "Sorry for Mr. Faust's behavior! If he haven't did it, Miss Guan Yu wouldn't have to react that way!"

"N-No, Nadja-san! I should be apologizing!"

"No, I insist! It's our fault!"

"No, I'm sorry, but it's also our fault!"

"Glad for your understanding, but the fault is also ours!"

"But it's our fault as well! Please forgive me and her!"

"Don't apologize, but please I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry...!"

"Please forgive us..."

"I know but..."

"It's also my...!"

***PAFT! PAFT!***

""...?!""

"Thank you for the backup, Tasha Campbell. I was this close to snap." And before any of us could snap in this Canadian circle of apologies, nemesis-san and Tasha went ahead to shut both the bishops up, the witch giving a thumbs up for the compliment. In the end, both bishop only nodded at each other, and walked away. Nemesis-san scanned around, and landed her eyes on Rei-chan and Lucrezia-san. "And it seems that you met the youngest offspring of Rhea Phenex and... Lucrezia."

"Hey, Nemesis. How's going?" The maid said with an upbeat tone, waving a hand in such casual way and pecking her cheek and for my surprise, Nemesis-san's response for that was a faint but calm smile. Everybody from my group except Rina also reacted the same surprise way as me! Wow, that's a first! I knew abo the affection the Gremories have for their servants, but this, again, is too much!

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Lukky." What! Nemesis-san called Lucrezia-san by a cutesy nickname! Nemesis-san called Lucrezia-san by a cutesy nickname! Not even Aria-san has that kind of treatment! Apparently, she noticed her abnormal behavior for us, and for that, she hid her mouth away and blushed a little. "Sorry for that indecent show of affection. It wasn't my intention."

"N-No, that doesn't matter for us. Don't worry about it." I said with a sigh and a handwave, everybody mimicking my own movements, and Lucrezia-san returned to her position by my side. Well, wasn't that freaky? "I mean, what do I know? Childhood friends? I had those two back in the days, so I can say you don't have to worry about being intimat-..."

"Uh... Not exactly. She was suppose to be my **husband**."

"Oh, okay." Right, husband. That makes sense too, I guess.

...

...

...

**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT~?!**

"But unfortunately, she was born a girl, so the Onoskelis had to pay their debts with the Gremory offering her as a servant."

"**FOR FUCK'S SAKE, AT LEAST KNOW HOW TO DROP THOSE INFORMATIONS IN THE RIGHT ORDER!"** I practically threw myself on the floor to crash into something back to reality before I could kill someone. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind Devils being that progressive, but that bomb was such a surprise and the comeback was such an avoidable misunderstand, I could help but almost lose control and hit Nemesis-san! After a little moment to cool down, I turned back to the said duo, and I saw Nemesis-san... Smiling. Chuckling a little.

"Huhuh, Aria was right: Messing with you is a little funny."

"Aryah, Nemesis-san has a dark side too." But I can't complain. I like when she smile. It's a pretty smile. Don't want her to bully me for it, though...

"Ara, ara? My ears are picking some swearing and a very known voice~. Let me guess: the sekiryuutei came here to visit us." A new voice entered the place, and turning to that same direction, yes, there she was, the current head of the Gremory house and mother of the two most known redheads around here, Alice Gremory. As always sporting that smile that only screams 'danger' and making everyone around flinch at her power with such charisma. She approached us, and crossed her arms, while by the mere sign of her, Rina hid behind my back. "And I was right, and he brought the rest of his peerage with him. Are you having a tea party with Nemesis's peerage?"

"A-Ah! Good afternoon, auntie Alice. Good to.. See you well." I said with a bow, with everyone doing the same for the big lady, who just giggle a little like a cute girl, and pat me on the head.

"And it's good to see you well, Ichijou~! Your peerage also seems to be very healthy and kicking, as expected From someone like..." She was about to finish her sentence, but I saw her orbs turn and gaze to a point beyond me, around my back, and for a second, her smile soured, and her eyes turned dull and half-lit. Is she... Is she getting that reaction from Rina? Her smile returned once she turned to another direction, and again she crossed her arms. "Anyway, the meeting between My husband and the rest of the demon lords had finally come to an end, so I'm here to inform Raven Phenex that her father and granduncle will be waiting her at the entrance!"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot! Then, I'll be going, servants of Gremory!" Rei-chan jumped from her seat and walked away passing through us, not even bothering to give individual goodbyes, not that anyone minded much. However, went she passed around me, The blond Phenex turned around and gave a small piece of paper with the Phenex emblem on it. "Here, Ikk-... Sekiryuutei. This is a special pass for the Phenex mansion. Show it to the guards and they'll let you in. S-So that you know, demon lord Mary Beelzebub and Irene Dantalion is also calling you for our house, so don't get any funny ideas, I'm just doing them a favor!"

"Okay." I said, picking said piece of paper and neatly putting in my pocket. She handwaved at me to get closer, and then spoke in a lower tone.

"You can invite anyone home, except you-know-who. Just don't go with a unkept look, otou-sama doesn't like even servants without some appeal." She said with a quick wink and then her typical lady-like frown came back, as she walked away from us to the said door, passing through lady Gremory. In the end, silence reigned again on us, and after a while, the older redhead called for our attention with a clap of her hands, her smile creepy and uneasy as ever.

"So... Since everybody's here, I think I'll go make some tea and coffee! I think Drajeena left some sweets around too. I'll be brewing some." She said with a smile, and I gulped hard with the uneasy aura. Not coming from her, mind you, but from the other redhead by my back, who would peek on my shoulder the older one from time to time. No one bat an eye on that. "So... Does anyone have a preference in anything? I like to maintain a large number of types of coffee and tea, so if anyone has one in particular, feel free to ask!"

"Uh, mother..." Nemesis-san said with a hand lifted, and the elder Gremory turned her smiley face to her daughter. Nemesis-san's eyes scanned around and landed on Rina, who was hesitant, again peeking at Auntie Alice with a trembling figure. After that, she said nothing, gulping hard as I did.

"Yes, my dear Nemis? Any preference?" Auntie Alice asked, and again nemesis-san's eyes landed on Rina. The Gremory by my shoulder shook her head negatively, and sank even further by my back. Her older sister could only sigh, and wave a hand at their mother for that.

"No, it's nothing. But... But I want a cappuccino."

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Anyone else?" She said, scanning around, but I could noticed she rapidly missed the spot on my back, the place Rina was, tightly holding my shirt by it. In the end, the head of the Gremory house turned around and walked towards the door, without even batting an eye back. I turned to Rina, and she was almost out of breath. Maybe next time. "Okay, then! I'll bring some green tea and black coffee for the rest... And a latte! Plus the sweets. Don't go anywhere, I'll be back soon."

"Err... Auntie Alice...!"

"Huuuh~? Yes, Sekiryuutei...?"

"Uh... Uh... Nothing."

"Okay~! Just wait there~!" And with that, she was gone. No other word, observation or handpick, she just left. I turned around to face my King, and as expected, she was sobbing a little, gulping down hard and fighting her tears. Because of that, everyone was quiet. Lucrezia-san was the first to manifest herself, patting Rina on the head and touching cheeks with her.

"There, there, Lady Berolina. Maybe next time, take yours and decide which is better." She said, and yet the redhead wouldn't be quiet or calm down in the slightest. I sighed, and also reached her to half-hug and caress her pretty trembling face. I don't know how to deal with it, but mother used to do this when I was upset.

"Don't sweat, Rina. Lucrezia-san is right, those things take time. C'mon, you're better than this." I said in a whisper, and she seemed to calm down a little. I wonder why she just listened to me, but at least she's calming down. "Calm down. Okay, Rina? Calm down and try again later..."

"..."

"Rina...?" She didn't respond to that. In a surprise attack, however, still not saying a word, she pushed both me and Lucrezia-san and walked towards the door in rapid steps. Whiswain and Nadja-san tried to stop her, but Nemesis-san was faster and stopped them first, Leaving space for Rina. Now what?! Is she... Is she...?! "Rina!"

"...!" Still not saying nothing, she faltered a little on her walk, and in the end, stopped right in the middle of the room, hugging herself and sniffing every second. I saw small drops wet the carpet, and little by little, I heard hiccups. She was so close, both ways. Rina was deeply breathing, so much I could hear it from here, and them she stomped hard on the floor, tossed her head forward and opened her mouth...! "M-...!"

"Oh, by the way, Rina."

"...!"

"Ah...!"

The world stopped. Or I think it stopped. I dunno why, but suddenly, I felt the world rotating slowly as Rina's screamed died in her throat, and instead I heard a gasp coming from her. The moment that single slender finger appeared from the frame of that door, and Auntie Alice's smiley face popped next to it, everybody stopped, so either we have a vampire here or the shock was too much. Can't blame us, after all... Auntie Alice said it, and she continued...

"Would you like your latte with sugar or sweetener?" She completed, and that sentence blew in our face once again. I turned to Rina, and by her back, she was trembling no more. Instead, she was also frozen in time, and took her a few minutes to snap out of it, moaning a confused 'H-Huh?' With it. What's going on?! "Sweetheart, I know everybody's waiting, but those things are the ones that bug me the most, you know that. So, sugar or sweetener?"

"A-Ah..." And she spoke. The first one here to do anything was Berolina Gremory, and those were her first words. After a while, I heard a loud gulp, and stoic and confused as before, she spoke a sentence this time. "S-S-Sugar, please."

"Understood. Ah, and glad to have you back, honey." Said the Gremory with a smiley face and an ok sign with her hands, before disappearing again from the doorframe. "Just remember to warn me beforehand next time, so the maids can arrange things better."

"..."

"Uh...?"

...

***DON!***

"Rina...!" Again, the sounds returned to this place when Rina, out of nowhere yet again, fell on her butt, her legs in a W-bend, and after that, nothing else. Nemesis-san reacted immediately, and went to the rescue of her little sister. "Rina?! Rina! What's going on?! Respond!"

"Uh~... *HIC!*... Uuuuuh~...! *HIC!* Uuuuuh~...! *HIC!* U-U-U-**Waaaaaaaaaaah~! WAAAAAAAAH**~!" And she finally gave in. Bawling on top of her lungs and letting a river down her eyes, Berolina Gremory just turned into a lost little girl, trembling on her feet and being consoled by her big sister. But of course she would, unlike her queen, she has a place to return to. This time, Nemesis-san hugged her tight, and Lucrezia-san, Nadja-san, Whiswain, Ryuubi-sensei and even Tasha went ahead to try to comfort her. "Uuuh~...! Uuuuh~...!"

"It's okay, sis, you can cry. You're... You're home, Berolina. Nothing else matters." Was all nemesis-san could say to the unconsoled redhead on her arms, who was now hiccuping and trying to remain strong in front of all of us, failing miserably. I sighed, and joined the group. When I was close enough, I reached for her head and lightly pat her there. She stopped her crying, and looked at me with those big purple eyes.

"I-Ichijou...?"

"Guess someone's finally home, eh Rina?" I said. Rina pouted, and jumped on me, hugging me tightly. I dunno why's that, but... It feels good. However, the worst part about this is everyone staring at us. Kinda uneasy feeling there. But whatever, I patted her on the back of her head, and she continued to sob on my shoulder, holding me for dear life.

"I'm... I'm home."

"You never left, Rina." Man, those cheesy lines are rubbing on me, eh? But if this makes her feel good, then I'll do it, even if it makes me look like a cheap harem protagonist. At least she's fine for now, and that's all that matters.

That's all that matters...

"Ichijou Tsukino..." I heard a hoarse voice call for me, so I turned around, Rina still hanging from my neck, and saw the human!Hwan Jin-Youg crossing his arms and giving me a grin. "I'm sorry to break the mood, but I can't feel but to notice the absence of our dear Knight who was spending her time on your house. Mind to tell us where she is?"

"Hah? Ginko-san?" I said with my eyebrows crossed. What is talking about? "Hyung, she's right here with us. Right, Ginko-sa-...?"

I turned to my group, and froze in place when a notice the absence of someone. Wait, Ginko-san isn't here! Wait, I thought... But then...!

...

...

O**h, my God! We forgot Ginko-san back home!**

**.**

~~x~~

.

How... How is she still up? I hit her with a dose of energy strong enough to stop an oni, yet Satsuki-san's still going!

"You can do it, ya stupid sis!"

"Sister of the moon, show that foxy girl the true power of the moon primogeniture!"

"We believe in you, Gou-nee~!"

"Tch... Not bad, Satsuki-san. As expected from my dear's eldest sister." I said stretching myself with my newly swimsuit, cracking a few bones the eldest sister dislocated, while she was cleaning her mouth from the blood, and adjusting her swimsuit as well. The others sisters were easy cake, so much they're cheering now on the floor, immobile, but their big sister is stronger. No wonder Ichijou's strong the way he is, having a sister like that.

"You don't have any siblings, right? Then you're eight years and four siblings too early to challenge me, Yoko-chan." And now the eldest sister observed while cracking her fingers, and getting closer to me at slow steps. "I've been living with those troublemakers and their shenanigans since day one. If you think you can stop me with mere punches and Martial arts, you're seriously mistaken!"

"Same goes for you, eldest Sister of Tsukino!"

And so, *BAM!*, we again clashed fists! I can't let them see my true nature, but the amount of sage arts I used in them was enough to knock some of them down with easy. However, Satsuki-san was the strongest of them all!

No wonder She's the eldest yet retains full control of all of them! Our match continue for a while, with us trading punches, kicks, drops and wrestling moves in high speed, and she taking all of my senjutsu-enhanced tricks at face-values, while I had to take those punches which were stronger than being hit by a truck! In the end, we both fell on the cold ground, looking up to the ceiling, and almost losing ourselves to the steam of the hot springs. Satsuki-san is... Too strong.

"You're... You're not bad, Yoko-chan." She said to me, sighing while putting herself on sit on the floor. I couldn't even lift a finger for that.

"You're... Strong, human. I should really practice more." I sighed, rolling myself to the direction of the springs, and letting myself sink on the waters. *SPLASH!*, I emerged not much later, splashing some water on my face. When I knew better, Satsuki-san was now sitting on the edge of the springs, looking at me with those chestnut eyes. Oh, here comes the complains. "Look, Satsuki-san..."

"Spare me, I don't want hear anything from you, Yoko-chan." She said with a lifted finger. Her stare suddenly mellowed out a little, and instead of anything else, she patted me on the head. Huh? What was that? "But I'll give you this: yes, I'm now trusting Ichijou for you, Akabane Yoko."

"...!"

"Hey, what's the idea, sis?!"

"She's right, sister of mine! Trust Ichijou for that cute, but still unknown foxy girl...!"

"Have you lost your mind, Gou-nee?"

"Enough." And before any of the sisters could retaliate back, the eldest one lifted one of her fingers in a silence gesture, and soon enough all of them stopped. After that, Satsuki-san turned to me, sighed, and flicked my nose! What's with the Tsukino and nose flicks?! "Now for you, Yoko-chan. While he's under the same roof as us, we'll still discipline him when we have the chance. However, since all of our schedules are full nowadays, I want you to take care of him during such meantimes."

"Humph...!" I puffed my cheeks. What, Ichijou is not some kind of dog! But I said nothing, only continued to stare back at her. The eldest one then jumped up and landed next to me on the springs.

"Take care of him, and try not to have your heart crushed. Believe it or not, Ichijou is very gullible. So try not to take some stuff he says into heart, he just doesn't understand sometimes. Feel free to hit him if he goes too far, though." She continued. She's not wrong about that part, I know this that much, but still, he's the one who hits me sometimes. So yeah, no problem there, I'm Happy to be accepted. However, in the end, she closed her eyes, and let herself sink into the waters. "Oh, and by the way, like I said before, he's unstable, so you can leave him whenever you want. If he starts to love you, and you decide to abandon him... I can only say he probably won't be the same, or anyone else, for the rest of his life, and we'll cease to have a brother. You still want to be part of his life?"

"..." I gulped down. I also know about this. But I want to part of his world, I want Ichijou to love me, even if a little, and I know he won't disappoint me. After all... I'm only his guardian spirit, and he'll love me... For only this. I sighed, and nodded. "Yes. Because... I love him very much, and I know that he loves me too. To abandon someone like him... I rather die."

"'Until death torn us apart'." Shion-san said sitting next to me, followed by the rest of her sisters. What's that? "That's... A western marriage vow, according to Mii-chan. In a way, our shitty father said those three times, and for the last two, he's still pretty alive. So words means nothing, Yoko-chan."

"Shut it, Shion-san." I said, and again the second eldest pouted, being teased by the other two. In the end, Satsuki-san patted me on the head, and helped me on the waters.

"Ah-ah... If you're willing to fight us, them we can trust you, Yoko-chan. Those others we scare away back when Ichijou was a brat have nothing on you. You're something else, indeed." She said. I dunno why, but that made me smile a little. "The only other problem here is Ichijou. Maybe he won't be as faithful..."

"Don't say that! I know Ichijou is very faithful and-...!"

"Nyaaaahoh, Ichijou-nyan! I felt you around here, so let's bath togeth-... Ah!"

"Eh...?"

"Hah...?"

"Arah...?"

"What in the world...?"

"Dah hell...?"

And then... Freeze. We all stopped to turn around and see of whom that new voice belonged to. And, for the love of the mother of the worst timings, there she was: the descendant of the previous white dragon emperor and the super black Nekoshou, wearing nothing but the layers on her skin and with the biggest smile on her face, only freezing In an awkward one once she noticed the rest of the sister back here. Her tail and ears soon buried back into her body, but the bigger damage was already done: she called for Ichijou... I slowly turned around for them, and as expected, a dark aura was surrounding them! Oh, the youkai humanity!

"Uuuuh~... Good afternoon, nyan... Ahahah..."

...

"When Ichijou comes back, I'll break his legs."

"And I'll dislocate his arms~!"

"Leave the punch in the face for me!"

"And the rest, I'll beat up."

"No! I won't allowed it! Leave him alone~!"

It looks like that, just like Ichijou, I don't have four housemates...

... I have four **enemies**!

* * *

**Gosh, such a long chapter for it to be just filler, but at least I droped a new character and had fun with it. Things start to get more plot-relevant next chapter, so I hope you had fun with this and expect new turns of events! until then, stay golden~!**


	63. Going deeper into

**So, hi again DxD fandom. It took some time, but I've finally managed to write this chapter. Nothing else to say, but he's a little WARNING: This chapter... Might have a lime... I guess, I dunno? I mean, I think it was a lemon but... Eh? Take those as you will, and have a good reading. and you guys are smart, you'll know when the... Lemon? Will start, so best regards.**

**As always, DxD doens'tr belong to me~.**

* * *

"Mukuro, daughter of mine, you're awfully quiet during dinner tonight. Is something bothering you?"

"Eh, nothing much, father." I said to the epically bearded man standing right next to me on the dinner table, eating a piece of chicken with his square teeth, while mother was quietly sipping on her tea and laughing under her breath.

I said this, but I'm actually in the middle of an internal struggle, not much. So, that green-haired girl, Annabelle Hell-Something if I remember correctly, was indeed that strong even with that blind eye, and while I can definitely say we ended in a draw(I didn't withdraw even on my knees and several kunais up my ass, so it was a draw, I swear!), I saw with my own eyes how strong and fast she is, even for my canine senses.

She said she needs me and my lycanthropic powers for something, and while I believe in her... I dunno, this whole terrorist attack thing is making me uneasy. It's not that I don't believe in my... Naked... Faked... Sacred Gear or something, but again, it's against an army of vampires and Devils, so of course I'd be nervous... For that, I'll need to get prepared for the worst, as in death or something far worse, and I don't think my [Sword Birth] or lycanthropy will be enough for it. Maybe something... More.

"Father..." I called for the old man next to me, who was now eating a boiled egg. Since none of my brothers are home, all of them back at work, I can easily ask something from our father without any jealous attack. After all, calling attention is not exactly my thing. Father turned his grey eyes to me still munching on his egg, as I gulped my last drops of regret. "... I'd like to request something from you."

"Oh, that's rare, my darling Mukuro. Usually you're not the kind to ask for much even in your birthday. How odd." He observed, still with that same light and stoic expression on his face as we spoke. To be fair, I was always the exemplary daughter, not too far apart from the rest of my dear brothers, so papa was always kind and proud of us, trying to shower us with gifts for a good work. And true, I never wanted to be a bother to him, so I'm not the kind that asks much, but this is an emergency. "Very well, go ahead and said it. You know papa can buy anything for you, my precious daught-...!"

"In that case, I want a **gun**!"

"**HOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYH~...?!" *ZOOOM!*,** maybe I should be a little more careful with my words, since I think my bluntness was enough to make father lose his composed self and jump spirally away from his seat! "**A GUUUUUUNNN~?! BUT MY DAUGHTER MUKURO, YOU HAVE BAD EYESIGHT! HOW ARE YOU GONNA AIM AND SHOT IF YOU CANT SEE VERY WELL~~?!"**

"It's not that bad, really dad! I don't even need glasses!" I said. True, my eyesight is bad, but not to this point! But he seems hesitant about it, so better change to something more friendly. "But if don't want to buy it, then I want a **battle suit!**"

"**IHOOOOOOOH~?! A BATTLE SUUUUUUUIT~?!**" And now from the floor, father began to ricochet his own body around the dinning room like a plastic ball, his face showing all the horrors I couldn't comprehend! "**BUT THOSE ARE TOO HOT INSIDE! YOU WILL SWEAT TO DEATH INSIDE THOSE, MUKURO**!"

"Really? Then... A tank! I want a **tank**!"

"**YAHOOOOOOOW~~?! A TANK**?!" And now, he stopped in one place and, gathering all of his forces, jumped backwards in highspeed, right in the direction of the window! "**BUT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE! HOW ARE YOU GONNA PILOT A TAAAAAAAAANK~**?!"

***CRASH!***

**"GYAAAAAAAAH~! I MESSED UP ON THE LANDING SPOOOOOOOOOooooooot~...!"**

***TUM!***

**...**

"Huh... How troublesome." I sighed, feeling the light summer breeze from the window father jumped through and landed on the outside. So... Yeah, I'm filthy rich. I guess my only option now is mother. I turned to her, and she eyed me softly as well. "Uh... Mother...?"

"Your father is right, Mukuro. I'm afraid I can't let you have those for security measurements. We can always buy a puppy, though." She simply said with a smile, sipping on her tea again. Tch, so this means I can only count with what I have and Annabelle-san, since outside help won't do. Besides, I rather have a puppy as well, so it's a good trade. Still, I'll be only counting with those...

But, since Annabelle-san is a vampire, Maybe I'll be able to use my trump card...

.

**~~x~~**

.

Haaaah~, rich people's things are the best~. Can't believe the Gremories would build such a big bathhouse for just a bunch of people, since the servants have their own, same for Auntie Alice and Lord Cohen...

Submerging myself at nose-levels, I blew a few bubbles from my mouth to relax a little on this big hot water pool, this big wall separating me from the rest of the girls. Maybe I should take a perverted peek just to mess with them, but then again, I bet they're expecting just that from me. It's not like I'm THAT type of character, but I rather stay here quietly instead of trying to peek the other side and simply be either blinded by a random fanservice or something exploding in my face.

Yeah, I'm not that type of character. I'm the likes that just sits around and let the fanservice happen without any warning...

"Aaah~, but it's so relaxing over here. But I can't stay too long or I'll faint just like last time." I said to myself, splashing some more water on my face to keep myself awake. Isn't that kind of ironic, the host of the Welsh Dragon Ddraig, who has the ability to spit flames that can turn anything into ashes, being that weak against hot water? Maybe that's why I like the beach so much, the water is colder there... Not to mention the cute onee-sans in bikinis~(Before anyone asks, I'm not talking about my bitch sisters). Hey welsh dragon, how perverted was senpai? I know he was... Epically depraved, but compared to him, I'm what?

**[IF THIS IS A SERIOUS QUESTION, I CAN ONLY SAY THAT MY PREVIOUS PARTNER WAS THE MOST PERVERTED, DEPRAVED, SEXUALLY-DRIVEN LEGEND THAN ANY HERO HAS THE RIGHT TO BE.]** I heard the hoarse voice coming from the greenish glow on the back of my left hand, talking in a tone that was both prideful yet miserable to the extreme, like one of those jerk jockeys on the movies.** [COMPARED TO HIM, SO FAR, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH BE A SAINT. HE STILL HAD A HEART MADE OF GOLD, BUT HIS MIND WAS ALWAYS, HOW CAN I PUT IT, IN THE WRONG HEAD.]**

"Ahahah~, senpai was a pervert. I think I'll be disgusted if he was anyone else." I sighed with a nervous laugh, splashing some more water on my face. Senpai was a pervert, and everyone knows, but he was... Is there a thing called 'noble pervert'? I dunno, I'm still proud to be his successor, but this is only limited for what and who he was, not by... Who... He... Was. You get the idea! "But I'm glad it was senpai, the harem King, the strongest Red Dragon and the Hero of the underworld, and I hope I can live up to him."

**[KAH, NICE WORDS, PARTNER./ Yeah, keep thinking like that and there's nothing you can't do!]**

"Thanks, Yagura, welsh Dragon. And, by the way..."

**[HUH?/Huh...?]**

"Left-handed or right-handed?"

**[THANKFULLY, RIGHT-HANDED!]**

"Oh, thank God! ***ZING!*** Ouch!"

Yeah, now I feel safer using the red gauntlet. There's a limit for admiration of someone, and I have mine. I might be a pervert, but there's no way for me to compete against senpai, or try to compare myself to hom. Did I just say I'm a pervert? Well, I do have a libido, so might as well call myself as such. Ah, how bothersome. Better just stay quiet and enjoy the bath while I can...

Yes, let's relax while we can. If Nero-san said was true, I'll have a lot to do in the next days...

...

...

...

By the way...

**"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, LUCREZIA-SAAAAAAAN~...?!"**

"Oh, so you noticed me. I was thinking that my presence would pass unnoticed by you." I pointed my index finger against the bluenette besides me, while her orange eyes would turn to me and we rosy lips would open a soft, yet mischievous smile, a smile only that husband of my could do since, well, she's a fox. Looking at her body on the translucid water of this spring, I could say she was indeed similar to Nemesis-san in size, and the only thing blocking the rest of my view from that was her pink towel, but I was more furious than mesmerized by our current situation! What the hell! "I heard you were talking to the welsh dragon in that gauntlet of yours, or perhaps making it your girlfriend? I don't judge, of course, Ichijou-dono."

"Sigh! Gimme a break, I know this is the servant's hot springs, but sharing it with someone else is... Gosh." I said to no one, only crossing my arms and letting myself sink into the waters. Human logic doesn't work on Devils, and since she's a pure-blooded, I can't talk myself out of this. Might as well everybody in the underworld walk around naked.

"You don't like to be next to such a gorgeous woman like myself."

"I take baths to relax, not eat an eyecandy." I said, forming bubbles from my mouth and nose as Lucrezia-san laughed with a blush on her face. I scanned her body around, for academic purposes only, and yeah, she's a cute... Charming woman. I dunno, but her presence carries an even bigger charm that Nemesis-san's, like a big sister. I digress, and with that, turned to other direction away from her. I was now facing the way like a grounded brat. "To be fair, I'm so used to bath with girls, I don't even care anymore. Just... Don't try anything funny, Lucrezia-san. I just wan-...!"

***FOOOOM~!***

"Ah! Ah! Like that! That's what I'm talking about! Seriously...!" I said with a grunt, feeling two soft plums smash and squeeze against my back and two hands reach for my shoulders, as I turned around to face a mildly surprised, yet still grinning Lucrezia-san. She blinked once.

"Ara? What's that? Such romantic encounter and touch with a mature woman's breasts is not enough to entice this sekiryuutei? How odd..." She said, letting a small laugh escape her lips and her hands reaching even further around me. Now she was locking her arms around my neck, her breasts now touching and 'poking' my nape and teeth ruffling my hair a little. "Or perhaps you already did 'it' with that mistress of mine, Berolina-sama? I wouldn't be surprised. After all, I was the one who taught everything she knows about... Intercourse and how to please a male."

"..." I hope she can't see the grimace I did right now. So she was indeed Rina's sex Ed teacher, or something. I dunno if I should feel annoyed, turn on or jus plain disgusted, but I'm feeling something, for both her and Rina. It's not enough to make me feel excited, though.

"No reaction. I guess you have all the rights to inherit the title as the '_Hero_' of the underworld." She said in a playful manner, caressing the top of my head like I'm some kind of puppy, and I couldn't agree more. I'm no psychic like Mizuki-san, but I can guarantee she's smiling at me. "As a fellow servant of Gremory, however, I'm glad that I can lend my mistress to your complete care, since apparently your control over your instincts is very high. I can... Trust you."

"..." My grimaced softened a little and my face wasn't hurting much after that. Now this is weirder, she's giving me the sort of a green light? I dunno, Auntie Alice and Aria-san wants me and Rina to become a thing, but coming from someone who has apparently been nannying that redhead of mine since she was a baby... I feel somehow blessed. I lifted my head upwards to look at her, and noticed that she was crying, still with that smile. Why's that now? I thought... "Lucrezia-san...?"

"Ah... Don't worry. It's just... The waters are making me dizzy. Those tears are... A natural reaction." She smiled in a bitter way and whipped those trails of salty water away with her hands, as now she sighed and properly sat on the floor of the springs. Since that tension from before disappeared; I also turned around to her, and now, we were perpendicularly sitting next to each other, with her body pointing at me, while mine was facing a different direction, but with my face pointing at her. "But like I said before, I'm trusting Berolina-sama to you, Ichijou-dono. Might not be too much coming from a simple servant, however."

"..." What Can I say now, in this situation? Living with five sisters taught me to properly stop and think everything before saying anything, although I think I caught this habit after... 'That' incident. I barely know Lucrezia-san, and everything she's saying to me is so suddenly, I can't actually grasp what CAN and SHOULD say in this situation. It's like trying to shot an arrow in the dark with only the moon and stars illuminating the place(makes no sense since I never used a bow and arrow. Poetry classes be damned now!). In the end, ugh, I sighed and splashed some water on myself. "What are you talking about, Lucrezia-san? Now I have another pair of shoes besides Senpai's to fill."

"..." Act cool, yet cheesy, that's how it works for me when I have no more place to run. I gave a side glance towards her direction, and she was again smiling, not bitterly this time. Instead she came closer and poked my cheek with her index finger. "You're... Something else. Those words would never enchant a woman in the slightest, yet they're... Charming for me. Is this how you enchanted Milady and made her yours, or is there something else entirely under those dead-fish eyes and forced grin?"

"Tch..." Yes, so what? Again, i try to help somebody, and that one says that I have dead-fish eyes(probably from my shitty dad.). I sighed once more, and pulled my head upwards, So I could rest the back of my head on the border of the springs and let myself to the waters from the neck down. I dunno why, but even with this much heat, from my mouth I could still breath small vapor clouds. Huh, odd. Lucrezia-san was still sitting next to me, as I could see. "You say like that me and Rina are a couple, but we aren't... Not officially, at least."

"Ara?"

What the fuck did I just say?

"N-Nevermind..." No, seriously? What was that? Was it one of those '_spurt-of-the-moments_' moments light novels always talk about? Am I turning into a generic harem protagonist? I'm trailing off the road again, so before I could say anything stupider than that, I lifted my head a little and hit my nape on the border of the springs! Such shock actually brought me back to reality, and I sighed. "I'm just... Being light-headed again."

"Charming, you're exactly how Nemis described. A charming young man. Probably will die without a girlfriend." She laughed under her hands, and again I snickered for that. Nemesis-san thinks I'm charming, yet says such assholish things sometimes. I guess she's really auntie Alice's spawn from hell. Hah! I just made a joke. I turned my eyes away from her again, still hearing her laugh. Gosh, now that's a good time to get light-headed and drown away from her. "Your way with words shall never enchant a woman, but shall get allies closer to your heart, and that's, for a devil, a blessing."

"Thanks, I guess...?" That last syllable I stretched on purpose since I have no idea what she wants to say or pass with that, and when she laughed again I was sure that was a good thing. "Thank you."

"More than happy to comply, Ichijou-dono. Although I can only make it up for those words in one way." She said, taking a deep breath and, out of nowhere, I felt the wrist of my hand being picked by slender, cold fingers by forming a ring around it. "Say... Have you already been... Inside a woman once?"

"Eh...?" I'm probably too sleepy and light to say anything else, but I'm freaking out, right now! What was thaaaaat~? Inside... Of a woman?! Is she referring to something else besides 'that'?! Damn you, weakness for hot waters, I can't properly react to whatever she'll do! "L-Lucrezia... -san...?!"

"I can only assume the answer is 'no', right? Don't be shy, there's some hidden charm in a boy's virginity, although a girl's one are more precious." Okay, in that she's half-righ-... That's not the time to be thinking about double-standards, goddamn it! I could only lightly twitch my soaked, trembling hand as she would still push it lightly into her direction, and when I started to fully take control back of it, I could already feel my touch on something warm, wet and meaty. Oh~! Holy shit! "I also happen to be untouched myself, since I can only give it to a descendant of Gremory, as for a pact between them and the Onoskelis. But I've been doing this for a while now, so I guess it'll be enough in your case. It's embarrassing, though..."

"Ah... Ah...!" I wanted to scream for help! She's forcing me to molest her! Sure, this won't be the first time this happens, **BUT I BARELY KNOW HER!** I barely know Irene-san too, **BUT THE POINT IS**! She's... She's forcing me to touch her! Is she really gonna use me as a toy?! No, I won't let this happen! If she wants a touch... I'll do it on my own!

As in, I'll touch her with both our consent. Goddamnit phrasing...

"Lucrezia-san, sto-...!"

***GLUB!***

"Aaah~..."

"Eh...?" And now... Nothing. I dunno, but I think I did something wrong. When I... Touched Kaichou, she was meaty and pulsating, and the feeling was really like I was the touching flesh of a living being. This time, I dunno, I felt myself pushing something and then, more like a touch in jelly, my hand passed through something and was now inside... Something? More like inside water. "L-Lucrezia-san...?"

"I-It still hurts a little to do it, b-but it also feels so good~." She moaned, and wen I got the chance, I turned my face to that direction; the pure adrenaline and speed of that event awakening my sleepy self for me to move better. In the end, I saw that I was indeed inside Lucrezia-san, but here's the catch: I was literally touching inside of her, since my hand **sank** into her stomach...

Holy fucking shit...

"Ah...! Lucrezia-san...!"

"H-hah~... So rough, d-do it... Slower." I stood up to try to take a better glimpse of this freaky situation, but the moment I did it, she moaned even more, yelped quietly and twitched a little, that pink towel hanging from her shoulders, with a small opening in the middle of her stomach in order to censor everything except that spot. Her body now was trembling, and I kneeled in front of her to better balance myself and avoid any problems now. "T-That's better. I might be offering this to you, but please take my security also in consideration. Don't make the trust I put in you go to waste, Ichijou-dono."

"U-Umuh. Understood." I gulped, still trying to cope the fact that I have my hand buried inside a girl's stomach in the most anti-erotic way ever imagined. I saw a small string of blood trail off the place I was 'holding' her and gulped even harder. This is... Going to my list of most awkward moments in my life. "Uh... Lucrezia-san... This..."

"D-Don't worry, the wound... Will close with time." She said, winking an eye indicating that she's still not used to the strange organ inside of her... Which so happens to be my arm, in case someone forgets! After a while, the wound around my 'sneaky hand' closed, and the bleeding stopped. "That's... Much better. We from the Onoskelis clan have the inherit ability to turn our flesh into this soft, gelatinous form, but closing the wounds is still so painful..."

"I'm... Sorry." I said with another gulp and turning my eyes elsewhere. Instead of anything else, Lucrezia-san huffed a small laugh, and picked me by the arm, now.

" You don't need to apologize, I'm just offering this moment to you, Ichijou-dono. After all, I put my trust into you, so I know you won't harm me." She said with a smile, and I blinked once into her direction, and once away from her. This is... Really weird. Out of the sudden, she began to pull me closer. "Here, I'll let you touch my womb."

"Wait, Lucrezia-sa-...!" And again I was cut short when my middle finger touched something, and she stopped pulling me. What's... What's that? It's soft... And warm... Kinda elastic too, but I have the feeling I might rip it with just one touch of my fingerprints! I poked it once. "What the... Lucrezia-san, is this...?"

"Hyaaah~. Yes, that's my **womb**, Ichijou-dono." She stated, still trembling a little, although I could see from here that she's not in pain anymore, and is probably feeling... Something else. I poked it once again, and she moaned once more. "Huuuh~, yes, right there. This is the organ Nemis would be having our child, but unfortunately, I was born a female, so... This place is left unused to this day."

"I-I see." I said, turning my eyes away from my eaten hand, no easy task I must say, and back to her orange eyes, which were glimpsing a small light of melancholy. She really loves, Nemesis-san, huh? "Do you... Love Nemesis-san that much?"

"I love everything about her and the Gremories. They took my family when no one else would, so the Onoskelis are eternally grateful for that, even if they don't see us as anything but mere servants." She spoke, still twitching every time I would touch her womb. I think I'm turning her on with this really**(really, really, really, really)** intimate touch.

Ah, inside a girl's body is so warm and cozy. I'm not freaked-out anymore. For some reason, touching her like that is giving me a feeling of peace. I extended my index finger and pressed both my fingertips on her organ, making her shiver and moan louder.

"H-Hey, Ichijou-dono~! N-Not so rough, please."

"S-Sorry, I'm kinda nervous. I never thought a girl's womb would be... This soft, and warm." I sighed in exasperation, the cold-sweat keeping me awake during this whole time poking her organ. Again, my fucking hand is literally sinked inside her stomach, in case anyone forgot that! For that declaration only a virgin such as myself could say, she smiled, picking me by the wrist again.

"Would you like to know how the insides of a womb feels like?" She offered. I was so light-headed again that I don't remember what I did for an answer, but probably nodded, since I could feel my fingers sink even further inside of her, her moans of both pain and pleasure echoing in my ear as little by little i was being dragged inside her warm, soft womb. In the end, in a swift thrust, I was inside of it, and gulped hard again, feeling every corner of that fleshy, pulsating, yet comfortable cavity. It was... Like I was hearing her heart! I looked back at her, and again with the blush and the winces of pain and ecstasy. I bet it feels good for a girl. "Hy-Ahyuuu~, c-can you... Feel it, Ichijou-dono? The beating... Of m-my very c-core... In this sacred place... Where life comes from."

I have no words; I'm literally inside of a girl, feeling every beating of her being, being this close connected to her, touching her very core, with our hearts synchronized for that moment. It feels so weird, yet I can't complain, this is the first time ever I feel myself in such peace. Maybe is the water of the springs finally catching up with me, maybe is the bliss of being this close to someone without any rush, euphoria or risk, but I'm in peace, here, with Lucrezia-san. I feel like I'm the one inside her womb...

"..." I tried to say something, anything, but the words dried inside my mouth, staring back at her also cloudy eyes. I hate to admit, but this is starting to turn me on, and she was reaching cloud nine for that alone. Inside of her, is so fleshy and warm. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and tried to stay the most innocent in that matter. Stay calm. "It feels... Good. It's comforting, warm, and cozy, and I feel safe inside... I think I can hear your heartbeat, Lucrezia-san..."

"Huhuh, so confused, you're just like a little boy. But virgin lads have their charm." Again with this whole charm thing. Those devil ladies speak in such strange words, but it's not that I don't feel flattered or anything, being 'cute' is always a plus, although not much. I went deeper into her, and she winced in pain again. "K-Kh~, so curious. Don't be rushed, Ichijou-dono. If it were anyone else, they'd be scared. Be... Gentle."

"Y-Yeah." I said taking a deep step and now putting four fingers inside o her. Ah~, it's so fleshy and soft, it feels I could play with it forever. "Inside Lucrezia-san... Is soft and wet... It feels you'll crush me..."

"Uuuh~, might as well. Ichijou-dono touching me this way, it's good." And now her heartbeat increased. She's really turn on by this, and there goes the sixth most awkward boner of my life. Fortunately, I hid it behind my towel, but then Lucrezia-san came closer and said right next to my ear... "Hey, Ichijou-dono... Do you want to put your whole hand inside me?"

"Eh...?"

***BAAAAAAAM!***

"Hah...?"

"huh~...?"

"God-fucking-damnit, Xion-nee!"

"It was your fault, guys. I want to hear the naughty bits, too!" And faster than she could, Lucrezia-san removed my hand from her uterus and closed the wound it left! Both of us turned to the direction we heard that noise, and we saw most of the DxD children, **Xion**-san, **Basara**-san, **Akio**-san and **Nashiro**-san fallen on the ground, the door under them indicating that it gave up on them. Wait... Were they hearing us the whole time?! "Ah! Ichi-nii."

"what the hell are you guys doing here?!" I screamed, jumping into the waters and hiding the erection I was having right now, that calmed down after the scare, and Pointed at the four dragon kids by the door. "Were you... Were you guys spying on us?! What the hell, even Akio-san and Nashiro-san?!"

"Yare yare, I'm actually shocked that our libido comes as surprising to you, Tsukino-kun. But seeing that you're with Onoskelis-san, I can say that I shall be at ease now." Sighed Akio-san with a grin and a face that pretty much says she doesn't give a since iota of a care about me finding them out! "If not a bit disappointed, I might add."

"I'm just here to deliver a message, nyan! I wasn't spying on Ichijou-nii-chan at all, Nyan!" Nashiro-san said with a dodgy voice and covering her mouth and blush, but I didn't buy that in the slightest! But, a message? Now that is something that I want to hear... As long as is not idiotic!

"Well, you seem to have your hands full for now, so I shall leave you under their care, Ichijou-dono." And before I could explode or anything, Lucrezia-san stood up from where she was sitting, adjusted better her falling towel, and bid me a last goodbye messing with my wet hair a little. She gave me a silence gesture and a wink, and whispered. "We're fellow servants, so you can ask for any help~ in case you need it."

No one else heard that, and without a second thought, she also bid the others goodbye, and left us on our own. I turned to the hand that... Touched her most intimate part, and noticed that my four fingers, the ones that touched her womanhood so rawly, had blood on them. Woow~, so I really touched her womb, and the feeling or warmth and softness are still on them.

This was a hell of an experience and, regarding sex as a whole, the best one yet. No rush or noises, only me and her, making things go smooth like it was the most normal thing in the world. She said she's a Virgin, yet she seemed so calm and nonchalant about it, like she was an expert in those. I wonder... I wonder if she'll let me touched her again...

***ZAP!***

***BZZZZZZZZZZZZ~!***

"Hyahooooooooooow~!" And my daydreamed died the moment a small spark of lightning crossed the place and zapped the pool I was in, the powerful shock making me twitch to almost inhuman levels and jumped away from the springs, kissing the floor with my ass pointing at the heavens. Wet steps were heard in the his spring area, and when I lifted my head, I saw the DxD children looking back at me. "That wasn't nice, Akio-san..."

"This is called tough love, Ichijou-kun. It was the only way to wake you up; anyway." She said, licking her lips and little and winking at me. Oh, it must be the Himejima's BDSM spirit again. "Although it was reinvigorating a bit. Thank you as well."

"That aside, nii-chan, I think you know the message we got for you, and why we're here in the first place. The earsdropping was just... A bonus, I guess." Xion-san opened an awkward smile and crossed her arms, her twin brother doing the same. Oh, they're talking about THAT.

"You mean the same reason why Nero-san gave me Ascalon in the first place?" I flicked the wrist of my left hand to make my point, and they all nodded for me. Yeah, that was the reason why he gave that powerful sword to me, not just for protection against the newest Hakuryuukou(goddamnit, I can't remember her name at all!), but in order to literally slay something...

**The ultimate Evil**, that lies under the Gremory territory.

"So since you already, let's go and end this already. Aria-nee and Yuno-nee are also waiting for us!" Basara-san offered me a hand, and putting myself on the floor, accepted in to stand up. I don't know what this 'Ultimate Evil' is, but it sounds important. Besides... For some reason, I'm so eager to find that one! "Eh... But first, go change into something, Ichijou-niichan."

"Oh, right." And I ran into the locker room to find better clothes for this occasion...

As always, my stay in the underworld can't ever be so calm, after all...

.

~~x~~

.

Fwaaaah~, it has been such a long while since I last bathed around the Gremory's special spring section, I almost forgot how it feels like~. Not that I don't mind taking a dip into a commoner's tub like Ichijou's, but nothing compares to the great bathing center my family has all for ourselves~!

"Bathing with you in such a good mood... It brings me back a little." I heard from behind my back, as I looked by the corner of my eyes my big sister Nemesis putting on her underwear, her special lingerie collection, and giving me also a ghost of a grin. Kyah~, it has been a while, yes. "Can't believe how much you've grown since the last time I saw you."

"Hey! That's rude, Nemesis~! I'm now able to wear your bras because I'm in the growing age!" I said proudly, huffing and filling my voluptuous chest with pride! However, for her sentence, I blushed a little and lowered the volume of my voice to match here. "But, yeah, it has been a while, before everything... Happening."

"Uh-huh. So, how's your arm doing?" She asked, and for that, I removed my right arm that was wrapped in a impermeable fabric to show my new artificial member still covered in bandages. "Katalia-san was really kind to lend part of her cells to reconstruct that one, although I don't know why you keep it wrapped like that."

"Because it looks _badass_!" I lifted my right fist and grinned at my big sister, who could only frown a little and gesticulate with her mouth a 'not really'. Ugh! There goes my pride! Pwah~, like she's the one to talk, with her eyes slitted and fangs out all the time. I bet she does that only to look more menacing... More Nemenacing... Uuugh~, how missed is Ichijou in times like this, with so much puns to make. "Also, because Lady Beelzebub says I can't actually remove those because of... Special features it has."

"What kind of features?" She asked, but I kept my mouth shut because I don't want to spoil the surprise~! She frowned even more; but in the end, sighed and returned to dress herself with her pink nightgown. "Seriously Rina? I think I'll be better off without knowing."

"Now, you're remembering me why I left home in the first place." I said, but rapidly closed my mouth with my hand! What the... Did she hear me?

"Did you say something?"

"N-Nothing... Sorry." I said. Seriously, that was really rude, and to make Nemesis sad again... I rather die. I gulped hard one more time, and opened the best smile I could in order to face her again. M-Maybe I can distract her away from that with another idea. "H-Hey, Nemesis! Where do you put the mil-..."

"...?"

"..."

"Rina...?"

"..."

"Rina? Oe, Rina!"

"..."

"Rina, what happened?!"

She asks what happened, yet she knows exactly what's up. When I was about to say something to her, I saw it. Scorched Flesh, black as ash and exposing some nerves and muscles, even some bones, the whole area looking like a crater on such a beautiful and fair skin, burning across all of her back in a giant, horrendous scar, a unremovable mark on her skin. There It was, the mark Miyama Enma left on my sister, who tried to protect me... If I wasn't... There, or if she didn't bother at all, maybe... Just maybe...

Before I knew it, my big sister was now kneeled right in front of me, shaking me back to reality, yet I couldn't actually respond to her in a way. My lips were moving, yet I couldn't hear or know what I was saying, all I could hear was nemesis saying...

_"No, it's not! Stop saying that! I'm your big sister, I should be the one! Rina, snap out of it! I doesn't even hurt, so stop, please!"_

Ah, I think I have an idea of what I'm saying. I just... Don't want to know if I'm sure of it. Everything is so blurry right now...

When I snapped back to reality, I realized that I wasn't in the bathing room anymore. Now Nemesis was dragging me around the corridor by the arm, she fully clothed with her nightgown and I realized I'm also wearing my white pajamas. In the end, only in another blink I noticed that she dragged me to the kitchen, and once there, she opened the fridge and picked a bottle of milk to offer to me.

"Drink it." She commanded with a serious face, and only now noticing how heavy her tone of voice was, I managed to think and say a sentence.

"W-What...?"

"Drink it, now!" She herself opened the bottle and held my chin up to put make me drink that milk, that cold, sweet and dense liquid running down my throat. In blinked once, twice, and now realized that she's drowning me! I can't b-breath!

"N-Ne...! ***GLUB!*** Ne-me... ***GLUB**!* please...!" And I had enough. Picking her by the wrists, I cut my contact with the bottle and drank the rest still in my mouth, some drops of it spitting away from us. What was that about?! I opened my mouth to say something, but she pulled me closer and hugged me. All of my forces to fight her disappeared. I melted like butter on her arms, and rested my head on her collarbone. Huh, Ichijou's right, being spoiled feels nice from time to time. "I'm sorry, nemesis."

"Stop! Saying! that! Until you get rid of that thought, you won't be going anywhere!" She said, pulling me tighter into her embrace. Hyuuuuh, I remember now, I saw it, the enormous scar she has on her back, and I think... I went catatonic. Can you blame me? That thing, so ugly and that not even Phenex tears can cure, forever marked on my sister's back, and because she had to save someone as ungrateful as me... I hate this! "Trust me, Rina. This is nothing compared to what I'd feel if I've lost you! We're both alive, and that's what matters! Stop saying 'I'm sorry!' Or 'what if!', this... Makes me sad. Does that mean you rather had turned into ash?"

"..." I couldn't say a thing, I was divided. By one side, that scar would forever taint my sister's skin like a deranged tattoo, and by the other side, I'm glad that both of us are alive. I sighed, and lifted my head to face the purple orbs that were shining on the dark kitchen. Those purple, cursed eyes that I used to hate so much, now seemed like the most comfortable thing in the world. She came closer and kissed me on the cheek. Ah, now I remember, she used to kiss me right there. "I... Don't know what to say. There's so much I want say to... To everyone."

"Just shut up for now, and rest a little." Hah, she just can't be not harsh for an instant; right? That's the Nemesis I know. She let go of me, and now offered me that bottle of milk, which I took a quick sip. Ah~, milk after some hot bath is good~. "Take a good sip of milk and rest. You don't need... To think too much from now on, Rina."

"Yes, I understand. Thanks, Nemesis." And for some reason my sister blushed hard, and turned around so I wouldn't see her face. Is she embarrassed, ah, no matter, I still have milk, and my mind is clearer now. Still, I have so many issues to deal here in the underworld, I better start off with the right foot. I took another sip from the milk, and all of my problems were washed away~. "Haaah~, milk is indeed the best thing after a bath."

"Yes, yes it is."

It always is, specially this time, this only time...

***BAAAAAAM!***

"Hyuh~?" The moment was killed when we heard a loud bumping sound coming from the door, and when we turned around, we saw my own peerage fallen on the ground, trying their best to get up and escape that confusing orgy. What the... They have been earsdropping us? "Guys...?"

"Berolina-sama~! What a demonstration of sisterly love, I'm so moved~!" The first one to look back at me with dreamy eyes was my Rook, standing up and picking me by the shoulders, making me stare at the pink shine of her pretty eyes. "So much love, so much strong emotions~! My King is indeed a great person that I shall follow into the depths of Naraka!"

"Waaah~, Liu Bei, you're hurting me again~!" I whined since she's actually trying to crush my elbows with her shakes and grip. Realizing that made her let go of me as the rest of my peerage came closer to spoil me too.

"Seriously, I think we'll need to change all the doors in this damn house!" I heard Nemesis grunt, but she calmed down once Whiswain-San and Tasha came to her to say sorry. Guan Yu instead said the same things back to me, and in the end, we were all laughing with the absurdness of the situation. Hahah, having friends is nice!

Which reminds me... I still have some other issues to address in the underworld...

.

~~x~~

.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So... Touching a girl's **insides** feels great, right?"

"Shut up, Basara-san!" And there it goes. Not the best way to end the silence here, but it's something. Ever since Basara-san, Nashiro-san, Xion-san and Akio-san lead me to this place, an old-style metal elevator that so far only headed down; no one has said a word, which is really strange specially coming from the twins and Nashiro-san. Moreover, those are the DxD children, so that tells me it has something to do with my Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor. I sighed once more. "But, uh~, any reason for all of this? I'm kinda curious, if you don't mind."

"So sorry for the rudeness, nyan~. Since Rina-chan came without warning, we didn't have enough time to set things up properly, nyan~." Nashiro-san turned to me and clapped her hands in a apologizing way. This made me blink in surprise, and dismiss that win a handwave.

"Nothing wrong with that! I'm just curious, that's all." I said, turning my eyes from Nashiro-san to Akio-san, who gave me a SHAFT head turn to give me an aside glance.

"Don't worry about it, Ichijou-kun. Once we're there, we'll explain everything. It's not like you'll refuse it, anyway. Aria said you're a good person, and very easy to deal with." She says that, but I seriously want to back down this now! Akio-san... Doesn't have all of that friendly aura other DxD have, maybe it's her fallen angel heritage, I dunno. I felt Basara-san elbowing me, and then we winked at me.

"So rest assured, nii-chan. You don't have to worry about anything." That's the problem, blueberry shortcake! I don't know with what I'm dealing with, and this only make me more worried. But since none of them wants to explain at least a thing for me, my only choice is go with the flow. I turned forward, and instead aimed at Xion-san's nape. Huuuh~, this is so boring...

"Okay, fine. I can only assume it's because of my Sacred Gear, right? It always is. Well, can't say that I have a choice, anyway." I said with a shrug, and suddenly all of them felt into silence. Oh shit, I dragged this whole ride even deeper into the ass of the world. Better think of something to light up the mood. "So~... Xion-san, you and Basara-san are... Descendants of Lady Xenovia, right? The previous Durandal wielder and Senpai's harem girls?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"Okay." Gosh, what's with her, anyway? The first time I met to the second time to now, she has been a real pain to read. Is she happy-go-lucky or just stoic? I turned to Basara-san and he simply shrugged. Mentally, he's probably telling me to give up or something. Eh? "So~, you guys are also good swordsmen, right? Those swords of yours are really great!"

"...!" And out of nowhere, instead of all doom and gloom, the whole ride tensed might just be my imagination, but out of the sudden three out of the four dragon children here trembled in an instant, only Xion-san continued to face forward, immobile. Huuuh~, what?

"Yes, that is correct. Papa Zino taught us quite a bit what he learn from grandpa Zen back we he was still alive, so I think we're good swordsman." She answered back. Ah! A reaction! That's good! At least the mood wasn't all that bad now. However; when I was about to turn around to talk to Basara-san, who had his hands clapped together, like he was begging me to stop or something...? "Why would you ask?"

"Well, you see, I'm also trying to learn swordmandhip, and I have some basic training since my father is a kendo master, and Aria-nee gave me some tips back in Golden Week, but I think I still need some more training." I continued, still looking at he nape a little more excited. I really need some more tips in swordsmanship, because otherwise I'll just be that kid with the massive sword moving it up and down like a madman. "So... Since you're such a good swordswoman, could you teach me something one of these days!"

"...!" I dunno what happened, all I could hear was the mute screams coming from the other DxD children out of this conversation, which started to worry me more than the impeding doom waiting me below. A little but of action since Xion-san turned her head a bit, in a way I could only stare now at her ear.

"Is that so? You, learn some swordsmanship from me? Are you really that interested?" She asked again. I'm starting to get a little worried, since this is the first time she ever said so much sentences, plus all of them sounding like a questionary than anything else. I looked around and Nashiro-san and basara-san were signing that I shouldn't say anything else. I wonder why?

"Yes, sure! I'd be... Honored."

"Oh, you idiot./dummy, nyan~!"

"Eh...?"

***ZOOOM!***

***PUSH!***

***BAAM!***

"I. Would. **FUCKING**. Love. To Teach. You. **ANYTHING**!" And starry eyes; drooling mouth and aura burning with passion! That was Xion-san's figure now, who just pushed me to the edge of this elevator and faced me with that shoujo-looking dreamy orbs. Say what~?! "What's your type, Ichijou-niichan?! Broadswords?! Bastard swords?! Sabers?! Maybe something exotic like scimitars or chakrams?! Ever tried to hold a double-edged one?! Oh, how about a katana or a kibhler knife?!"

"Eh, eh~?!" Now I'm scared, what is she, an sword otaku?! Holy shit, she's a **sword otaku**! I turned my eyes to the direction of the others, and all of them were looking at

me with pity and 'I-told-you-so' eyes. Hey, how should I've known?! Wait... Don't tell me she was all happy-go back in the Dragon trials... Because she was fighting! Ah, I'm facing a true pervert! Wait! Calm down, Ichijou! Go with the flow, and everything will be okay. I took a deep breath, and still being eyed with excitement, I managed to say. "Uuuuh~, maybe... Broadswords?"

"Ah, right! You have Rhongomiant! Basara and I have the Proto-Durandal and Proto-ExD since the church has now their custody from grandma Xenovia's original one back, but I think we can teach you a thing or two!" Too close, too close! Her face is dangerously too close from me! Someone save me! I can't breath! "Hey! Maybe Nero-niichan can lend us his swords! He has a collection of prototype holy swords, plus Clarent and Virgil! We'll have so much fun battling each other! What do you think?! Huh?! HUH?! _HUUUUUUUUUH~~~?!_"

"Ah... Ah... Ah!"

"And we're here!" ***BAM!*,** the elevator abruptly stopped with a sonorous bump, which was enough for me to escape Xion-san's grasp and slide away from me, Basara-san pushing me closer to give me a laugh and a thumb up. There are things called words that sometimes work better than actions; you idiots! But anyway; we all lined up in front of the door, which began to open and reveal a room that, for some reason, gave me chills down the spine...

It was a rather large, yet empty room. Nothing more than two black walls from each of our side, and a great, white and imposing right gate right in front of us. It was a massive double-door gate that looked more like a safe than anything else, the pure white marble-like surface matching with the white floor and contrasting with the black walls supporting it, which in front of it, I could see two known figures facing it, one of them looking back at us.

"Oh, hey bro! Never thought to see you this early!" The blond dragon lass said to me with a wave, as the silverette keeping company did the same. I waved for both of them. It's always good to see my mentor and... Big sister.

"S'up, Aria-nee, it has been a while. I'll make sure Rina calls before going for a visit." She laughed at my joke, just like everyone else. I turned then to the girl with long silver hair and wearing a tuxedo with her arms crossed besides Aria-san. Uh~, this mature and exotic aura, those clothes and this look on her face that pretty much says that she oughta be somewhere right now. I think I remember her from the trials. "And you... Yuno-san, am I correct?"

"Yes, that is true." She sighed and gave me a light handwave. "I'm glad that you remembered me, **Oppai eater**."

***TWITCH!***

"Oppai eater my ass! Ichijou! Tsu-ki-no I-chi-jo-u!" I could almost feel a vein pop from my head hearing that new embarrassing nickname! What's that?! 'Oppai eater'?!From where that came from?! I pointed a finger at her. "Please remember that, Yuno-san!"

"Eh~? What's the problem? Ever since you used THAT technique on Ginko-chan, I think it's fitting." She said in a stoic tone yet pouting in a cute way, as my head began to hurt with so much throbbing! Ah, what the hell! I created [Level Zero] just to counter senpai, and yet they came up with that 'Oppai eater' thing! Just my luck! "Besides, this pretty much means you're the new Oppai dragon. Aren't you glad to be the Oppai Dragon, Ichijou-san?"

"No! I'm not!"

"Oe, oe, oe, calm down, niichan! We're here to talk about something else. Don't let Yuu-nee distract you." Basara-san snapped me from my little outburst with that little whisper, which brought me back to reality after a while. He's right, I'm here To attend whatever business Aria-san has with me. Huuuh~ but this 'Oppai eater' thing is such a bother now~. I sighed and crossed my arms.

"Ugh, fine." I said, turning now to Aria-san, who were also stopping her laughing track as she turned to me. "So, what's happening, Aria-nee? I'm here, as you asked; I think. What is it? Is it about this Ultimate Evil?"

"Yes, indeed. But first, drink this." She started with a serious tone, but before anything, she handed me a... Bottle of **milk**? Yeah, I think it's milk, it smells like milk, the consistency apparently is the same, and I could see a small vapor of sugar coming out from it. The color was a little too brown, though. I think she noticed my hesitation, as she smiled. "Don't worry, bro. It's milk. Warmed and with a bit of chocolate powder to help go down easier. Trust me, you'll feel a hundred times better with this!"

"Ah, okay! Here, let m-... What's the catch?" I was about to pick the bottle, but removed my hand just in time, and the blonde opened her blissful eyes in surprise. Hahah, no. Seriously, what's with that? I bet it's not even milk from... Trustful sources. Since she opened an trembling smile, I'm more than sure that thing has some dark shit going on. "So, Aria-nee? What's the catch? What's with that milk?"

"What are you taking about, bro? It's just milk..." She smiled even more, but I frowned a little. Aria-san might be way smarter and stronger than me, but she sucks at lying. We stood in front of each other for a while now, and after a while, she continued to say little by little. "Just milk..."

"Uh-huh, just milk."

"Just milk!"

"Milk..."

"Milk!... From the breasts of different mommies around the underworld mixed with a few Phenex tears I got from Richard-nii."

I knew it! _WAAAAAAAH_, what the hell?! Is she really forcing me to drink that abomination?! Breast milk from mothers around the underworld mixed with Phenex tears?! Who the hell came out with this fuckup recipe?! And for what reason?! However, I had no time to freak out physically, as Akio-san came to behind me and whispered in my ear, in a serious tone.

"Ichijou-kun, I recommend you to drink it. We don't know what will happen the moment we open that door, so better be safe than sorry. Trust me." Such dread, and without a hint of sarcasm or masochism tendency. All of my urges to freak out vanished, and I looked around to see everyone's reactions. Yes, they were laughing a bit, but for some reason that uneasy aura was still hovering around everybody, and when I turned to Aria-san, she was looking at me with a worried face. Wow, so this is serious... Sigh, okay then.

"Okay, fine. I'll drink it, happy now?" I said finally giving up, but instead of a smirk or anything that would say she's messing with me, Aria-san sighed in relief. That only made me more uneasy. Shit. "But; seriously? The only thing missing there is a nipple..."

"Oh, don't worry, I got one here just in case."

"Wait, no. I was just jokin-...!" ***SNAP!***, too late, the blonde just picked a rubber nipple right from her pocket and put it on top of the bottle, handing it to me now. Okay, I have nothing to say there, only the fact that I'll drink on a baby bottle. Drinking breast milk... On a baby bottle, that's probably the lowest I've reached so far. I know she's just being considering, but c'mon. Sigh, I said I was going to drink, so I have no other choice. I lifted the bottle and pointed the nipple at my mouth, but not before turning around to say a few things. "If this ever leave this place, Every breast present will go A-cup in a instant."

They laughed, yet crossed their arms in front of their breasts protectively, with the exception of Basara-san who just laughed. I sighed one more time, and sucked from that nipple in one go, feeling the sweet chocolate mixed with the bitter liquid. It's way, way denser than regular milk, and I couldn't feel the saltiness of the Phenex tears, if they're just like regular tears. I drank the fast as I could in order to put an end to this quicker, and in now time, the bottle was empty. With a final gasp for air, I finished that baby bottle, and whipped the remaining chocolate milk from my lips. Everybody clapped like I just did the most badass thing ever, yet I just could feel disgust from myself. Today is going to be marked as the my worst day ever...

"Congratulations, bro! Way to go! One problem less!" Aria-san smiled while clapping, yet those words couldn't comfort me enough since I was still carrying the baby bottle. I feel like vomiting, the taste of hot chocolate milk in my tongue only making matters worse. I feel like trash. She then came closer and winked in a playful way. "So~, how do you feel, sekiryuutei?"

"How do I feel... You made me drink breast milk, from women I don't even know, from a baby bottle and asks how do I feel about it?!" And now was my time to freak out! What the hell?! How do I feel about this whole situation?! Gosh, and they say male leads don't know how to take a hint! However, when I was about to say to her to piss off, and felt... Lighter. Huh, for some reason, now I feel lighter, not just that, but healthier too. It's like... It's like I just woke up from a nap after a large meal and a good bath. I feel great, better than that, invigorating even! What that because of the milk? I looked at my hand, and there was a small aura blinking around it, fading soon after. Wow, who'd know something as crazy as that could work. "I feel... Actually, I feel great. Wow, it's like that gourmet-Hunter from that manga after he tastes something delicious(before going all culinary-Lovecraft, of course.). What was that?"

"Right~? That actually worked on gramps after he used [Diabolos X Dragon] for the first time. So why it wouldn't work with you, Oppai Eater-san." Again with that nickname! But maybe she's right: since [Level Zero] uses breasts energy to regain power, drinking from real ones might have the same effect. Besides, with those Phenex tears, that might be a powerful energy drink for the likes of me.

Again, I'm glad that I'm in a world where those words make goddamn sense, or else that would be complete bullshitty babble-talk. DxD, eh?

"Huh, interesting. Yet, you didn't answer me, Aria-san! What the hell is going on?" I asked her, tossing the bottle to a side, maybe so I could look less ridiculous with a serious face and baby bottle on my hand. Her smile turned into a grin, and instead she reached her hand for her pocket, from where she picked a set of old-looking keys. I'm not... Liking where this is going...

"Okay, fine. You drank the milk, so I guess we're good to go." She said with a smirk; as she passed around Yuno-san and reached for a small keyhole that was hidden behind a round golden keyhole protection with a 'L' printed on it. "Say, Ichijou, when Nero gave you Ascalon, did he mention something besides the possible threat of the Hakuryuukou?"

"Oh, right." I snapped my fingers to summon both my Boosted Gear and the Dragonslayer Ascalon. "Yeah, he did mention something about slaying the ultimate evil lying inside the entrails of the Gremory house. Whatever that means, I think is the thing behind those doors, right?"

"Yes, indeed. And there it goes. I hope you're ready, because I'm about to show you something really cool!"

And without a second thought, Aria-san put the key inside it's respective hole and turned it around in a smooth move. *CLANK!*, the door echoed, which them began to move on it's own. The keyhole engulfed it's respective key whole, as the doors began to open space for something. In the end; they opened a passage to darkness, total darkness by the other side. I tried to peek inside of it, frowning a little against the blackness in front of all of us, and then...

***VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH~!***

W-What?! Was what that?! I don't know what just happened, but my whole body trembled agains that swift, cold and dark presence that just passed through me! I looked around, and I wasn't the only one affected by it. All of the other DxD children were trembling, although not as much as me. I hugged my own body to face the sudden cold, as the others began to walk towards the darkness. W-What should I do now? This is... This is actually quite familiar... This feeling of dread and power... It reminds of...

The first time I felt the **Hakuryuukou**.

"Hey, Ichijou... Do you know **Ginko**-chan's ancestors? The most known ones, of course." I heard Aria-san say, as she stopped on her walk to turn around to face me, her back on the dark. Ginko-san's ancestors? I mean, I think I know, but...

"They were... Lord Vali and Lady Kuroka, right?" I said, still trembling a little, but now having total control over my sudden fear. Aria-san snapped her fingers.

"Yes, exactly. Besides the DxD children; there were also the descendants of Lucifer, Lord Vali's children. One of them came from the Black Nekoshou Kuroka, Kurobara, who disappeared during the... Y'know, who then left Ginko to our care after a few generations." Is she lecturing me? What that has to do with anything?! Unless... My blood froze. And I looked at my Boosted Gear, which was reacting like crazy now! "But there was another one, another maiden of Lucifer besides the black Nekoshou, and that was... The Doppelgänger of the Infinite Ouroboros Dragon, Lilith."

"...!" I had no words for that! A second daughter! A second descendant of Lucifer besides Ginko-san! The current Hakuryuukou was telling me the truth, there was a second one, but to think it was the daughter of the fake Ouroboros dragon... This is... This is... Aria-san snapped her fingers, and in the end, the entire darkness got illuminated. What it was hiding was an immense and empty hall, which walls I couldn't see, supporting the unseen ceiling with massive pillars spread around the place. However, that wasn't what my eyes saw first: the first thing I saw once the room was illuminated...

Was a immobile, naked girl with pale skin and silver hair, hanging from the ceiling and crucified on a upside-down cross by several, innumerous red veils covering her entire body and binding her to it, only a few of them ripped away to show her aforementioned features, with strange words written on them, pulsating and glowing like a true heart, even faster now with our presence.

"Lilith with us is no more after being absorbed by the true Ouroboros dragon Ophis." Explained Aria-san, now pointing at the girl suspended by the Crimson veils. "But there she is, the daughter of fake Ouroboros Infinite Dragon and the descendant of the supreme demon Lord Vali Lucifer...!"

_Evelyn Livan Lucifer._

* * *

**And there it goes... What a ride. I dunno, was that a lime?Who thought it was a lime? I mean, he was touching her womb... Who never thought how sex with monster girls would be? Not too normal, I might say. People lack some touches to make it... Strange. So yeah, cuddling with the blob, what a thing Ichijou will carry for the rest of his life~.**

**That aside, yeah, next chapter things will explode and we're back with the usual schedule. A question now, what do you guys think it's best? A battle withour interruptions, like, whtout scene transitions? Gimme your honest opinions, please, thanks for reading and stay golden.**


	64. A well-loved boy

H**ello there, fandom. Can you all believe it, this story is making two years! Two years of comedy, parody, stupidity and without any warnings for the stop. hHahahah! For those who are reading up to this point, thank you, thank you all for the incredible support, and I hope I can still break some more boundaries with it, within and out! But that aside, thanks for your support and inetrest in that little story of ours, and I hope you can all like this new chapter! Hahaha!**

**DxD doesn't belong to me, thank you**~.

* * *

"...!"

"Elizabeth, is something to matter?"

"No... Nothing." I lied. There's something going on, and Divine Dividing reacted to it just like me. What was that? We're still in the Dimensional Gap, yet something reached from so far away and in a place not even causality works well. I know I should be excited since this only means something big is coming up, but why can't I stop trembling? Any ideas, nii-chan?

**{...}**

Vali-niichan?

**{ELIZABETH, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THIS BY NOW, BUT THIS FEELING IS INDEED THE FEELING OF A DRAGON AWAKENING. AND NOT JUST ANY DRAGON, BUT ONE WHO HAS A SIMILAR AURA TO MINE.}** Arubin spoke inside my mind, and I gasped in surprise for that. Wow, does that mean a potential heavenly dragon awakened just now? That's awesome! But what's with that feeling of dread? Not even near... What's-his-face, the current Sekiryuutei, I felt that. Not to mention, he did not speak, but Nii-chan's nervousness is kinda creeping onto me.

"Really! That's really rad! Let's go wherever it is and check on it!" I spoke, but suddenly something inside my heart made me sit back on my spot. What's that about? It's nii-chan again! He's somehow holding me down on place. "W-What? Hey, what's the big idea, nii-chan?"

{**Brat, if you want to live long enough to try to surpass the likes of The previous Lucifer's son and the Singularity, I can only say to let this one pass. Trust me, you don't stand a chance, she needed to be sealed by Issei Hyoodou himself in order to be put under control.}** Haaaaah~?! What's thaaaaaat~?! Nii-chan is telling me to not to fight someone?! What kinda of witchcraft is this? He saying he's actually a girl in this universe is more believable than that! What makes you think I won't defeat this new treat?! Didn't I say I want to surpass you, and you support me in this idea 'til the end?!** {Heh, even I wouldn't be able to defeat that at your age. Because... This new thing that has awaken... Is my daughter.}**

"Oh, ya mean that nekomata girl you had with Kuroka-ane? She doesn't seem that strong."

**{WATCH YOUR MOUTH TALKING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER!}** Whoa~! I was just joking, but Nii-chan is also a doting daddy~! We're learning a new thing everyday! However, he soon cleaned his throat, recomposed himself and began to talk again in his usual smug self. Heh; no, you already lost, Vali.** {*COUGH!*, yes, Kurobara is one of them, and very good in the arts of senjutsu. But there was another one, as you know. One who... Could pretty much match with me despite being just a little girl. The one I'd have loved to fight before... That. I wonder what the rulers of the underworld are thinking, unleashing Evelyn now...}**

"Tch. Who knows." I sighed, sitting back on my place and looking at the kaleidoscope environment of the Dimensional Gap. Nii-chan's daughter, the spawn of the fake Ouroboros dragon Lilith... According to him; she's stupidly pretty, and strong too! I want to fight her one of those days... But I also value my life, and since nii-chan says it, I guess a no's a no. "Fine, then. I'll leave that one alone. But! If we ever cross paths, I'll fight her!"

**{And I'll be there to help both of you. Stay alert, Brat.}**

"Aye, aye, sir." I said to the shine on the back of my right hand, and it soon vanished. Huhuh~, man, I'm this close to snap into something, and I dunno what.

"Lisa, are you taking to Lord Albion or Lord Vali again?" And snapping me out of my stupor, Artie called for me on the plaza of the ship, standing right where the ceiling of this dimension should be... Or maybe it's the wall? The dimensional Gap is a tricky place to pin down!

"Yep, but nothing much. Something about... The underworld or blah-blah-blah. Don't you worry about that, Artie." Because if you do, you'll be just one more pulling me down on my ass, and I don't want that. She sighed, and instead held on one of her hands a small golden rune. Oh. "Oh, what's that?"

"It's a signal the ship received from the human world. Apparently, someone with quite the power is trying to summon us by using dragonic runes and pinpointing the Divine Dividing." Holy cow! To pinpoint Arubin and I inside the Dimensional Gap is quite the feat! No doubt the sender means business! I stood up from where I was sitting and turned with dreamy eyes to my girlfriend(jk!).

"Really? Really really?! A signal that reached me in the Dimensional Gap! This being must be a first-rated one!" I said with so many expectations! "What is it says?! I bet it wants to fight me or something!"

"It doesn't say anything, but it's coming from the human world, and wants to talk with you. Shall we be going?"

"Yes! Of course! Hahahahah!" I laughed, using my Divine Dividing to fly all over the ship and then land... *CAHAM!*, crash into the front of it(I really need to learn how to land one of those days!), putting my foot down on it's head and giving the command. "Okay, Ryuutenmaru! To the human world we go! FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

It said nothing, only wailed as it turned to another direction and followed it's path back to them human world! Whatever is calling; I'm eager to find and fight you, and maybe get my head off the lost opportunity nii-chan made! Hah! No matter, I'm my excited now! Let's see who's behind this signal!

I can only hope I won't be that bored until I meet the sekiryuutei again, whatever his name was!

.

~~X~~

.

So, the daughter of the Strongest Hakuryuukou who ever lived and his maiden, the fake Ouroboros dragon of infinite, Lilith. Sealed inside the entrails of the Gremory mansion, by several ribbons holding her presumedly immense power back, with both the powers of the Vanishing Dragon and the infinite of The dragon deity Ophis. I gotta say, it has been a hell of a year ever since Rina-chan started a peerage and, no matter how you look at it, this goes beyond anyone's expectations, to be visiting here of all places. I turned to bro who has been contemplating this place for quite some time...

"**Evelyn... Livan... Lucifer**, Lord Vali and Lilith's daughter..." She repeated over and over again, looking at the same time frightened and mesmerized by the figure crucified by the other side of this place. Can't blame him, I'm a little surprised and honored myself to be here.

"Yep, that name is a pretty sick joke when you think about it." I laughed nervously, not even bothering if he got that or not, as we all turned to the girl that now and then was twitching and moving a little on her resting place. If my dear Nero passed the message right, then Ichijou must know what to do. "However; we're not here to discuss ridiculous names..."

"If we were, I can think half a dozens on top of my head..."

"**Akio**...!"

"Ma'just sayin'..."

"Nashiro-chan, can you read her aura? Anything abnormal?" I said to the Oppai-loli nekomata, who walked to my side and blinked her eyes a few times looking at her... Cousin by the other side. I don't know how, but nowadays Evelyn began to act that frenetically, and every time that I pass around that part of the Gremory territory, I can her hear in a way that I can't explain. She can only be reacting to the new Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou. Ichijou already reached both** [BALANCE BREAKER]** and **[JUGGERNAUT DRIVE],** so maybe that was the reason why she's so unquiet these past months. I turned to Nashiro-chan. "So? Any news?"

"Yes, nyan. Evelyn's energy seems to really want to get out of the seals, so much it is actually trying to implode itself away, nyan." She said turning back to me, then to the current red dragon. Strange minds think alike indeed, while his green eyes contorted in a confused frown, only to blink once.

"Let me guess, I'm probably the one to blame, or something I did with my Boosted Gear is making Evelyn react like that." Those mean the same thing, you dummy. Akio, Basara and Xion came closer to him, as he unsummoned his Sacred Gear back into his body.

"Pretty much, Ichijou-kun. You might not believe, but a link between souls is stronger than you might give credit for." Akio said with a small spark coming from her palm, courtesy from her grandma. "It might be because of the Sacred Gear; it might be because Hyoudou Issei's Essence still lies in it. The thing is, Evelyn is reacting to it, and if this continues, well, we'll have a God-class walking nuclear silo going around the underworld."

"OH Okay. I already almost died a few times, let's see if this time things go right." He frowned and summoned his Boosted Gear with Ascalon again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. However, I did such a face he soon dropped his usual snarky self, and began to charge his own powers, taking deep breaths as his boosted gear began to announce hi**s [BOOSTS]**. "Okay, I'm good to go. Ddraig said I'll be able to enter Balance Breaker in a few moments. So; what's the plan? Ask nicely for her to not wreck the place seems to be out of question."

"There's only one way for us in this, Oppai Eater: we must eliminate her." Yuno said with a serious voice, pointing at Evelyn and frowning from her stand point. Ichijou seemed to want to counter again his ridiculous nickname; but he seemed to just quiet down when the silverette gave him her serious stare. She pointed again at the descendant of the White Dragon Lucifer, and snapped her fingers. "Her seals is getting weaker by the second, but they're still trying to suppress the immense power inside of her. We must unseal Evelyn at once and defeat her before she starts to stabilize and take control over her powers."

"And we can't simply try to kill her from here because...?"

"Her seals also serves as a powerful shield against outside forces, so no one will go around and unseal her accidentally. Not to mention; she has her own Version of Lord Vali'**s [REFLECT]**, so normal attacks, even with her on that state, won't do a thing. The only one who could unseal her, from both her Shield and restrains... Was Hyoudou Issei." Yuno completed. Ichijou took a small step back, but soon determination came back into his eyes, and he nodded, looking back at gramps's Sacred Gear. "So, as you can suspect, that's why Aria's boytoy gave Ascalon to you: since you're the only one who can actually use [PENETRATE] and bypass her body defenses. We want you to use [PENETRATE] on Evelyn..."

"Phrasing there, Yuno..."

"Using Ascalon so that we can finally finish her off." And Yuno sighed, adjusted her tie and crossed her arms. Ichijou held the grip of his dragon-slayer tightly, still deeply looking at the daughter of the Morning Star, and blinked once, twice. Tch, too much pressure, maybe? I would also be like that in this situations I reached for him to pat him on the shoulder, and give him a reassuring thumb up. I dunno if this is the correct way, but I guess this is what an older sister should do in this situation.

"Don't worry, bro, That's why we're here! We're gonna distract Evelyn around; so then when you're ready, you won't need that much power for the finishing move." I said to him, patting his shoulders with friendly taps and trying my best to give my best grin. He looked at me, then to his Boosted Gear, then to my own hand and, in a show of kindness, he his on my own, blushing a little.

"Thanks, Aria-nee. I wish... I could make you stop trembling too." He gave himself a defeated sigh. Wait, what? It didn't take too long for me to notice how unquiet my hand was. Hahah... C'mon, Aria. You're the descendant of the most badass Red Dragon Ever, the Hero of the underworld, and the holy maiden of the Twilight Healing, you shouldn't fear anything... Except maybe Nemesis putting her finger on the toaster again, but the point is! You can't show weaknesses, not when your younger siblings are watching. You're the cool big sister, remember? I nodded for him as well, and he gave me the thumbs up.

"I think we're good to go. Sorry to break the mood, but the more Evelyn continues to ooze energy, more the seal will weaken and more control over her power she will have once awaken. We gotta go fast." Yuno said, reaching for us and pointing back at the crucified girl on the other side of the room. I'm the one who usually scolds her for not reading the mood, but now she's right. We can be all lovey-dovey later, it's kickass time now. I removed my hand from Bro's shoulders, and pulled my sleeves for the upcoming beatdown. Of course, first we need to useal her...

"Okay, so how do I unseal her? I mean, Yuno-san said senpai was the only one who could do that, and since he's the one who got the Boosted Gear..." Ichijou asked, looking at Evelyn and every other direction around her probably to find something that might help. Oh boy, knowing him, he probably won't like the answer, but this time it's a must. I was about to say for him, but Basara came closer to him first to whisper something on his ear. Ichijou frowned in a annoyed way and blushed, looking at everyone around, while Basara laughed it off and shared a high-five with his sister. The current red dragon tossed his arms. "Really? I mean... Really?"

"Hahahah... Yeah, this came as no surprise for you, right?" I laughed nervously, as everyone had a different reaction: Amio laughed under her hands, the twins were holding their own, Nashiro blushed and giggled, while me and Yuno shared a stare, and shrugged. Gramps... Would never change. Ichijou sighed, and again eyed everyone funny. "Yes, I know what that means: we won't say a thing, right guys?"

"***SIGH!***, let's just end this before my headache gets any worse." He sighed, massaging his temples a little and grunting irritably. He sharpened his eyes in determination, now looking at the girl by the other side. I smiled for him.

"Alright, let's settle this and get ourselves some booty dragon!" I said picking one of the veils that was on the floor to offer it to him. I think from this distance from her is good enough, so there won't be surprise attacks, at least not ones I won't react to. Bro suddenly went all quiet, taking deep breaths and still with that blush on his face. "C'mon bro, don't be shy. We won't say a thing, and this is actually necessary for u-..."

_"... Get down... Suck on your... Evelyn."_

"Eh...?" That caught me unguarded. When I was about to hand him that piece of veil, he mumbled something under his breath. I dunno, but that sounded a little too suggestive. I reached my ear closer to her for me to hear better. "Did you say something, br-...?"

**"G-G-G-... GET DOWN HERE AND LET ME SUCK ON YOUR TITTIES, EVELYN!"**

"...?!"

"Pffff~... **AHAHAHAHAH! HE SAID IT! HE ACTUALLY FUCKING SAID IT! THE ABSOLUTE MADMAN!"** And the atmosphere turned into a joke as soon as Ichijou said those words, blushing even more and hiding his face in embarrassment as the words 'titties' echoed through the whole area, taking some giggles and chuckles from the rest of us. The worst came, however; when the Quarta siblings high-fived in the air, laughing at the new red dragon's expenses! "This is going to our book, Xion-nee!"

"Yeaup~! May those be marked as Tsukino Ichijou's words for all eternity!"

"Fuck you, you guys! That was a prank?! I'll destroy you two instead!" And Ichijou lifted his Ascalon on the air and prepared a murderous slash against the Twins, who were still dancing in total euphoria and ready to take on him as a joke! Before anything could happen, *BAM! BAM! BAM!* Akio, Nashiro and I reached for all of them and hit them hard on the head, a giant swollen thump appearing on their heads.

"Please stay on the game, you three! This is not time for games, nyan!" Said the nekomata with a pouty face, as I fanned my own hand since Bro's defenses have escalated to that point, and Akio was blowing her own hand since there was a cut in there from Xion's reflex attacks.

"Nashiro is right. Let's get this over with, or we'll have to put the children to sleep earlier." Smiled the Himejima Queen, lifting one of her hands and letting some sparks fly around, with was enough to scare the Quarta siblings. Ichijou was still pouting and trying to hide his blush, so I again patted him on the head, sighing.

"You can have your revenge back on those two later. For now, try to save your forces for Evelyn. I heard she's just as a battle addicted as her father, so don't let your guard down." I said to him, and after a while, Ichijou looked back at me with those by dead-fish green eyes and nodded with sharp eyes. He knows what to do know. With that out of the way, I handed to him that piece of the red veil, and wrapped around his left hand. "What you have to do, actually, to free Evelyn is to use [DRESS BREAK] with you**r [PENETRATE]** ability on those veil-seals. This will cause a chain-reaction that will cancel them one by one until they reach her. Think you can do it?"

"..."

"...?"

"Y'know, it's because of shit like that it's so easy to believe senpai would put a voice-command on this seal." He sighed, and I laughed. Yeah, no surprise here. He finished wrapping some of those seals on his arm around his Boosted Gear, and taking a deep breath, he summoned a crimson magic rune on his arm, which them began to appear across and through that veil, reaching others and tangling between them all, more like the lights on a Christmas Tree. In the end, the entire room was filled with red circles that ran across the veils, the biggest one right in front of Evelyn. I looked back at bro, and he took one final breath, lifting his trembling hand and closing his eyes. "O-Okay... Here we go. Look, I don't remember how to use [PENETRATE], so I'll give this in one go. Let's go. Welsh dragon, I believe in you."

**[YES!]**

Yes, here we go. To destroy the uncontrollable monster of the underworld, the daughter of the Morning Star, and heiress of the Infinite...

"**[DRESS...!]"**

***SNAP!***

**"[... BREAK!]"**

**[PENETRATE!]**

Bro simply snapped her fingers, and out of the sudden, with the sound of breaking glass, the rune around his wrapped hand vanished, and the Crimson veil around it also ripped itself a apart. It didn't stop there, one by one those magic runes would activate, and little by little that long piece of cloth would rip apart like old dust out of existence.

This happened through all the entire hall, Crimson rubbish going everyone as they began to finally reach for Evelyn, as cold as ice sweat ran down our foreheads. Only now I noticed how I'm trembling, and I dryly gulped the inevitable. There's no other way, if we don't stop her now when her powers are still sealed and she didn't regain her full strength yet, the Underworld might be in great peril. In the end, the only one of bro's [DRESS BREAK] symbols was the one in front of Evelyn, and when all stopped, there was a moment of silence, and then** *DOOOOOON!***, a bright silver light illuminated the entire room, making us cover our eyes for protection! A loud crashing sound was heard, and after a few seconds, the lights died down, and the only thing left on that cross was... Evelyn herself. She was immobile, quiet, and when gravity finally reached her, she fell and smashed on the ground like a ragdoll.

"Battle formation, quick!" I commanded, and everybody soon reached for their weapons for the possible clash, I also picking an artificial dragon-slayer from my artifial Sacred Gear, [SOLOMON'S GATE]. The girl from the other side, whose silver hair has grown so much that she looked like that videotape ghost, started to move, and so slowly tried to support her own body with her skinny arms. First one arm, then the other, then legs supporting her upper body and head pointing upwards, she looked more like a child than anything else with those movements, looking away from us and exploring the wall she once was sealed in, away from the world.

"Ah... Ah..." I think that came from her, but I couldn't hear it very well, and was so low since we were some kilometers away. I even thought of loose up a bit and maybe ask if she still has some solid thoughts, but my blood froze the moment she began to shake her head, pending her head only to a side, and then slowly turn around, the sound of joints cracking reaching us with chilling aura. I saw nothing behind those dirty and long layers of hair, but suddenly something shined through them! "W-W... Welsh... Dragon...?"

"...!"

***ZOOOM!***

***DOOOOON!***

"WOOOOOAAAAH..!" I couldn't even blink, and Evelyn covered the whole distance from her point to right next to us, the sheer shockwave of her dislocation causing us to be blown away! She was almost reaching for us with her hands and magical runes, but I reacted in time, and smashed my sword against her, sending her flying all the way back to the other side, as she clashed against and broke the inverted cross she was sealed on! My arm almost broke with that violent impact, and took me a few seconds to realize that it also shattered my dragon-slayer in a million pieces. Oh shit, Shin-niichan will scold me again. I turned back to the group. "Is everybody okay?!"

"Yeah, it was just the scare. We're good." Said bro standing up with the rest of our group, taking Ascalon again and clenching tightly on his Gauntlet. "I'll enter Balance Breaker now! If I use it right now, maybe I'll be able to reach her and attack!"

"Don't, Ichijou-san! You'll become an easy target like that." Before Ichijou could don the Crimson Scale Mail, however, Yuno lifted one of her hands, and lowered his Sacred Gear, along with Ascalon. "She's aiming for the Welsh Dragon, so for now you have to blend with us. Not to mention, if you enter Balance Breaker now, your own stock of power will deplete faster. For now, concentrate on [PENETRATE] and find the best way to attack."

"She's right, nii-chan! Evelyn's senses are erratic now, so she won't be able to see or sense correctly us for a while, nyan! Save the Scale Mail for later, nyan!" Nashiro came closer to hug Ichijou from the back, and after those points, he grunted between his teeth, yet lowered his Boosted Gear and gripped tighter on Ascslon. They're right, Ichijou's the easiest and Weakest target amount us, yet he's our trump card against Evelyn. The Nekoshou now began to exhale a cursed mist around is, and soon enough our aura was hidden inside of it. "I just used youjutsu to hide our presence better from her. She'll attack us regardless, but it'll harder for her to spot Ichijou-nii. That will buy us enough time, nyan!"

"U-Ugh..." And speaking of the devil, we all turned to the direction where I threw Evelyn at, and she so slowly began to slide down the cross she was hanging from. Her body slipped away from it, and was about to touch the floor, but then the Quarta siblings were faster and both shot a sword beam against her, pinning her on the way again!

"Score! Nice one, Xion-nee!" The youngest twin said with a thumb up. Xion gave him a thumb up, but then a flash of lightning cut their talk, and hit the dragon-girl in a show of lights and explosion, sparks going everywhere!

"Yare, yare. What a troublesome child, just like they say Vali Lucifer was. Better attack before she come for us!" Smiled the sadistic heiress, gathering again energy on her hands, that in the end summoned a giant lightning dragon that roared and went for it's target, exploding in an even larger electric nova! "People like that... Should be punished~."

"You talk too much, Akio-nee. Just get the job done." Sighed Yuno, summoning another armada of magical runes of several colours and shouting countless elements at the same time, even further pushing Evelyn to the wall! In the end, I concentrated my own power, and shot a [DRAGON SHOT] covered in flames against her, that exploded in energy, power and flames! When the dust cleaned for a while, the only thing left by the other side was Evelyn, the wreckage of the wall and the cross burring her underneath them, as she stood there, immobile, trying but failing to stand up.

"W-Wow... Incredible." Said my bro gulping down hard, sweating just by seeing us completely annihilating the other side and using all of our powers against that single target, who couldn't even get up for now. Oh, right. It must be the first time he sees us like that, I think it was a good. He turned to me, and blinked a few times. "H-Hey, Aria-nee, I think you guys have all the bases covered here. Am I... Really necessary here?"

"Don't be fooled now, Oppai eater. Look!" Yuno called for him, and at the same time; we all turned to that direction, where Evelyn suddenly stood up from the group in one move, shaking off the crumbles on her back like they were nothing, and again with her head pointing upwards. By the gasp from Ichijou, he must've noticed this as well: despite our beatdown on her... Her entire body was clean and intact, not a single bruise or scratch on that pale skin, not to mention the blinking white aura around her. I heard him gulp, wordlessly asking how that was possible. "Surprised? That's... Evelyn's absolute defense, the ultimate shield she created using her own dragonic heritage. It's so strong, only the welsh dragon can bypass it."

"Shit... I need to focus." My bro said under his breath, and we all nodded to each other. Yes, there is no other way, we have to destroy that shield.

Evelyn wandered her own head around again, like if the ceiling was some kind of masterpiece, and after a while, her stare landed on us. Even covered by her long bangs, I could still see those blue eyes staring at my soul and freezing my blood, and in another blink, the only thing left where she was is a blow of dust. Fast!

"Akio! On your left, nyan!" Nashiro said, Yuno being faster and summoning a fire rune to blow the other silverette away before she could reach Akio! She's using other strategies instead of recklessly attacking! This is bad, she's starting to develop self-awareness! If she awakens fully, this might be a trouble! "Everynyan, Magic won't harm her, but can push her away! If we can just pin her down like that...!"

"Nashiro-chan, heads up!" The Oppai-loli nekomata was careless, so Xion had to hit Evelyn with he proto-ExD to shove her away, while Basara picked the former away from the danger zone. Again Evelyn caem down flying across the place, as we all jumped to safe distances from her. I turned to Xion, and just by the impact, her sword was already starting to break. "Oops. Guess who's gonna be yelled at in the next family dinner, guys."

"Fortunately, you." Akio was now gathering a dense quantity of energy on her hands and mixing with her light element, creating a ball of pure lightning! For a while, we all stayed quiet, but then, we heard the sound of something coming in high speed in our direction, a silver flash cutting the darkness of the depths of Evelyn's chamber! Faster than she could, the dark-haired priestess created a golden rune in front of her and blasted her attack!

And from the palm of her hands, what came out wasn't just a dragon, but three, made out of pure blinding energy, that roared and cut through the darkness with their bodies made out of light! Evelyn stopped on her track, creating a pathway of destruction during her brake, to stare back at the three monsters coming from her! Anyone would be in such surprised state until it was too late, but not Her, not the descendant of the morning star! Instead, she pulled her head backwards, and suddenly...

***ROOOOOOOOAAAAR~!***

She roared, louder than anything since I confront Ichijou back at Mt. Issei, and out of the sudden, the silver light around her body expanded, forming a translucid sphere around her body that pushed the Lightning dragons away, their bodies of energy bouncing on all directions and sparkling out of existence! However, when she was done, she stopped on her actions and began to deeply breath in and out. There! There's out chance to counter her!

"Nashiro-chan! There it is!" I called for the nekomata, and together with her, I charged against the recovering lucifer, who noticed only too late our charging self! We clashed, and with our forces pushed her away! Evelyn missed a few steps back, and stumbled on it as we hit and pushed her with punches and kicks! In the end, we charged together, and with a punch with my dragonic arm and her senjutsu-empowered fist, we blew her away! "Now, Ichijou!"

"Right!** [DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY SLASH!]"** I called for my little brother, and taking his time to shine, he held Ascalon with both his hands and began to shine in a red aura, which extended all over his sword! He ran for us, and jumped to face the stunned silverette, as suddenly the shine spread like fire around The dragon-slayer, and morphed into the shape of a dragon head! In the end, the dragon head engulfed Evelyn, vanishing as they clashed, the shockwave alone trembling the whole place, and with a loud shocking sound, Ascalon bypassed the silver aura around her! "C'mon! Ddraig, full power!"

**[BOOST!]**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

**[PENETRAT-...!]**

***BAAAAAAM!***

"HYAAAAAAAAAH...!"

"BRO!" I thought it was going to end, that was the decisive blow, but I was wrong. Ichijou tried a diagonal cut, but instead of cutting our enemy in half, it only cut part of her hair and shoulder, before her shield came back in full power, in such impact that practically pushed him away at high speed and making clash on a pillar, destroying it completely! I turned around and ran for him! "Don't move, Ichijou! Guys, take care of Evelyn; I'll help hi-...!"

***VOOOOSH!***

"Wha-...?!" I saw a silver flash in front of me, and I didn't react in time as it punched me right on the stomach, sending me flying even further and crushing several pillars on the way! In the end, I landed hardly on the floor, leaving a path of destruction, some pillar rocks all around me. Shit! Even with my hardened skin, I think I broke a few bones.

"Kyaaaaah...!" And when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Yuno flying across the room, all of her magical runes destroyed and leaving a giant cloud of smoke and destruction! I jumped and flew to catch her midair, and we both landed on the floor, with me softening her own landing. "Tch, much obliged Aria."

"No problem!" I stood up from the ground with her as we unfolded our wings to fly back to the battlefield! I cursed under my breath, we lost precious time; and Evelyn... Is adapting her own shield to counter us! "Shit, to think she would counter us with such ease, and in so little time... I underestimated her!"

"That's the power of the infinite for you. Moreover, she's direct descendant of Lilith, so her power is rawer compared to ours." Yuno observed, sweat running all over her face despite her green eyes trying to hide it with an analytical stare. We saw another flash of lightning illuminate a part of the arena and swords clashing at the distance, so we flew as fast as we could to that direction! "We need to hurry and think of a new strategy, or else she'll just observe us just to counter us."

She's right about that! I didn't take long for us to reach the place of conflict, and from here, we could see that Basara and Xion were the ones trying to back down Evelyn, while she so casually was deflecting their blades with her arms, pushing them away from herself with smooth, swift moves with her hands!

"Akio-nee! Nashiro-chan! Hurry up!" Xion said out loud, which was enough to distract her: Evelyn pushed both their swords away, and tripped them simultaneously! Basara held his stance, but she wasn't so lucky, and before she could fall to the ground, the white dragon spawn punched her right on the stomach, sending her flying off away into another pillar!

"Xion-nee! Why, you...!" With his grandsword at hand, Basara charged forward, red energy burning around him, and tried a thrusting move against Evelyn, but she was faster, dodging said attack and, in a blink of an eye, both disarmed and pushed Basara away! "Tch, not cool...!"

***ZAP!***

***BAAAAAAM!***

"So she's finally learning, eh? This might end up... Troublesome." I looked at the direction where that flash of lightning came from, and Akio landed right next to me, pulling her sleeves up and taking deep breaths. "So, any plans now, Aria-nee? I'm open to suggestions since our little trump card seems out of commission."

"Shit... I think the only way to counter Evelyn is to fight her until she no longer can stand..." I said folding my wings back and landing on the ground in a battle pose. This is a stupid idea, and is practically suicidal, but I don't have many choices now. Yuno and Akio took they stay around me, turning now on the direction she last saw Evelyn. "Steady, now..."

She's coming... I can feel it...

***ZOOOOOM!***

***DON!***

"Ugh...!" I grunted feeling the bones on my hand breaking with that contact between punches, which pushed me a few meters where I originally were. However, I could stand firm and strong as before, and pushed my colliding fist against Evelyn's, which startled her for a second, enough for me to come forward and punch her in the face! There was no damage on her, but it was enough to stun and push her away! "Yeah, come and get me, Evelyn!"

She said nothing, only wide her eyes in instinctual surprise as I punched again in the stomach, making her be pushed a few meters away! When she was about to recover from that, as a white lightning, Nashiro-chan appeared right behind her and exploded a chi bomb from her hands, now pushing the white dragon on the ground and creating a crater there! She even tried to jump away, but Suddenly, a strike of holy lightning against crossed me and hit Evelyn just right, and before she could even react to that, the Quarta siblings crossed her path and cut an 'X' in her body! After that... We saw it! A hit! We cut her hair and part of her body!

"I see, so even with her absolute defense, we can still damage the shield until we can finally reached her. It's like peeling a potato!" Smiled Basara, now sliding with his sister all the way towards us, taking deep breaths and holding his broken, yet still functional, artificial holy sword. "Oh, man. Remember when you challenged me to kill a Colossus from that game with just the bow and arrow, Xion-nee?"

"Kah, yeah, that was such a ride."

"But we can't lose time with that, nyan. The more she stays free, the more she regains control over her power, nyan!" Nashiro-chan said, looking at the bleeding wound on Evelyn's body, which soon closed like it wasn't even there. The silver dragon mesmerized her wound for a few seconds, and blinked once, twice in curiosity, like a child. "She's so easily distracted, we need to take advantage of that!"

"Yes, and once we destroy her barrier, we need to make sure that one chance will be a decisive one." Observed Yuno, snapping her fingers and summoning a small circle around them, which broke like glass a few seconds later, making her grunt. "Tch, we need to also put all effort into this shot, because I'm running out of power here. Super annoying."

I hear that, my reserves are also running low, and to maintain that barrier around my body against Evelyn's hit is also taking a toll out of me. I looked at everybody, and we all nodded to each other. We need to put all of our energies in this one shot, or else. We all turned to the still distracted white dragon's daughter, and after a while, se noted out presence, charging at us yet again!

"Here we go, guys!"

"YEAH!"

***ZOOOOM!***

**[BOOSTED GEAR: BALANCE BREAKER!]**

"...?!" But when that white meteor was about clash against us, a crimson flash crossed our way, tackling Evelyn instead and now pushing her to the other side, the impact now lifting a cloud of dust around us! I protected my eyes against the dust, but I could see a dragonic silhouette hidden in it! "Bro?! Is that you?!"

"Yeah, Surprise there, Aria-nee?" The dust finally cleaned up, and I end up being right about it: right in front of us was the Scale Mail armor of the welsh red dragon emperor, shining in deep red and emerald green, holding the dragonslaying sword Ascalon with it's left hand, which was bent in a gruesome way and gushing blood everywhere! Holy shit! Did Ascalon do this?!

" Ah, Ichijou-nii! Your arm; nyan!" Nashiro and Akio were fast enough to try to heal his arm with magic and a Phenex tear, that fortunately bend back to normal in a instant. The armor also put it back in place, and he was go to go.

"I gotta say, Ichijou-kun, you've also inherited Hyoudou Issei's knack for those dynamic entries." Laughed Akio, finishing her healing and helping the dragon to stand up. "The only downside now is that we can't no longer protect you against Evelyn; she already sensed you as the sekiryuutei."

"That's... What I wanted." His voice came out as tired and breathless, but his words actually surprised us all. Oh; someone got an eureka moment, but we can't let our guard down just because of that, even more that he's in this state. "Guys... I know this might sound crazy, but I got a plan: I'll go ahead and face Evelyn while you guys cover me up, okay?"

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard from you." I declared, slapping the back of his dragonic helmet. No, seriously, I think that last attack made him hit his head! Now that's suicidal! "Are you serious? Not even us are holding her back! And how about your arm?! What it breaks again?! Ascalon... Is still rejecting you, right?!"

"Yes. The impact was such it kinda broke my hand, but I'm confident now!" He said, clenching his free hand while looking at us. The aura around him was stronger now, but I dunno, this sensation of dread doesn't leave me in the slightest. "C'mon, just let me be reckless and idiotic this time. I know it'll work, trust me!"

"It's not about Evelyn I'm concerned about, Ichijou..." I sighed. Basara, however, nodded a his sister, who nodded at us. So they're trusting him, eh? I do want to trust him that bad, but this is so chaotic, any risk is minimal and should be erased. However... I nodded back. "Okay, show me what you got. I got you cover, but you'll only get one shot!"

"Got it! Let's go, Welsh dragon!" And with a final [BOOST], Ichijou activated the jets by his back and flashed all the way into the darkness of the corners of the room! Suddenly, a silver light flashed in our direction, faster than the eye could see, aiming solely for the fast sekiryuutei!

"**RED... DRAGOOOOOOOOOON**...!" For the first time, I could hear and understand what Evelyn was saying, the white energy around her body growing even more! That's I our cue! I summoned my own barrage of magic runes and mixed with fire magic, creating a blast of flame torpedoes which I blasted against Evelyn!

We all shot against her while she was on her way to clash on Ichijou, lightning dragons, Norse magic and slash beams all reaching her and exploding, little by little diminishing and eating up her shield until t was just a small glowing aura around her body! We reduced it, but that magical barrier will still protect her, and if Ichijou isn't quick enough...!

***DOOOOON!***

"And then they clashed! White dragon against red dragon, crimson versus silver, the shockwave alone illuminated the whole room with it's exceeding energy, and part of the area around them was destroyed! The central two on the eye of such destruction clashed and held each other, still trying to bypass one another's defenses!

**[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!],** screamed both my bro and his Sacred Gear, pulling his right hand for a massive punch, which Evelyn mimicked! *BAM!*, they fists collided, and another shockwave destroyed the rest of the surroundings, blowing their auras away! Now what?! Before Evelyn could react to it, Ichijou suddenly lifted his right hand and summoned Rhongomiant!

"Ddraig, transfer power to Rhongomiant, now!" I heard his scream, and again the Emerald jewels on his dragon body would shine and scream countless [BOOST]s! The said failure sword was now covered in Crimson aura, and in a swift move, he swing his sword forward against his silver-haired target!

***DOOOON!***

**[PENETRATE!]**

"WOOOOOOAAAAAH...!" And he did it! With that swing, Rhongomiant clashed against and forced itself against Evelyn's barrier! The blade began to trembled and crack all over, suffering continuous damage, but in the end, it completely cut down the white aura around Evelyn's body, finally giving up and shattering in a million pieces, only the grip remaining! Ichijou didn't lose any momentum on that vulnerable state, and pulled Ascalon now in a thrusting move! He stepped so hard on the floor it cracked, and then he moved forward, his sword in hand, reaching for the exposed skin of Evelyn! "**C'MON WELSH DRAGON, FULL POWER!"**

**[EXPLOSION!]**

He moved forward, blasted his red energy against her, and in the end...!

Complete silence.

...

After that attack, we said nothing, and nothing more was heard by the other side. Still with that same pose reaching for her, we couldn't see from here what happened, but I guess we have a clue. I think... We've won now, Evelyn's aura dying down until the glow around her disappeared completely... Total victory, and all thanks to Ichijou.

Huh, to think he was such a nasty brat when I first met him, and now... He saved us. Being that reckless and that stupid, he saved us and a good chunk on the underworld. What do you know? Maybe he'll reach gramps somewhen in the future if he stays like that, and maybe... He can reach even higher than that.

"Tch... That was... Something. Better take him out of there. You guys go call Beelzebub-sama or Richard, in case we need some assistance." I loose my body down, and began to walk towards where they were, calling for my bro. "Hey, Ichijou! We did it! You did it! If you can't move, don't worry, your big sister is-...!"

***SLASH!***

"...?!" My blood froze, my legs didn't work, and my eyes wide for that as my smile dropped. When I was about to reach for Ichijou, I heard a loud slashing sound, and before I knew it, a diagonal cut splashed bro's blood everywhere while also sending him flying backwards towards me, as his Scale Mail crumbled until it was nothing but dust! We clashed, but I could hold him in time and stop the momentum! "Ah! What the hell?! Bro?! ICHIJOU?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

He didn't respond, but how could he, there was an enormous diagonal cut that covered his entire chest that wouldn't stop bleeding! H-How was that possible!? I saw him going forward and stabbing Evelyn with everything, her aura and smell even disappeared for that! But then, I noticed something, Ichijou's hands were just holding the grips of his swords! I looked at Evelyn's direction, and not only there wasn't a single scratch on her body, her hand was holding something, which she let go and fall to the ground, hitting it with a loud metallic sound...

... It was the **Ascalon's**, the dragonslayer's, blade.

"Why, you...!" I instinctively lifted a hand for another blast of explosive power! I dunno if was out of rage or fear, but it doesn't matter now! However, in another blink of an eye, she teleported right in front of me and kicked me away, the blast of her dislocation enough to blow both Ichijou and Me in different directions! "Bro...!"

"Aria-nee...!" When I knew it best, Basara and Xion softened my flight and helped me get down on the floor, where Akio, Nashiro and Yuno we're blasting all they got against Evelyn, who now had her aura back! How's that possible?! "That bitch... I thought she was a goner the moment Ichijou-niichan... Don't tell me... She tricked us?!"

Damn it! She's getting... Stronger and stronger... Not only her powers are coming back, but that instinct, that battle hunger adaptation is also reaching her brain! This is... This can only get worse from here. Shit, we must hurry and finish her off quickly, otherwise... The whole underworld will be in danger...

.

~~X~~

.

"..."

...

...

...

...

**HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...! What the FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK**! I was so close, so close! I had everything on my head, the plan would go on and I'd defeat Evelyn with it! It was just for a second, I didn't hesitate! I didn't think anything else in that moment, so why it didn't work?! How could she broke my sword and use it against me?! I broke my hand just with Rhongomiant, and put everything I got in that last attack, so why, why it didn't work?! **WHY**?!

...

...

It's because I'm **weak**; right?

Yes, this is the only reason possible. I had everything on my hands, but... The only thing that left was power. Just like that time with Rina, who died once because we lost the Rating Game, and almost lost her whole self, and that time with Annie, where she escaped my grasp because I couldn't reach for her, and that time against Miyama, where Nemesis-san almost died because I couldn't deal the finishing blow, and that time with Julia-chan and Nina-chan's father, if I were stronger, maybe I would endure his blow, and explain myself so they wouldn't have to go away...

I'm weak... So weak... I don't deserve to have the Boosted Gear, or be called Senpai's legacy. I don't even think... Existing is fair for me at all if I can't even protect those who count on me in the last minute... If I were senpai, I would probably come around this, and fight Evelyn with everything, but no, I'm just... Me. The one who fails at the worst times, the one who can't do things right, the little and useless Tsukino Ichijou...

"I-Ichijou..." Something, someone, snapped me back from my stupor, and when I knew best, I was back to the classroom inside my mind, where everything was white and ordered. Was that... Yagura? I turned around, the correction where I heard that voice, and gasped in horror: right in front of me, there was Yagura, her whole clothes a mess, and she was bleeding everywhere, one of her arms bend in a horrific way and blood mixing with her own Crimson hair! What the...?! What's that?! "Yagura, what the hell happened to you?! Why are yo-...?!"

"Get down, Ichijou!" However, she acted first and pushed me away. Just in time, as the classroom suddenly Bursted in flames and one of the walls was completely trashed by a giant, demonic version of the Scale Mail armor! I wasn't understanding a thing, but the redhead soon picked me and began to run away from it! What's going on! "No! I won't it take you away... I won't let it!"

***DOOOOOON!***

"Kaaaah!" I heard the sound of something cracking, and blinking back to her, I saw that she was shielding me with her own body against a direct hit from that demonic armor! The impact, however, was too much for us, and sent us flying off the window! Like a jet, we flew a few miles, and end up landing on the floor, rolling around due to the momentum we were in and finally stopping! I was the first to stand up in that warren land, that looked more like a ground zero of a disaster with a sick Crimson sky above, and walked towards Yagura, who wasn't moving at all!

"**YAGURA**...!" I called for her name, and fortunately she reacted to it, slowly standing up on her arms. However, the entire earth trembled as that dragon landed right on our side, making me trip and fall on top of her! "S-Shit... W-What now?!"

***ROOOOOOAAAAAR...!***

"No, you can't have him! Go away!" However, she jumped from her place faster than I and opened her arms in front of her creature, as she was going to shield me from it! That monster roared a sick and deranged cry once more, but that didn't faze her in the slightest, who turned to me. "Ichijou; run away! I'll explain this to you later, but run! As fast as you can!"

"..." My word froze, it completely froze. Was it fear? Was it despair? I couldn't tell, the only thing I was sure was that I couldn't move. What was that thing? Where was the welsh dragon? Yagura is trying to protect me from it, yet... I don't feel like running now. I know it must be dangerous, but there's something so... Enticing coming from that monster. I gulped down, looking directly at it's green eyes, and said. "**No**."

"...?!" Yagura looked at me with horror; but I didn't react to that. I started to walk towards the creature, as of suddenly stopped it's movement and acts and looked directly at my soul, like it was reading my very mind.

"Hey, you. Do you... Do you want me? Do you want me to cause destruction?" I asked. That nothing said, only opened it's mouth; full of shining scary fangs, and oozed from it a black steam,drooling rolling out of it. Yes, I get it, it wants my body for something, and if this thing is what caused this much mess... Maybe, just maybe. "Okay, you can have! But promise me... You'll help Aria-nee and the others..."

***ROOOOOAAAAAAR...!***

"Ichijou, what are you saying?!" I felt something tugging my arm, and turning around, I saw it was Yagura, bleeding all over the place, holding me in place. I pushed her away, and she fell on the ground, no longer having the energy to stand up. "Stop! Ichijou's you don't understand! That thing... Will kill you! If you let it take control of your body, there's a chance you won't...!"

"Yagura, I don't care!" I screamed back at her! "I know this feeling just by looking at this Crimson monster, but I can heard it, and it's promising me power! With this power, I can save everyone, Yagura! I don't care what happens to me as long as I can at least do things right for once!"

"**YOU WILL DIE! WHERE'S THE RIGHT THING IN THAT?**!" She screamed back. After that one, all of her forces died, and she became a crying mess, sobbing on the floor and holding tightly her ground on her feet. "Don't do it, please... Dad already did that... So that everyone could live in peace. You don't have... You don't have to do this, Ichijou..."

"Sorry, Yagura... But I want to... I want to feel powerful and useful, just... Just this once." I said, and she lowered her head, tears marking the floor. I took a deep breath, and turned to the monster that was now just looking at us, as it was mocking Yagura and, at the same time, congratulating me. I dunno, but I can feel the venom coming down from that single stare. "So... What are you waiting for? Give me power, and I'll let you wreck stuff back!"

***ROOOOOOAR!***

"But if I come back from this alive, and see that you didn't keep you part of the promise... I'll **rip** you and **destroy** you myself...!"

***ROAR!***

**[I, WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN...]**

**[AM THE HEAVENLY DRAGON WHO WILL ANNIHILATE THE GIFT OF LIFE AND LIGHT GIVEN BY GOD.]**

As it was mocking me again, I think I heard a laugh coming from the helmet of that thing, but I think it was just my imagination. Without more resistance, I let myself be picked by tha monster, as he held me between his claws like I was some kind of toy. Just by touching it, I could feel how much power it had, power... That soon would be mine...

**[I WILL CRUSH THE DREAM, AND RIP THE INFINITE TO NAUGHT...]**

**[I SHALL BECOME THE RED DRAGON OF DOMINATION!]**

"Ichijou... No... Please..." As the monster opened it's mouth and was ready to consume my entire being, I heard Yagura's lasts pleas for help, but I couldn't look at her. I'm sorry Yagura...

**[AND I SHALL BURN YOU WITH THE FLAMES OF THE CRIMSON HELL!]**

But if it means do something right for once, I'm willing to become a monster.

**[JUGGERNAUT DRIV-...!]**

_'My, would Aria-san and the others be happy to hear you to say such cruel things?'_

"Huh...?"

***PAFT!***

...

W-What happened? The moment I closed my eyes, the world seemed that was going to end and swallow me whole, but instead... I feel calm. I can no longer hear that monster holding me, but instead someone slapped both my cheeks and is now holding me by it.

"W-What...?" I slowly opened my eyes, and for some reason, now I was standing right in the middle of a green, large and sunny garden, a tree covering part of the sun's lights, and the only sound I can hear is the blow of the wind. However, my eyes soon landed on a single thing: a tall, serene and extremely beautiful young woman who was holding my cheeks between her palms, wearing a white tunic with golden crosses all over it, looking at me with blue serene eyes while her whitish blue hair blew on the wind's direction. Moreover, I can't feel anything from her crosses, I was at peace. "A-Ah...! Who... Who are you?"

"Have you... Wake up from your nightmare; sekiryuutei?" She smiled and giggled. Letting go of my face to tangle her fingers and lower her arms, only now I noticed that she was wearing cuffs on her wrists. I reacted with a jump, and stepped a few ones away from her.

"Ah! W-Who are you?" I asked once again, and once again she laughed at my expenses. No matter how beautiful she is, this is still too trait for me! I don't trust her!

"Heheh, so awkward, but that's your usual response to someone pretty isn't it? I feel blessed." She laughed. Wait, did she just read my mind?! I might be a little paranoid; but this onee-san just shown out of nowhere, so anything is possible! "You can say that... I'm your guardian angel."

"My guardian angel?" I said, crossing my arms and frowning. Eh, no, that one I don't buy. The said Angel apparently could read my body language, as an awkward laugh escaped her rosy lips and she scratched her cheek with a finger.

"Eheheh, not a very good explanation, right? Okay, let me try again: I was the **spirit** residing inside Rhongomiant. My name is **Ophelia**, and I'm an **angel**."

"...?" Rhongomiant? I snapped my fingers in realization. Yes, Rhongomiant did break during my spar with Evelyn, but to think there was a spirit inside of it... Well, it's the best explanation I got so far, so I'll just nod and wait for the best. However, that name, Ophelia, didn't sound strange for me... I jumped away from her and took a fighting stance! "**Ophelia**... You're that bastard **Miyama's mother**! The angel Ophelia!"

"Yes, that is correct. Or rather, I were." She spoke, her pretty features souring a little as her smile turned into a melancholic one. I were still holding a battle pose for anything she has against me, but only by looking in her eyes, I could see she wasn't in the mood for anything. A small tear escaped her one of her eyes. "Yes, I'm Ophelia, and in life, I had a husband named Miyama Enma, and a son Named Miyama Rei. Was because of such transgression against the singularity and my brothers and sisters in heaven that I was searched for and killed by them with the help of the Devil King Lucifer. Since then, My soul transferred inside the very thing that took my life, and so I've lived inside of it this entire time."

"So... You're really Miyama's mother. And you were sealed inside Rhongomiant since then." I muttered under my breath, looking back at her and her melancholic smile. Even if it's true and she's an angel, strangely I can't feel any kind of animosity coming from her. If anything, I can only feel sadness and love coming from her. Reason soon reached my head, and I jumped again, coming closer to her! "I don't care about that! Where is this place?! What happened?! Where's that dragon?! Tell me! What happened!"

"Oh, how rude." She spoke softly. I don't care if I'm being rude, Aria-san and the others might be dying right now! I have to do something! Please, I want power! "Ah! I think you're referring to that dragon. Don't worry, I vanished it away for you. It might take a while; but it won't recompose itself so soon."

"...!"

"Ichijou...?"

"WHY YOU...!" I was this close, this close to snap again, as I pulled her by the collar of her tunic and prepared a punch right in the middle of that pretty face...! But... I couldn't do it... I mean, what's the point now? That won't... Bring that back, ever, nor will make me stronger or feel better; they'll still gonna die. I lowered my fists, sinking into her cleavage. "It doesn't matter... It doesn't matter anymore... I won't be able to get stronger... And save everyone..."

"Ichijou, that thing would've killed you. It was enough to activate a completely transformation, and you wouldn't be able to come back."

"I... Don't care. If this means defeating Evelyn and save everyone, I don't care if I die or live... I just want them safe, and atone for my own weak self." I said, gripping tighter on her tunic, and she began to ruffle my hair. No mater what she does, it won't ever comfort me. This is the end.

"What a mean thing to say." She spoke in a soft tone, as I turned my frown up and looked at her serene eyes. "Do you think those people would be happy to hear that? That Aria-San and the others would be happy to hear you saying it's okay to die?"

"I don't care. I'm weak, and because of that... They almost died. If just for this occasion, I can save everyone, it'll be okay to die. It's not like I did much from up to this point... I'm weak."

"Yes, we're all weak. And do you know why? We need others to live, but that what makes life enjoyable, it what makes being weak enjoyable, with so many of us." She spoke, pushing me even further into her cleavage, and I could only grunt. What does she want? Is she stupid? Those stock words and cliches died a long time ago for me. "Okay, let's do it like that. Can you repeat that in your mind? Take a deep breath, think and repeat those words in your mind..."

"..."

What is that about? Think about what? And repeat that inside my mind? She's probably stupid, which is understandable since she said she's Miyama's mother. Aaaaah, what Am I doing? If this means getting stronger, I don't mind if I live or d-...

...

...

_'Master!'_

_'Izuki~!'_

_'Heads up, Tsukino-kun!'_

_'Yahoo~, Ichijou-kun~!'_

I doN't care if I live...

_'Ddraig!'_

_'S'up, bro!'_

_'Tsukino Ichijou...'_

_'Hey there, Ichijou-kun!'_

_' 'Ichijou-niichan!' '_

_'Ichijou-nyan!'_

_'Ikkun!'_

_'Ichi-jo-u-san!'_

_**'[PARTNER!]'**_

_**'[Ichijou!]'**_

I... I don't... I don't care...

_'Ichijou...!'_

_'Ikkun.'_

_'Rejoice, brother of mine!'_

_'Bro...'_

_'My little Ichijou...'_

I... I don't... I don't...

_'Ichijou-san!'_

_'Hong Long!'_

_'Tsukino-chin~!'_

_'Red!'_

_'Darling!'_

_'Ichijou!'_

I... I... I...

_'Hey, Ichijou...'_

_'Let's play again!'_

...

...

...

I...

***DRIP! DRIP!***

I...

I...

"Uuuuh... Uuuuuh~... **Uuuuuuuh**...!"

"..."

"I... I don't want to die~... I care... I care..." What's happening to me? My chest hurts, and I can't say that not even in my mind. What is this, this warm feeling inside my heart, it has been so much... Since I last felt like that. My vision was all blurry, and I wanted someone to hug me, which Ophelia-san just did that. This is so weird~!

"Yes, I can feel it. Ever since you started to use me, I could feel all the emotions you felt during your battles, I could connect my heart to yours, and everyone around you." She spoke, holding me closer to her heart and ruffling my hair. I could only wet her clothes and pull me closer to her. "And the only things I felt... Were love, passion and altruism. You want to protect the people you love, you want to make your senpai and others proud of you, you want to guard your Senpai's legacy, that's why you fight."

"..."

"For that, don't ever say you want to die again, because then protecting them would be pointless. They want you to live, and have fun with you. If you die, they'll be sad." She spoke, making me look back at her. Her eyes are so serene and relaxing, I could feel myself almost sinking into her, or maybe it's her big boobs, that work too. In the end, she kissed my forehead, and touched mines with hers. "So, for the sake of everyone that loves you; and everyone that you love, never say those mean things, ever again."

The only thing I could do was to nod. Would I be able to think like that a few months ago? Would I be so hesitant to say that a few months ago? I think... Yes, I would, because there's still people I cherish. What was I thinking back then? Although... I can't say only this one... I think I'm... **Pretty well-loved**...

It feels good.

"Yeah... You're right; Ophelia-san." I sighed, taking a step back away from her and looking at her eyes. Yeah, she's right, I shouldn't be saying those out loud, and now I feel bad. However, again that arrow pierced my head. "B-But... How about Evelyn, and the others?! I need something, anything to stop her, or else she'll... She'll...!"

"Huuuum~, that is tricky, indeed. But I think I have the right answer." Ophelia-san smiled, and snapped her fingers, blinking a few times and turning around the tree right next to us. "But I think I'll need some help over here. Don't you think, Yagura?"

"...?!" My heart froze the moment I heard that name, and yes, appearing from behind that tree, it was Yagura Gremory, the daughter of the previous sekiryuutei, arms crossed and eyes closed, oozing an uneasy aura and with a frown that could only speak 'murder'. I began to cold-sweat, even more now that she came closer to us. We stared at each for a few seconds, no words between us. What to say... Now? "Ah... Hey, Yagura."

"..." Nothing, figures. I sighed, and gathering all my courage, I took a deep breath to look back at her, and try to bow to her.

"Yagura... I... I'm so sorr-...!"

***SLAP!***

"Ow...!" But before I could even finish my apology, she came closer and slapped the bitch out of me! Okay, that I deserve! However, in the next second, she hugged me, tightly, as tears began to run down her eyes. What... Uh, what?

"You jerk! You should be!" She screamed next to my ear, which began to ring and ring. I think I deserve that too. However, she started to tremble, and tightened our hug. Her voice was now a trembling whisper. "And I'm sorry... For not protecting you. You don't deserve that, no one does. Next time... I'll help you with those issues of yours, I promised."

"..." I couldn't do a thing to that, I couldn't say a thing to that, so I only hugged her back, sharing energy and warmth with that contact. She's so warm. "Yeah, next time. We'll do this... Together."

"Yeah, together." We parted our hug and turned now to Ophelia-san, who came closer to us. Yagura, frowning a little and oozing some black aura, then said. "Well, what's the plan, angel?"

"I was about to touch upon that, Gremory." Ophelia-san said, reaching closer and now extending one of her arms for us. Her hand began to emit a bright silver glow. "Now, put your hands above mine, and we'll be able to share our energy and transferred it to Ichijou. I'll also try to heal his wounds with it, and don't worry, I can control the right amount without harming his physical body."

"What about the swords?" I said, extending my own hand for her, yet hesitantly. Yagura sighed, and seeing there was no other way, extended her own to touch the back of Ophelia-san's hand. I touched on Yagura's, and Ophelia-san smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll also leave a... Gift for you back in the real world, Ichijou." She smiled serenely, and I could feel my cheeks burn up and blush! Before I could say anything, an enormous shadow covered all the area around and, looking up, I saw it was a giant Crimson claw. "Ohoh? Are you in as well, welsh dragon?"

**[BUT OF COURSE, ANGEL. A DRAGON WONT EVER FORGIVE SOMEONE WHO SHAMED HIM IN A BATTLE.]** Said the welsh dragon in his strong, hoarse voice, hovering his hand above us, moving a few meters away to shine his green eyes at us.** [LET US SHOW THE DAUGHTER OF THE MORNING STAR THAT, EVEN IF SHE CAN MIMICKED THE WHITE ONE'S ABILITY, SHE WON'T EVER BE ABLE TO DEFEAT THE REAL RED ONE WITH IT. ARE YOU WITH ME, TSUKINO ICHIJOU?!]**

"Y-Yeah... Yeah! We'll show her, partner!" I nodded, mixed between embarrassment yet pride, and soon enough, a Crimson aura began to be emitted from our bodies, and concentrate on top of our hands in a small ball of energy, suddenly, turning back into dust bright as stardust of energy, as it began to run all over my body! In the end, my whole body was now shining in a bright Crimson aura, and Ophelia-san smiled even brighter.

"This is... My ability, Tsukino Ichijou. Our hearts as one, now it belongs to you." She smiled and giggled. Suddenly, the whole place began to tremble, and little by little, a bright light began to take over my vision, as sleepiness started to creep around me. Well, at least she didn't kiss me. I held my left hand tighter, and nodded to the figures that were still visible inside the blinding lights. "Good luck, Tsukino Ichijou. And remember, live for yourself... And the ones who love you."

...

"**Yeah**."

And then, blankness...

.

~~x~~

.

"Dragon... Airi...?"

"C'mon, Evelyn! I can do this all day... Huff, huff... Those wounds... Mean nothin-...!"

***DOOOOOOON!***

Okay, what now?! I've been sparring with the literal spawn of Lucifer for a long time now, Yuno and Basara out of commission, and Akio, Nashiro and Xion running out of energies to face her. Now, out of nowhere, a pillar of dark and Crimson lights emerged out of nowhere, exploding from the ground up to the unseen ceiling. Out of instinct, I turned to that direction, and once that dense, malevolent and strong aura cleaned up, I saw something... No, someone.

"Ichijou...?" Yeah, and there he was, my one bro, the current sekiryuutei, in the middle of that pool of energy, holding both the grips of his broken swords, and standing all tall and mighty there, his Boosted Gear now reaching all over his arm, and the bleeding on his chest stopping. What is that? Even from here, I don't know, I can feel how dense the area around here is.

"Red... Dragon..." And again I froze in place hearing Evelyn's voice. Oh no, not again! I turned to her direction, but it was too late, the only thing left there was a small blow of dust, as the silver flash crossed all the way to Ichijou! Shit! If she hits her when he's in that state, he won't...!

"Ichijou, run away!" I said, trying and failing to also reach machspeed! My body was at it's limit, and brute moves were out of question. I tried, but ended up tripping and falling on the ground! Shit! I turned back there and he wasn't moving! Evelyn's too fast for him to react! "Bro, run away! JUST RUN AWAY!"

"**RED DRAGOOOOOOOON**...!" Evelyn's screamed crossed the entire place, reaching my ears and almost ripping my soul; and Ichijou was still standing still on the ground, his bangs hiding his face as the only movement he was doin was to make both of his hands, and the grips of his broken swords, get closer and closer. In the end, Yagura got closer to him first and was ready to rip him apart! If only I could...! "DRAGON...!"

"Ichijou...!"

**[PENETRATE!]**

***SLASH!***

...

...

What just happened?

I was reaching my hand for the distressed Ichijou, who were about to be sliced in half, but in another second... There he was, right in front of me. It wasn't even a second, it was less than that, he simply bypassed Evelyn, and in another second, here he was.

My mind then recalled what happened in the split second, in that split of nano-seconds: when Ichijou finally touched both the grips of Ascalon and Rhongomiant, a bright light took over both of his broken weapons, and without any warning, he pulled that shine shaped like a sword and... There he is.

"Ah... Ah... Ah...?!" I tilted my head to a side, and Evelyn, who just a moment ago was a frenzy monster ready to fight, stopped on her tracks in that same spot, as she was shocked about something, other than the fact that Ichijou disappeared from her line of sight and, even so, she didn't try to search for him or anything, she just... Stopped. Then...

***VOOOOOOSH...!***

***SLASH!***

"G-Gwa-...!"

***DOOOOOOOOON...!***

**"GWAAAAAAAAAAH!**" It happened. In a instant, the barrier that was covering Evelyn this whole time and preventing us to even harm her vanished like dust in an instant, leaving nothing but shining sand of energy, in the next instant, a diagonal cut slashed the white dragon's chest, drawing blood and making her react in pain. However, before she could even do that, a slashing sound crossed the entire area from the point Ichijou were, across Evelyn, up to right in front of me, and suddenly, a path of destruction was created, wracking everything in it's way, including the white dragon spawn, crushed like an insect on the ground! That was... Amazing. All in such a instant... I can't even... I turned back at bro to gaze upon him, noticing something: from behind his bangs, I could see...

One of his eyes shining golden, and the other, in deep blue.

"B-Bro... Is that you?" I said to him. For a moment, silence, and when he was about to open his mouth, suddenly he collapse right on top of me! Ah! What the hell?! I quickly held him upwards to look at me, but for now, he was unconscious. "A-Ah...! Bro! Wake up! Don't you die on me! Don't you die on me, you idio-...!"

"Ugh, shut up, you're too loud, Aria-nee." I stopped my shakings hearing his voice, and now I moved him so that our eyes were crossing each other's gazes. His eyes returned to his normal green ones in that same frown of his, and suddenly, my vision began to blur. It's really him! Holy shit... I'm so... I'm so... "Hhh... Aria-nee, are you crying?"

"Ichijou... I... I...!"

***PUSH!***

"Nii-chan!/Ichijou-nii!" And there goes it's moment. Maybe it's divine punishment for grandma to be known as a massive cockblocker, but the moment I was about to say something, Nashiro-than and Xion pushed me away and practically dived into him! Man, that's a cheap shot! "Are you hurtc nyan?!/ we thought you were dead, bro!/ how's your wounds, nyan?!/ Does it hurt anywhere?! / Take off your clothes so that we can see the damages, nyan!"

"W-Whoa! Calm down you two! H-Hey, watch that hand, N-Nashiro-**saAAAAAAAH**...!" And in a total 180° of the total chaos and despair that was happening up to this point, Nashiro and Xion forcibly ripped Ichijou's shirt open to look at his wounds. That change of mood was so sudden and unexpected, I couldn't help but to laugh, standing up from the ground to take a better look at the three on the floor probably committing a crime or something. The fun stopped the moment we saw that: Ichijou's wounds were all healed, even the big one, and the only thing left was an 'X' shaped scar there, which was... Pretty sweet, badass. "Ah, man. Mom'll definitely ask questions..."

"W-Wow. A wound from a dragon-slayer, to be healed at this rate like this, nyan... And to cause such destruction, too, nyan~." Nashiro-chan was bewailed, looking back and forth on Ichijou's scar across his chest and the defeated Evelyn crushed under the wrack behind them, with Ichijou pushing her hand away when she would get... Too comfortable. Even I can't believe in such, despite the fact I can't stand also a dragon-slayer. What the hell happened with Ichijou? Was it the Boosted gear? Or something else? Akio, who was checking on Evelyn, or the rest of her at least, soon flew over us with a big grin on her face.

"Yare, yare. There is goes the sekiryuutei again, pulling things out of his behind on the nick of time. I must say... I'm impressed." Akio's expression softened now in a gentle smile, looking at Ichijou with curious eyes, while the others were hugging him protectively. The priestess of lightning then pointed her finger at him, or rather, one of his hands, and we all turned for there. "Not to mention, that new sword of yours, I wonder if it has anything to do with it."

Yes. Akio was right. We were so scared about Ichijou, we didn't even notice the thing he used to cut down Evelyn: it was just one sword, and it wasn't Ascalon, nor Rhongomiant, but a new sword: it had the shape of a giant khyber knife with a slightly curved tip and with only one edge, the blade was cobalt blue with a smaller silver blade intersected within, and the guardless grip had the form of a katana's, with two set of chains coming from the blade and, for some reason, attached to the Boosted Gear. It was a completely new sword, but the most exquisite aspect about it was the fact it had no presence or aura! Nor dragonic, nor dragon-slaying, nor demonic, nor holy, it was... Simply there, like it was a simple insignificant object. A sword with traits of both Ascalon and Rhongomiant mashed together, with no presence whatsoever, but that cut down the Daughter of the morning star like butter and wracked the entire place...

Holy crap, bro. What the hell happened to you?

"Y-Yeah... Uh... I think the Boosted Gear helped me to create this with the other swords... Or something, ehehe..." He tried to laugh it off, but then he bit his lips between them, and I already could see he was hiding something. But, since he's alive, maybe I can ignore it... For now. In the end, Ichijou sighed. "I just hope... The church nor Nero-san will come for my ass for that."

"Nah, I think they'll be cool with it." I said with a handwave, and everyone laughed it off.

Soon enough, Nashiro went around to pour the Phenex tear on our fallen comrades, as Akio called Beelzebub-sama for help in order to take Evelyn off the crater. In the end, we were all good, and Ichijou spent this entire time looking at his new sword. Hahah, can't blame him. I approached him with a pat on the back, also looking at his new weapon...

"Nice sword by the way, bro." I said. He turned to me and grinned, making the tip of the blade point at the ceilings above. "Any name for it yet? I mean, those things need names for... Whatever reason."

He put his hand on his chin in a thinking pose for a few seconds, brooded for a second, and then opened a smile, his eyes shining brightly, reflecting the sword's own...

"I'll call it **Ix**!"

**Ix**, eh? I wonder why...

It does sound cool, though...

* * *

**And in the end, there's this small shoutout. This chapter, was a blast to write. Remember when Ichijou began only to undersdtand others when he picked rhongomiant? Well, aside from character development, it was all because of ophelia who ever since was inside of it... Tada~! Hahah But yeah, thanks for reading up to this point, from here or since chapter one, and I hope we can all reach for another year~! Yay!**

**Now i'm starting to sound like a mangaka, what a letdown...**

**NOTE: In case someone is wondering, Ix is more or less based on Ichigo's new(the last) bankai Tensa Zangetsu colour-swapped. and yes it was named after Ix Gremory. I know some translations text it as "Ex Gremory", but not only "Ix" sounds cooler, it's also a pun.**

**Ya see, the "Ichi" in Ichijou means "One"(一) and Ya(gura) can be translate as "eight (八). Ix has their powers, combined, so "One"(ichi) plus "eight"(Ya), equals Nine(IX in roman numbers). D was out since, well, calling a sword "DIX" would be embarassing a little..**

**Well, with nothing more to say, thnaks for the reading, have a nice day and stay golden~! Hope for a new year of DxD: R.**


	65. Nice to meet you again

**S'up dxd fandom. Ready for season 4? In the meantime, I'm starting to get a hang out of this story. This chapter might've ended up kinda too convoluted, but this will end for now, too many plotd happening at the same time, but I'll try to stay focused in a single group for nopw on... I'll at least try. Give me power, fandom!**

**As always, dxd doesn'r belong to me.**

* * *

Ah, nothing beats a family dinner in such warm night after a few days of work. I know a few members are missing, but just having some of them around, sitting in the same table, sharing the same meal and talking away their problems while enjoying each other's company. Thank goodness all of my daughters are such cuties to prepare a hotpot dinner for my return. This scenario couldn't be better...

I mean, it'd be perfect if it wasn't for this **TENSION** between the members present!

As for once, there was no peace during a dinner in the Tsukino household. Despite the silence between them, there was an enormous tension between my daughter, my step-daughters, Yoko-chan and that silver-haired girl who just pulled a chair and began to munch on the crab in the hotpot. I can only assume she's one of Ichijou's ever-growing harem of strange girls. I didn't want to say this, but I think this house is too small for all of us...

"Can you pass me the spoon, _Shyokou_-chan?" What?

"What did you say?!"

"Can you pass me the spoon, Yoko-chan?" Satsuki was the first to break the silence in an unusual way, but Yoko-chan practically murdered it with that exclamation towards the former. The eldest daughter did not change her expression, only eyed the trembling foxy girl from the corner of her gaze, picking the spoon herself to put it on her bowl. "Seriously, you should calm down a little, Yoko-chan. Get your pants down."

"What?!"

"Get rid of that frown." And the rest of them snickered to the pouting Yoko-chan, her face shining in bright red for some reason. Huh~... Really, I think I'm losing my appetite with this tension, but as a mother... And step-mother, I can't let myself dive too deep into my children's business. Just let them solve their problems themselves.

"So... Hey, I don't remember seeing you around, are you friends with Yoko-chan and Ichijou?" To divert the previous tension between Yoko-chan and the sisters, I instead turned my attention to that white-haired cute girl sitting next to me. Her golden eyes turned to me, and she bowed a little with a smile.

"Yep, nyan! My name is **Ginko**, and I'm Ichijou-nyan's fellow servan-...!" ***PASH!*,** before she could even finish her sentence, a flying chopstick cut all the distance between her and Yoko-chan and stabbed Ginko-chan in the forehead! It was just a scare, but she turned to see Yoko-chan and, after I dunno, a brainwave conversation, she turned back to me. "I mean... I'm a friend of Berolina-nyan's, nyan! I'm from a different school, but we hang around, nyan!"

"I see. Nice to meet you then, Ginko-chan." I said to her with also a bow, she I heard a giggle coming from her. Cute, but I think Ichijou needs a stronger woman in his life, otherwise that'll end up creepy. "My name is... Tsukino... Anzu, so... Nice to meet you."

"Yep, nyan. Nice to meet you too, mama Anzu."

"Just call me 'auntie', please." I sighed for that again. When it's not my name, it's this whole 'mama' thing. I picked another spoonful from the hotpot, and ate the meat in it. Delicious as always. I wonder if Rina-chan and the others are eating well. "So... Ginko-chan, is your school near Kuoh academy for you to be friends with Rina-chan?"

"Don't you mean '_Shi-Kuoh_' academy since Yoko-chan studies there, old hag?"

***SPLASH!***

"Gyaaaah! Sonnavabitch!" And out of nowhere Yoko-chan exploded and used the spoon to splash some soup on Futaba! My daughter screamed, got rid of the soup and turned to Yoko-chan, who was equally pissed! "What the hell, Yoko-chan?! You wanna go?! YOU WANNA GO?!"

"Cease thy useless mockery, Futaba-san! Your level of ridicule is deeply enraging me!" Said the blonde with an equally pissed expression, her golden eye starting to ominously shine a little too much.

"The words coming from your mouth loses all novelty when one notices they're coming from you, Akabane Yoko."

"Look who's talking, Minatsu-san! You faker! Shallow-cultured Smartass!"

"Okay! Just stop, all of you!" I couldn't hold it anymore, someone needs to step up and stop those arguments! I slammed both my hands on the table to call for their attention, and once I succeeded in that, I pointed at every single one of them. "Dinner is a sacred hour, so whatever happened between you all, just stop at least for now, or ask to leave the table to solve it elsewhere!"

"They're the one who started!" Yoko-chan pouted, again receiving poisonous looks from the others, who turned back to me after I grunted loudly.

"I don't care who started what! I just want to have a normal dinner, so if there's another issue, you all solve it elsewhere!"

"Oh~, we can always try to solve it here, right?" And then Shion's voice reached the table, and out of nowhere, all the colours in Yoko-chan's face disappeared as she turned to the second eldest daughter. Oh, there she goes again, the daughter of the affair, will probably say something that will sink Yoko-chan even lower. "I mean, mama is here, and she's way older than any of us, which means she has even more experience to share and even solve our own issues. What do you guys think? Yoko-chan?"

"..." I'll ignore for now that Shion just indirectly called me an old hag, and turned my eyes to Yoko-chan who just now became the center of all attentions. The foxy girl, on the other hand, stayed quiet for the entire time, sweating buckets and trembling a little. Shion smiled, and sighed between her lips.

"Yoko-chan~, if you don't tell mom, as a dutiful big sister, I'll have to tell her for you~." It was just for a second, but I saw a chilling golden stare reflect on Yoko-chan's exposed eye, which froze the blood in my veins for a second. I think it was just my imagination, since she blinked yet again, moaned something I could hear and, finally, lifted her little blond head to face us, pouting and turning her eye elsewhere that wasn't here.

"I... I..." She inflated her cheeks like a blowfish, her cheeks burning brightly and then she bit her lower lips, like Ichijou would. "I was exposed in the middle of the act of fantasying by eldest sister Satsuki..."

"Oh, Satsuki caught you masturbating?" And then ***BAM!***, Yoko-chan kissed the table with a loud thump, now crying unconsoled there. Never thought I'd be using my training in archaic words for that moment, but eh, I have what I got. So Satsuki caught her with her panties down and told everybody. Ah youth, maybe I am getting too old for that.

"I gotta say, never thought she would be doing this, the nerve... Thinking about Ichijou too, nonetheless." Satsuki lifted one of her fingers and pointed her index one to the blond girl, who turned back her eyes to the eldest daughter with the mimicked frown. "From now on, we gotta be careful with one of our eldest tenant and our brother, since apparently the hormones are speaking louder now."

"Oh; you guys are the one to talk! As if I'm the only one who does that!" Said Yoko-chan pointing at everyone here except me. Uuuuh~, this is not exactly how I picture us solving this problem, and this is a really uncomfortable matter for dinner time, not that Ginko-chan seems bothered, since she continued to eat the hotpot while everyone was screaming at each other.

"You might be correct, but it is thou we art talking about, Alabane Yoko!" Minatsu stepped on her game eating another piece of crab pincer and pointing one finger with her chopstick hands. "All mighty and proper, with that little nose in the air, thinking yourself to be more refined and clean than us! At least have the courage to admit that you like to touch yourself thinking about that brother of ours! Otherwise you're just like those idols with apparent purity who are actually backstage sluts!"

"Tch...!" And Yoko-chan actually backed up a little with that statement, while the others just returned for the normal dinner, yet still arrowing her with small contemptuous side-glances. In the end, I think she gave up due to the numerical disadvantage, lowered her hear and put her hands together in a prayer stance. Not that much, but eh? "Right, fine. I touch myself thinking about Ichijou! Please stop with that and don't say anything to him! I'm really starting to create a relationship with him! Don't let this ruin it all!"

So... She touches herself thinking about Ichijou. So is youth, so is youth, I won't lie saying I wasn't like that during highschool. Yet, to straight up admit it in front of everyone and ask so that we won't tell anybody at all so that they can start a relationship... That's kinda novel. I like it, she's a great friend for Ichijou, and I can hope the best for them.

"Right, Yoko-chan. I promise that no one here will ever speak of this again." My statement actually draw attention from everybody here, as they all seen startled for a second and were about to say something. However, I hit my hand on the table, and sharpened my frown. "No one here will touch that subject ever again. That's an order, was I clear?"

"..." And they all said nothing, although from their body language, I could see none of them were happy about it, either my mischievous or simply jealous of such quick better judgement of mine. Yoko-chan, however, lifted her eye for me and smile warmly, nodding and wordlessly saying 'thank you'. Yep, she's a good girl. Still. "But we need to talk about some orders here, young lady. Next time, lock the door, and muffle the sounds. We don't want everyone getting on like that."

"..." And then she pouted, but lowered her head, gave me a weak smile and nodded. Yeah, that's going smooth. Good for her. "I understand. Thank you, and forgive me, mother."

"Good. Thank you, Yoko-chan."

In the end, we continued our dinner without any repercussions, and despite my composed face, I was mentally exhausted, sighing internally and out of breath. Man; can't believe that; even with the link between all of the Tsukino siblings, his friends would still cause trouble around here. C'est la vie, I think...

"Nyahahahn~! Ichijou-nyan's house and family are so lively, nyan!" Said Ginko-chan again breaking the silence and taking another bite from the fried tofu on the hotpot. "I might get use to this place, nyan~!"

Yeah. I think I'm finally getting the hang of being a good mother... And step-mother of five siblings. The rest of dinner ran smoothly like before, and as it should be...

Again; this hotpot is delicious~.

**.**

**~~x~~**

**.**

"Ichijou, Ichijou, the sekiryuutei of this generation. I'm starting to think that, as a good future son-in-law, you're doing this just to enrage me." And here I am, laying on a hospital bed, wrapped to the core in bandages while neon lights were showing everywhere around me, my newest sword Ix resting right beside me, and with several seals and runes hovering around my own Boosted Gear, making some strange noises. Sitting next to me, touching her own rune, was the chief advisor of the Research department of the underworld and one of the strongest Devils alive, Mary Beelzebub, alternating between her own research and myself. Never thought I'd be visiting the Phenex manor like that. "Am I correct about it?"

"Uh~... No?" I hesitantly said, the lights from the runes around me dying off and then the lights of the research room itself, a large, boring and white room with just a few gadgets, a chair and a hospital bed, turning on instead. I put myself sit on the bed, stretching myself a little there. "So... Is there something wrong with me, or my sacred gear for that matter?"

"As much I would love to say 'yes', being a doctor, I can only say that you couldn't be better." She said in her own monotone voice, looking through some papers on her desk. Wow, that's actually pretty cool, if I knew what that means in context. She turned to me, picked me by my left arm and snapped her fingers, making all the seals and runes hovering around it disappear into the wind. After that, she picked my hand and took a closer look on my fingers, which freaked me out a little. "But there's something bugging me about this hand of yours, and I'm not talking about the Boosted Gear... Mostly. Tell me, have you felt somehow too tired after one of your encounters or ever thought that you're using too much energy during your fights? Better yet, have you already felt that you're wasting energy?"

"Huh~..." I guess, I mean... All the times I use my Balance Breaker, it holds my heart like if its squeezing it, not in a good way, despite the fact it shouldn't work if my level of power is below the necessary to maintain it. I always thought it was because of Yagura lending me some of her power, and the aftermath being my body finally giving up on the whole explosion of energy, like anaerobic exercises, but now that she mentioned it... "Uh... Well, my Boosted Gear is tricky, so maybe it's because I'm always so excited during fights... And the adrenaline wearing off returning my body back to normal."

"I'm not surprised that you didn't notice. The truth behind it is because of this." Instead of a straight answer, Beelzebub-sensei turned my hand around to show me **bite marks** on my index and middle fingers, which were shining a little and only now I noticed it were oozing something like steam. What the hell? Wasn't there where Yoko bit me back back in April? "There's a small disruption on your magical circuits right here, on your fingers, more like a open wound where demonic energy is oozing from. Do you have any recollection of what might've caused this?"

"Ah... Those? Really?" I said back, looking at the fox bite marks there. Come to think of it, Yoko did say she disrupted my flow of demonic power for me to do magic stuff. It doesn't hurt, and I thought we'd never touch this subject again. "Those... I gained those back in April, when I was starting my life as a devil. My youkai girlfrien-... Girl friend bit me there saying she was going to 'disrupt my flow of energy' for me to do some magic or something."

"So that was the case. I ignored it since you were a rookie still getting control over your demonic power at the time, but now I see this is the cause of such dissonance between your current power and your control over it." She spoke. Beelzebub-sensei then picked a pair of small bandages from her coat and wrapped them around those two fingers. I saw a small glow coming from them, which soon disappeared. "There, this might solve it. What was happening, in actuality, was that the disruption was causing you to waste a massive amount of power from it. Like an open wound, it'd constantly ooze energy from you, and whenever you'd use magic, the amount of power to execute it would cost you more than it should due to the open oozing circuit, not only making you waste precious energy, but also practically squish you like an orange for more."

"I... I see." I'm lying, I saw jackshit. She apparently saw through it, and sighed, facepalming to my stupidity, while I lowered my head, embarrassed.

"It's like drinking a glass of milk with a hole on the straw: every time you try to suck from it, while it'll cease your thirst, the hole will spit milk from it and in the end, lose more milk than it should. Think the glass as your body, the hole on the straw as the disruption and the milk as your energy." Okay, now she's putting salt on the wound, it's not an analogy that hard to follow. Maybe that's the reason why the energy from me was visible after drinking that... Milk solution back in the Gremory basement. She finished bandaging my fingers and passed me a lollipop. It tasted like pineapples, it's not bad, I just hope she didn't put anything funny in it. "With this bandage, it should be fine by now. Since you've been using magic like that; maybe it'll take you some time to fire some proper runes, but with your circuits now under control, they will probably end up denser and, naturally, stronger. I don't recommend using it in closed spaces, unless you want some extremely expensive house makeovers."

"Understood. I'll be careful." I said absentmindedly, licking and biting the lollipop in my mouth. That limit is fine, is not like I'm the brain-type in a battle... Come to think of it, the only thing I do in a battle is get beat up. Holy shit, that's annoying. Battle... Thinking about that made my eyes drift away from sensei to the table next to my bed, where **Ix** was now resting. A sword... Like that. "Hey, Beelzebub-sensei, have you figure it out what is that?"

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that even in this era, there is not enough information to give this weapon a classification, even with the shared information I have with the current King of Spades. Which puzzles me the most, to no end, really." The greenette reached her hand for my newest sword, which chains were now wrapped around the grip and had a dull light coming from the silver blade inside the bigger, blue one. She gripped around the chained grip, passed a finger along the dull edge, which regardlessly still cut her finger which began to ooze steam, and finally put it next to me. "That sword, 'Ix' as you call it, is also quite unique. My data says it has the same properties of Ascalon and Rhogomiant, it's original compositions, plus your own demonic energy, yet I can't feel any form of Demonic or holy energy coming from it. In fact, I can't feel anything from it at all. I can't even consider it a Holy-Demonic sword since it has none of their two properties. I wonder if this sword... This sword..."

"B-Beelzebub-sensei...?" That's starting to freak me out a bit, her intense stare on Ix, the sword that Ophelia-san made for me using Rhongomiant and Ascalon with her power to fuse things up, getting more menacing with every second. I think she's not even noticing her ever increasing changing skin tone, from fair to completely purple, just like last time. Sensei snapped out of it, turned to me; and passed me the sword with a sigh.

"Don't you worry about it, Tsukino Ichijou. That sword lacks comprehension for me, but I guess it's because is actually linked to you." She finally said, as I picked the sword back with my left hand and store it away inside my Boosted Gear. I had the feeling she was about to say something big, but again, she's been always this strange. But a sword that's only mine and mine alone, that's good. Again, I hope neither Nero-san or the church want a piece of my ass for fusing two of their beloved swords together. "Okay, you're good to go. I just want you to come back on a regular basis just to make some quick checkups. Your wounds may not be lasting, but some are bound to appear. Don't get careless, sekiryuutei."

"Will do, I think. Thanks for everything." I said, now getting of the medical bay and putting my own medical robe and sandals to walk around. Thank Goodness she let me keep my pants. I stretched a bit more on the spot, and walked towards the door, but not before turn back at Beelzebub-sensei. "Say, is Irene-san around? Rei-ch-... Raven Phenex said she misses me... Kinda, so is she around the Phenex mansion?"

"Ah, yes. She is around here somewhere. Usually I'm so busy I don't have time to look for her. She's probably helping her father with some Rating Game matters." Ah, right. I forgot about it: The Dantalion clan, Lord Belphegor's family, has some really strong ties with the Phenex because the latter houses some of the irremovable champions of the Rating Games, and being the current Rating Game manager, Calico-sama has the help of some members of the immortal clan. Some things never change. "You want some escort to walk you around the Phenex mansion? I can call some of my servants for this, just you wait a moment..."

"I don't think I need this. Thanks anyway, Beelzebub-sensei." I said with a bow and a handwave, with her still typing on some of her runes, and the shine on her glasses reflecting some images of me in my Scale Mail armor. I sighed, turned around, stretched myself a little more, and headed to the door, ready to start my walk around and maybe go back to the Gremory manor. That nap I took when I was being scanned kinda eased my body, so I was ready to go. I pressed a button and slowly the automatic doors began to open in front of m-...

***POP!***

***POP!***

***POP!***

"Whoa! What the hell...?!" Hearing those popping sounds, I closed one of my eyes and put my hands on my ears in order to ease the impact. Soon enough, I saw myself covered in confetti and colourful strips, and out of nowhere, someone came down clashing on me with a hug! After that scare, I found out who it was. "Ah! Irene-san...!"

「Hey~how. Long time no see, my fiancé. As always, exalting such a strong smell. What have you been doing as of lately, I wonder.」And there she is, my one and only fiancée Irene Dantalion, a little party cracker hanging from her hand as she hugged me tightly. Not just her, but Lord Calico and Katalia-san too, holding their own party crackers! It has been so long!

Also. Why the hell are Irene-san and Katalia-san wearing playboy bunny suits? Even Lord Calico is wearing a footie Bunny costume! What?!

"I'm okay, as of lately..." I said, now turning my eyes away from the squishing breasts on my chest, the V-collar of the bunnysuit giving me a nice view of her cleavage. Hah! I'm thinking perversely again! Need to take my mind out of the gutter! "Uh~, Irene-san, any reason for you to be wearing... That? Even Katalia-san and Calico-sama..."

「Moth-... Lad-... Doctor Beelzebub said that you've been hospitalized, so Yours truly have decided to maybe cheer her fiancé up with these skimpy outfits. Father also wanted to help.」Oh, how thoughtful, although I few a little for Lord Calico, who were brushing her purple bangs away from his face and give me a positive thumb up. He's taking this surprisingly well, despite that footie bunny costume being ridiculous. Since Katalia-san is just a mummy, her costume was kinda weird on her, but I swear she began to fiddle with her body with a visible blush on her face. Is she shy about it?「So; what do you think, sekiryuutei, Ichijou Tsukino? Doesn't make thy heart skip a few bits?」

"Can't say that it doesn't." I said sheepishly, looking away from her cleavage and then back at Beelzebub-sensei, looking back at us from the corner of our eyes. "Uuuuh~, but why bunny suits?"

You might think I'm complaining. Actually, I'm not, I'm just curious...

"Well, your surname is 'Tsukino', isn't it?" Lord Calico said with a hand in the air. Really? Really really? Did they just assume my fetish through a stupid pun?! Again, I'm not complaining about, just a little annoyed, and confused... Horny too? Geez.

"Please don't assume my likings with a pun."

「Any complains?」Irene-san asked with a sheepish smile, and I moved my head negatively. Again, I'm not complaining. The violet-head let go of me, gave me her best smile ever since I met her, and pointed her index finger for the exit. 「Now then, since we have so much to talk about, how about we leave this place and go eat some snacks with tea? Katalia will provide some of them for all of us, of course.」

"S-Sure, I'd love to." I can feel the blush creeping on my cheeks, as Irene-san, Katalia-san and Lord Calico nodded for me. I turned around to see Beelzebub-sensei, and she single signed for me to follow them. I finished my lollipop, discarded the straw in a trash bin next to me and followed them. "Excuse me, then. I'm taking my leave."

"Have a safe trip, sekiryuutei." Beelzebub-sensei waved for me, and in the end, the automatic door closed for my particular medical bay. I turned around, but before I could even take a first step, my eyes bewailed for the following imagery: there was an entire file of maids right in front of us!

"A good afternoon for you all, Lord Calico! Lady Irene! And guests!" They all said in unison, bowing. Wow! True maids! And so many of them! Does Irene-san and the others always have those kinds of greetings from them? So is the life of a high-class Devil, not to mention that they're also Demon Lords! A particular maid came closer, bowed once again, and shined us with the brightest smile. "Good afternoon, lady Dantalion, Lord Belphegor. How can we help you today with you and your guests? Lady Beelzebub particularly said that one of the guests is very speci-...!"

"Eh...?" Suddenly, that pretty maid stopped dead on her track of words once she turned to me, and out of nowhere her whole face paled, the lights dying inside her eyes. I tried to reach a hand for her, since apparently she stopped because of me: "Uhm, excuse m-...?"

"Kyaaaaaah~! **IT'S THE OPPAI EATER**!" And out of nowhere she jumped away from me hiding her cleavage with her arms and crying rivers of tears, trembling until the last string of hair. The other maids all looked at me, and reacted the same way! Wait, what?!

"She's right! **KYAAAAAH~! Everybody, RUN AWAY**!" And I didn't even had the time to talk about anything else, they all stormed away from me until the hallway was nothing but a dusty and deserted place, save from us. That's really... Really...

"B-But... I didn't do anything..." I said, feeling the tears running from my eyes, my helping hand still reaching for the nothing now. Ah, that's just sad. Before I could even immerse further into my misery, I felt a hand touch if my shoulder. It was Lord Belphegor, nodding understandingly, Irene-san and Katalia-san also coming closer to comfort me. I dunno why, but this sucks...

"Hang in there, red dragon. Sometimes, you gotta get used to the shame your own actions brings to you." Those were his encouraging words, which didn't help at all. Seeing no proper reaction from me, he took the lead ahead and began to walk towards a random direction. Looking outside, I could see some statues of birds all spitting fire from their beaks, plus some other statues that Could only bring the Cthulhu mythos to mind. No doubt I'm not in the in the real world anymore.

.

~~x~~

.

"**IRRES-! -PONSIBLE! EVERY! SINGLE! ONE! OF YOU!**" And there goes another one!** *SLAP!***. Ow~! I should really start learning how to harden my ass for Nemesis's punishments, because those are becoming a thing between us. The doctors said that, besides some broken bones, no lasting injuries were found, and despite my broken ribs, Xion's broken arms, Basara's internal bleeding and Yuno's legs, we'll be all good with proper rest and care. Of course, they didn't include Gremory's 1000-buttslaps punishment!

"Owowowow~! Go easy on me, Nemis. Even I didn't want to partake in th-...!" And Yuno's futile attempt of escaping turned into a moan of pain as another magic-empowered slap smacked her behind! "Ow~... No fair. All I wanted was a little peek on Evelyn. I didn't even want to unseal her. This sucks~..."

"Don't you think you'll escape punishment with excuses, Yuno. ***SLAP!*** Woooow~!" And that euphoric moan escaped Akio's lips as she too received her punishment. In such moments, I'm jealous that she inherited Masochistic tendencies. After a few minutes or so, Nemesis finished her punishment on us, and as always, I massaged my burning behind to ease the pain. Ow~, she's really getting the hang of it.

"There, but we're alive, like I said we would! It wasn't really that hard, too." I said, turning myself to Nemesis and shrugging a little, taking a deep breath. However, when I saw her cute pouty face, and those teary eyes, I couldn't hold myself: I hugged that little head of yours(despite the fact she's taller than me.) and patted her. "It's okay, it's okay, ms. Grumpy bear! Now I have the right to carve a Nemesis-shaped hole on your parents's garden, remember? Uncle Cohen won't have to dig two graves, okay?"

"Shut up... All of you." She said, hugging me back. She cares too much. Soon, we broke that little display of affection, and turned her eyes around, probably looking for bro since he's not around here with us. "Speaking of hush, I don't seem to find Ichijou Tsukino around here. Any reason for his absence, even though you said he was an essential piece for your plan to work?"

"Oh, him? Unfortunately, he died."

***SLAP!***

"Shut up, Akio." You thought it would be Nemesis to slap Akio for her little scare, but It was little ol'me, Aria Argento! Akio went unconscious for a second, while my redhead King huffed with the palm of her hand on her pretty face. What a scare, right? Stupid Akio. "The last time we saw him, he was alright, although he broke one of his hands fighting Evelyn. Actually, both of them, but nothing but a good rest won't help. Besides, he did something really cool back then!"

"Ichijou Tsukino simply fused both of his words into something quite new, Ix as he calls it. The demon Lord of Beelzebub Mary is probably having a field trip with it." Yuno said with a shrug, still massaging her ass after so many slaps. Nemesis hummed something under her breath; I bet she's as interested as I am. Once again the Boosted Gear showing what it's capable of, it's even a little scary. "Which is odd, since it doesn't have an aura whatsoever, much more like Berolina's newest Knight piece."

"Nii-chan is so troublesome sometimes, nyan. Doing those reckless things." Pouted the Nekomata, crossing her arms and legs on her medical bay and balancing herself on it. She's half-right, but do what, it's not like gramps was any different. The only different being, well, bro is still very weak. I'll have to do something about that, but I won't think of that for now, let him rest for now, something tells me he'll need some.

"But that was seriously cool, wasn't it?" Xion said with a pump-up expression and doing a flexing pose. Basara did the same, so did Yuno. Akio covered a laugh. "Maybe one day Nii-chan can be as strong as Grampa Issei! Although he's more sword-oriented, so I guess we can't actually compare them. Heheh..."

"Comparing those two is stupid, really. But you're right, Xion, let's only hope Ichijou can reach that level, even if it takes some time." I smiled at her, and she gave me a thumb up. With that little comment aside, I bid farewell to my cousins following Nemesis out of the room. I closed the door behind me, and dropped my calm façade with a defeated sigh. "Okay. I'm in trouble; ain't I?"

***PIIIIII~NCH!***

"N-Nyemishizu~... Iff hurfs~...!"

"You have shit for brains, you know that? Could've at least told me you were doing that, so I wouldn't be waking up in the middle of the night with all of that noise!" She let go of my pinky cheeks, and pouted, sighing deeply and massaging her temples like if her usual is striking again. Well, at least she's not mad at me anymore. Almost a relief, really? "Stop saying that everything's gonna be okay, too. If you don't know, don't falsely assure me."

"Tch, okay mom."

"For once try to listen to me, Rina!" She gasped again, separating herself from me, a hot feeling running through my face with that. Did she just...? She sighed, slapped her own cheeks a few times, and took a deep breath. "Sorry, my bad, I apologize. It's just... Old habits die hard, Aria."

"Ah! Be proud that Rina-chan won't be needing those anymore. She might be an idiot; but thanks to... Some events, she's walking through the right path! Who knows, maybe you should almost die again for another upgrade!" I said that as a joke, yet I could see my king growing those black sclerae and slitted eyes going even sharper. Ah. I stepped on a land mine! I'll... I'll change the subject! "Say... Do you think Rina-chan will lose her virginity with Bro or what?"

***SLAP!***

"No one is taking my Little sister's virginity without MY permission!" Nemesis, I think you're losing part of your character charm. If any more of those slips happen, You'll become a siscon with no turning back.

In the end, like always she calmed down; and began to walk around the Phenex mansion, with me following suit. Some bones still broken, so I had to skip around like a frilly highschooler following my stone-faced King, again; attracting the attention of some wandering servants, but nothing too much. Suddenly, I heard someone screaming, and then a true army of maids ran away from a hall to another, all screaming at bloody murder... And the words 'Oppai eater'. Heheh, I have a fairly idea to what happened, he must be feeling pretty shitty now. At least is better than 'Oppai dragon', I think.

"I think is for the best auntie Alice and the others visit the human world instead. Every time Rina's group wanders the underworld, something bad happens." I said with a puff of smoke out of my system, as Nemesis shrugged with a pleased and calm expression. Shenanigans are always bound to happen when they're around, and I'm the one to blame for the total reform around Mt. Issei and the Springs. Sheesh, I promise I won't let him be unhappy again. Nemesis turned to me.

"It's not like is any safer with you or the Rest of the DxD children around. Sometimes, you guys are the ones who cause havoc, honestly." Ahyuu~, cruel Nemesis means she's back at us, which is both a good and a bad thing. Can't say it's not true, though. "It's not because my father causes problems around that you can go on ahead and try to compare to him. All of the expenses goes right onto my wallet, and the Gremories have already Cohen Lucifer to deal with."

"Oh yeah, Uncle Cohen, the Lucifer. Wonder where he's at, with all the things that happened back in Evelyn's chamber." I said nonchalantly. I'm not actually that interested, but he's from that same era, so I thought he would be somehow excited about Evelyn. "Say, won't your father would be excited to know I fought against the daughter of Lord Vali himself? I mean... Nemesis?"

"Shh~..." And when I snapped back at her, Nemesis was peeking from a small opening from a random door, turning back to me only to put her index finger in front of her lips in a silence gesture. I blinked once, twice, and smiled a little. Oh, what? Did she catch someone doing it? Heheh, I also bend on my knees next to her and, skipping on my toes, took my side next to her. She grunted, yet gave me space for also a small peek. "Seriously, you...!"

"Ohohoh~, Nemesis caught something interesting with her eyes. I want to see it too." I said with a smile. It's in my blood of course, being the party-pooper in intimate moments between lovers, so I want to see what's going on by this side of things. However, once I adjusted the sight to inside that place, what came into my vision was something quite different.

"So, what brings you here, Berolina?"

"I think... It's because I want to say sorry."

And the imagery by the other side of the door is more novel than love-making: sitting in front of each other, a small tea table separating both sofas, were the youngest heiresses of both the Gremory and Phenex clans, facing each other with contrasting expressions on their faces, small steam oozing from their respective teacups. Oh, Lord Raiser is also there, either Rina-chan or Raven must've called him for this occasion. Without saying a word more, the blond Yakitori reached her hand for her own teacup and took a sonorous sip out of it, delicately placing it again on the table. After a few seconds, with no words being traded, it was Rina-chan's time, extending her hand a little for the cup and reaching her lips for the brim on it...

"Berolina."

"Ay~!" The sudden call from the Phenex girl made Rina-chan jump on place and almost drop her container, only a few drops falling on the ground. For the first time, Raven opened her eyes to look at Rina-chan, and she sighed at the mess on the Crimson carpet. Rina-chan gulped, put the cup back in place and sighed. "Y-Yes...? Raven..."

"So, you want to apologize? For what? Enlighten me with your Gremory knowledge." Ah, that's a low one. Talking as herself with a small hint of acid on her sentence, Raven began to twirl a string of her hair looking at Berolina. Apparently, that didn't pass unnoticed by the redhead, as she was visibly shaken after that. "Go ahead and explain the why of this visit, Berolina of the house of Gremory, otherwise I'll have to leave since I can't possibly stand next to someone like you; right?"

"No! ... It's not like that, Raven." Rina said in a sad tone, lowering her voice as Raven's blue eyes shot daggers at her. I can't say anything, Rina-chan is now trying to pay for her sins, but I feel bad for her nonetheless. Nemesis had her frown already. "I mean, uh, I want to apologize... For saying such horrible things about your clan."

"About my grandfather, who stands right in front of you!" Raven jumped from her seat and lifted one of her fists in front of Berolina, who shrunk on her seat. Raven's hair suddenly caught on fire, and she approached Rina-chan. "One of the genius champions of the Rating Games, who only lost two games unwillingly, and against the previous Emperor Diehauser and The Hero of the Underworld Issei Hyoudou! Yet, you used to call him a chump, a loser, someone who doesn't deserve all the prestiges he has! What do you have to say for yourself, Berolina!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Rina-chan bowed down in rapid successions, only to lady Raven to kick her down, pushing her on the sofa with such strength the sofa fell backwards, making Berolina roll on her back! After that, Nemesis almost jumped into the room, but I soon stopped her! This is Rina's punishment. Rina-chan coughed a little, and stood up, a hand on her stomach. "I... Deserve that...

"Rina..."

"And much, much more! Wrench who wants to mirror herself to a corpse! Badmouthing the clan which the Underworld owns so much! Lady Ravel died for Issei Hyoudou, yet you completely forgot from which clan she came from!" Raven came even closer and headbutted the redhead with her enormous forehead. Making Rina almost lose her balance and step a few ones back. However, The Phenex's modest chest clashed with Rina's bazoongas to make her step back even more. "Oe! Or that's how it goes for you: everyone's nuisance unless they can produce some decent quality for you?! Or some arbitrary memento in your mind?! Seems like it with the Likes of Lady Raven and your own sister and father, isn't it?! Answer me, Rina!"

"I... I..." Maybe the headbutt were too much for her, or maybe so many questions were hanging unanswered in her head, but Rina-chan couldn't stay still in place, tottering around with missing steps and small slips. Nemesis was already on the brink of her seat, and then Raven pinned Rina-chan on the closest wall, her arm on her neck. **"*COUGH!***, Raven, please..."

"You shut up! I'm yet not done with you, Berolina from the house of Gremory!" The Phenex said now lifting one hand, and suddenly, golden flames appeared on her palm! Okay, now this is getting too much dangerous! "Y'know what?! I've discovered a at for you to repay all of my family: I'll burn down all of that disgusting Crimson hair you're so proud of! Maybe like that I can at least try to face you without remembering your previous words! How about that, huh Rina?!"

"Okay, that's enoug-...!" Nemesis jumped on her seat and was ready to reach for the door and intervene. I also think that's enough for Raven, that won't take us anywhere! We both stood up and reached our hands for the door when...

"It's okay."

"Eh...?"

"Huh...?" We all stopped as Rina-chan's word reached our ears. Retreating our hands and peeking inside once more, we saw that Raven's flames suddenly extinguished from her hand, and then Rina picked Raven by her wrist, gripping tightly. They clashed gazes, and the Phenex began to tremble. "W-What did you say, Berolina?"

"If you want to burn my hair... Go ahead and burn it down. Y-You can even burn the scalp, so it doesn't grow anymore. Do whatever you want." Rina-chan said, her grip around Raven's hand trembling a little, as her lips were also giving up, but standing strong anyway. I heard a gulp, and Rina took a step forward. "I just want you to forgive me. If that's the price for my previous sins, they'll do it. Just... Forgive me, please, Rei-chan."

"..." I heard another gripping sound, and Rina-chan back stepped a little, back to the wall. Now it was Raven's time to push the redhead, her eyes now trembling and her empty hand gripping tightly at her previous target. She's probably completely confused now. Maybe the Phenex is divided? They used to be friends, after all. Rina-chan closed her eyes, and began to hope for the best, while Raven didn't have anything for it. She's stuck. "Rina... Berolina...!"

"That's enough, Raven."

"Grandfather Raiser?" And there it goes, Gramps's oldest nemesis, the hunky man with an X-shaped scar on his face, Lord Raiser Phenex used his only arm to pick his granddaughter's spare hand by the wrist, making all the animosity between the little ones disappear, Raven turning her blue eyes to instead face her grandfather and let go of the suffocating Rina-chan. "But... Aren't you eager to put an checkmate on this? This... This... Berolina had badmouth you for ages, and used our name as an insult. As a Phenex, aren't you glad that now she might have her punishment right here and now?"

"Maybe Alice Gremory is right, I shouldn't have let **Rhea** take care of your education if you gonna spell out those difficult words on others." Hah! That one made me chuckle a little, that was a good one! Raven pouted, and the Phenex senior sighed once more, now patting the little one on the head. "However, Raven, you don't need to stand up for me or the Phenex name in those uncomfortable situations. Not only I'm used to them, they don't actually bother me anymore, but you don't need to fight with your friend for that."

"Berolina is not my friend! She's a... She's an enemy of the House of Phenex!" The Yakitori Jr. Pointed her index finger at Rina who was now trying to caught up with her breath, her body turned to Lord Raiser as the lecture continued. Ohoh, this is turning pretty good from where I am standing! "Badmouthing our clan, badmouthing you of all people! I can't... can't stand her presence solely because she keeps thinking the Phenex are the lowest of scum! She doesn't bother the house of Astaroth, nor the house of Lucifer, so why us?! Why me?!"

"The question you should be trying to answer instead is: why are you ignoring both the Berolina Gremory who used to be your childhood, and the Berolina Gremory right in front of you, seeking forgiveness?" Raven snapped her hand away from her granddad's grip, and turned back to the redhead who was supporting herself on the wall. The blonde pouted, now growling and showing her teeth, while again her grandfather patted her head, and then flipped her forehead. Is he toying with her? "I wasn't always one of the Rating Games Champions, Raven. Why I must admit my record in them is pretty enviable, quite well as well, you're forgetting that I used to be a prick when I was a brat. Maybe if it wasn't for the Sekiryuutei Issei Hyoudou kicking my ass, either I would've lost more than an arm, or I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"..." Raven visibly gritted her teeth hearing Lord Raiser's lecture, also gripping tightly on her own crossed arms, alternating between Rina-chan and Lord Raiser. Is she in doubt? Is she going crazy? How should I know, I'm no psychologist! "Still...!"

"People change, Raven. For the better or for the worse, they change. You might never forgive the Rias Wannabe that was the Previous Berolina Gremory, I know I wouldn't, but at least give that new Berolina a chance." And he flipped Raven's forehead one more time, and chuckled under his breath. Oh, there it goes, mr. Older-and-wiser, trying to be all high and mighty in front of kids with that smug grin and that sage-wannabe air. But I admit, that was kinda cool. Gramps would probably do better, thought. "Also, I know when you're lying, Raven."

"Tch...!"

"Raven..."

***BAM!***

"Berolina..." And out of nowhere, before Rina-chan's hand could at least reach for her former hand, Raven lifted a fist and punched the wall behind the former, a few inches from even Rina's hair. The blonde's eyes were covered in shadows, and even from here I could hear her moaning something under her breath. In the end, a sigh was heard, and Raven turned to stare at Rina-chan with those big blue eyes in a frown. "I'm sorry, Rina. But even after all of that, I can't forgive all the things you said, and as such... I can't love you like I used to."

"Then love me as I am now, Rei-chan! Let's make... Let's make new memories together!" Rina-chan said with a step forward, gazing back at Raven with her big purple orbs, Lord Raiser now giving some space for the two. "Please... I know it might be hard to believe; but I'm here just to make amends with you! I want to be your friend again; and bury the previous Berolina who used to shun down the Phenex clan, overestimate the red dragon and reject her heritage besides the Gremories! I want to be the new Berolina... Who is also your new friend!"

"..."

"So please...!" And Rina bowed her head down, now facing the floor as now her Crimson bangs were hiding her face away. "Nice to meet you, Raven Phenex! My name is Berolina Gremory, and I'd be honored to be your **friend**!"

"..."

...

"Ayah, Rina-chan is hanging too much with Ichijou. **Poetry classes**, eh?"

"Shut up, Aria. That's an important moment!"

"A new friend... Right?" Rina then lifted her head, now looking that the Phenex girl was extending her hand for her. Those big purple orbs then shined with the intensity of a sun for that, and like always, the blonde rolled her eyes away, small tints of red decorating her pale face. "*SIGH!*. For what's worth, Raiser-jii-sama did say I was ignoring my former childhood friend. If this new bond means I get to hang out with her like we used to, I guess that's okay... Be happy for this, you _dummy_."

"Waaaaah~!" And now Rina was crying rivers of tears and her face became a mess. Ew, not even her newest friend was able to stand up for that one. Rina in a surprise attack then extended both of her hands and tried to reach for the blonde. "Rei-chan, I'm so happy for us~! I promise I'll never...!"

***PAFT!***

"Bruh, Rina, we just met. So now I barely know the new you, I can charge you for sexual harassment." And then it happened again, someone slapped Rina in the middle of her face to stop another assault. Even like that, the redhead could only smile, now massaging the red mark on her pretty face, her tongue sticking out in a rather playful way. "As always, ruining the mood for others. Some things do not change at all, eh?"

"Eheh~, I guess you're right, Raven Phenex." And now the redhead made a daring face, crossing her arms and puffing her big boobs with pride, like Nemesis used to do. Speaking of which, my King was pouting and deeply looking at the two reconciling friends, as she was deep in thoughts. Sometimes I wonder in what she's thinking about. In the end, Rina extended her hand, and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet in your acquaintance, Raven Phenex. I hope we can get along."

"Likewise." And even with those babbles of whatever, they shook hands, and smiled at each other. Oh, so much rejoice, so much happiness, that's Rina-chan's repentance arc, apparently, and it's all good and games. Soon the redhead turned around to face the eldest Phenex, and with that, she bowed.

"And... I'm sorry for my horrible words against you, Lord Raiser Phenex! I know simple words might not be enough, but I hope that one day I can be forgiven for my sins!" She said, her head so low I thought she would lose her balance and go headfirst on the floor. From the eldest Phenex, came a small chuckle; and then a pat on the head, and another hoarse laugh of dubious indole.

"Raise your head, daughter of Lucifer. Your arrogance has vanished, so that's enough for me." He chuckle, and Rina-chan moved accordantly to his words, beaming an adorable look of admiration towards the tallest member there. Lord Raiser then turned his gaze towards Berolina, looking at somewhere in her body, and again chuckled. "Besides, Berolina of the house of Gremory, I can safely assume that we're not that much **different**. I feel joy for such irony as well, so that's also enough, kufufufuh!"

"..." Oh, he's referring to **that**. Dick move, Lord Raiser! Rina-chan, lowered her head, hugged her right bandaged arm, and forced a smile with that, speaking through her teeth. "Thank... You... Very... Much...?"

"The pleasure is all mine, daughter of Lucifer." Yeah, it **certainly** is.

"Well then, now that we got everything out of the way, I think it would be most enjoyable for me to be the best of hostess and offer you cake and drinks." Raven Phenex then called for all of our attention; and walked right besides Rina-chan with such offer. The latter was confused at first, but then her eyes beamed with excitement, only for the youngest Yakitori to sigh and cross her arms, blushing and looking away from them. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, it's only a natural for a Phenex to offer some hospitality even for the likes of... I mean, for new acquaintances. Be fateful for that, Berolina."

"Uh... Yeah! Thank you very much!" Nodded the redhead, helping now putting the previously fallen sofa back in its place. However, she suddenly snapped both of her fingers and made a thinking pose. "Ah! But I also need to visit Ichijou! Nemesis said he was the one who caused all of the havoc around the Gremory manor! As his King, I must punish him for so much ruckus!"

"Is that so? Well, he's probably in Beelzebub... -sensei's lab being experimented on or something, so he might not be around for a while." Raven said mimicking Rina-chan's thinking pose, and then sighed. "Oh, well. You can still visit the rest of the DxD children, since they were also caught in the commotion. Your sister came here first just to talk to them."

"Huh~, I think I'll pass for now." Rina-chan, you heartless bitch! She sat back on her place, and again smiled at Raven. "I'll then... Wait for the cake and drinks."

"Right. Latte with sweetener, right?"

"Oh!"

"S-Shut up. It was just... A lucky guess." Raven again blushed a little and hid her face, now also sitting on the sofa and summoning a small rune next her face for an order.

"Ah, that was nice, that was nice, don't you think, Nemis?" I said with a smile, turning to my little King, who was still pouting a little, but in the end sighed in relief, and coughed a cloud of smoke out of her system. And she didn't even need us or Ichijou to solve her problems, what a thing in a harem scenario, maybe she's the one who deserve a harem the most. "I think our job here is done."

"We did jack, Aria." Nemesis said with that look of hers. My only response was a shrug. "Although I admit, I'm proud of her. It turned out better than I've anticipated."

"I must agree, lady Gremory."

"Yeyup, there it goes."

"She nailed it, didn't she, sis?"

"Eh...?" I turned around and, yes, apparently, we weren't the only ones peeking at the reconciling friends by the other side of the door. I was so focused on them, I didn't even noticed the crowd growing behind us, including Isabela-san, Yubelluna-san, the daughter of the Demon Lords Irene, bro and even Lord Calico! "Ahahah! So we have another crowd here, what a thing!"

"Normally, I'd be punishing you for trespassing and invading Lord Raiser's and Lady Raven's privacy, but that moment is precious." Huffed the tall, mask-wearing brunette who was now one of the Phenex maids. Yubelluna-san laughed under her breath.

"It is, isn't it? Lady Raven bears a striking resemblance to Lady Ravel, eh?" The Bomb queen said. Bro instead narrowed his eyes, the Irene girl for some reason hanging from his back.

"Oh, so that's Lord Raiser, Senpai's eldest rival. Huh, he is a hunky guy." He said.

"You should see the eldest brother of his generation and Rhea Phenex. Trust me, there's something more than immortality that makes the Phenex such Rating Game champions." Pointed out the Demon Lord of Belphegor. Okay, this conversation is reaching levels too uncomfortable for me.

"So, any of you guys wants to get back and wait for the cakes and drinks later, or do you want to wait for Raven to discover us this instinct and burn us to ashes." I said, standing up and pointing to every single one of the peeping toms here. With the exception of nemesis and Irene, they all gulped loudly, and just like me, stood up and silent but steadily walked away from the door. Yep, those are Rina-chan's battles, and even without our help, she's shown that she can manage them just fine.

And so, just like oil-magnates, we withdrew cooly from there...

.

~~x~~

.

Phew~! What a day~! And what first day! I practically tossed myself on the sheets of my bed on my room here at the Gremory mansion after a hell of a ride and checkup back in the Phenex mansion, plus a super meal with my peerage. Man, I'm stuffed...

"Maybe I need to star asking them to visit me in the human world instead. Every time I drop by here, something happens." I said to no one, looking at the ceiling with just the red scenario plus the lamps above my head. Nah, I'm not complaining, but this trend needs to stop for what's worth. I barfed that meat meal I had, and turned around in my bed. Is it night, already? I mean, there is the moon, and the sky is in a darker shade of purple, but that's it. Besides, after everything, I'm not that sleepy at all. "I wonder what they did with Evelyn."

**[Well, you did turn her into a floor-pancake, so for now, I guess we're safe from her.]** Said the spirit of a certain redhead from a emerald glow on the back of my hand. I grunted, and again turned around to take a quick move on my own bed. I am tired, but not sleepy**. [Aren't you glad that you did all of that, at least? I guess that, after all that shit you've been through, the rest of your stay won't be that bad, for now.]**

"***BURF!*,** I guess you're right." I sighed, relieved. One more night of rest is all I need, however, I still lifted my left hand to look at the bandaged with a picture of a small happy squid on it, and grip it a few times before turning back at the greenish glow on the back of it. "Hey, Yagura..."

**[Yeah...?]**

"Say, since you're Senpai's **daughter**, and Evelyn's lord Vali's **daughter**, is there any possibility that you two are, y'know..." I said, looking deeply into the glow on my left hand. I mean, she's Issei's daughter, and Evelyn's Vali's daughter, and since the two were eternal rivals, doing a little of math made me come up with this idea. From inside the Boosted Gear, I heard a small chuckle...

**[Uh... How can I say this? You've heard that Uncle Vali was a battle maniac, didn't you? Well, after some... Things happening and 666(Trihexa) being sealed again... For a while, there was a moment of peace between the surviving factions. Needless to say, me and the rest of the original DxD children were conceived in that period.]** I heard a laugh inside my hand, and scratched my cheek a little in embarrassment. Nothing to be ashamed of, apparently. **[But of course, that was that one guy that wasn't all that happy-go since he didn't have anyone too interested in fighting anymore. And he was Uncle Vali; who became the archmage of the Norse faction. No one was too interested in fighting after... Y'know, so he was all alone.]**

"Oh, that's kinda sad." I mean, yikes, there's a limit about how battle maniac you can be, but to think that the reason why he lived for was no more, I dunno, makes me sparkle some sympathy for Lord Vali. "So... About Evelyn... And by elimination Kurobara and Ginko-san..."

**[Yeah, lord Odin somehow put inside uncle Vali's head that, if he ever has a child, it can be as strong as him and ready for a child-dad match.]** And there it goes my respect down the drain. What the hell, don't tell me he made children just to beat the crap out of them now! And why am I so surprised by this turn of events?! It should be obvious by now.** [He got married with the last of the Nekoshou and The spawn of Ophis, Lilith the dollpenganger dragon of infinite, and from there, bam!, Kurobara and Evelyn, who eventually became disciples of mine.]**

"So you know her." I said now. So it wasn't a childhood friend kind of thing, but more of a master/apprentice stuff.

**[Yep, I was about to hit puberty when I met them. I trained her, we fought a few times, and in the end... She lost control over her powers, so we had to seal her away inside the Gremory mansion.]**

"Oh! So it was **you** who sealed her!" I said now! Wow, revelations and revelations, after more revelations! I got no chill in those days! I heard another chuckle from inside my hand, which was pretty rude I might add, and sighed once more. "So... Why didn't you kill her? I mean, you guys were in your prime back then, why didn't you kill her?"

**[Because... She was uncle's Precious little daughter. I didn't him to be sad.]** And suddenly the atmosphere around here changed a bit, just a little bit, a little bit bitter. Oh, so I guess even the descendants of the prime devil can feel empathy. I heard another chuckle, and laid back on my bed. **[He got it hard, so I didn't want to kill the first thing he had for a family. That would be too cruel even for me. So... Thank you, for making her rest a little.]**

"No... Problem." I scratched my cheek again. So I potentially killed one of Lucifer's spawn and the daughter of the fake infinite, plus the apprentice of the girl that is sealed inside my Boosted Gear, and that was a good thing. Since I've already met the current Hakuryuukou, goddamnit what was her name again!, this means Lord Vali is long gone. Rest in peace I guess, then. I then summoned Ix, my newest wicked awesome sword which chains are attached to my Boosted Gear, and looked at my reflection on it. "And thank you too, Ophelia-san."

[I have been helping you since the beginning, welsh dragon, so don't you worry about anything. Although I feels nice to be complimented.] I heard an angelic and smooth voice coming from the blade, which made me blush a little. To be fair and simple, I think I have to thank you all up until now, that includes you, Welsh Dragon, Ophelia-san and Yagura. So... Thank you all, I won't be where I am right now if it wasn't for you all. [Ara, welsh dragon... You're making me blush now.]

**[Ahahah~, you just seduced a married woman. Way to go, Ichijou!]**

**[NOW THAT WAS OF BAD TASTE, MISS YAGURA.]**

"Geez, how can you guys ruin a moment like this." I sighed, another moment ruined due to the now three spirits residing inside my left arm. I'm not going to complement them ever again if this continues. Better try to sleep now before this whole mental conversation awry my head even more. I sealed Ix and my Boosted Gear again, and laid on my bed for a good... "Night" of sleep; clenching my left hand a few times and looking again at the new scar on my chest. Aria-san is right, it is a pretty cool scar, but mom will definitely ask questions. Sigh, it's a thing I do, I guess...

***KNOCK-KNOCK!***

Oh, great. A knock on my door when I was about to blink an eye for a night of sleep. I yawned a little after a quick nap, and got up from my bed, walking towards the said door to know who the hell knocks at this hour. I just hope it isn't Rina wanting to sleep with me...

***KNOCK-KNOCK!***

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Jeez..." I said back by the other side of the door, reaching for the knob to twisted it around and unlock the pathway to my room. I scratched my eyes a bit. "Who is it? What do you want?"

"Uh~... Ichijou-san?" But instead of someone by the other side, I saw nothing. I mean, at first, because looking downwards, there it was, a talking carton box of orange. The opening flapped a few times, and from there, popped the head of a little brunette with a single brown eye showing. She looked up and blinked once. "Am I... Interrupting you or something?"

"Oh, hey Whiswain-san." I said, bending over to face her on the same level, and blushing, she nodded back. So the half-grim reaper is here for some reason, and something tells me it has something to do with the big room we're standing in as guests. "So, what is it Whiswain-san? Is something to matter for you to be here?"

"Oh... Uh... Well... Uh..." She began to fiddle with her fingers, her eyeball going everywhere except on me, and the blush on her face grew even more. Before this could continue for a good hour or two, however, I poked the middle of her forehead; and she yelped a little for that, now focusing her gaze on me. "Kyah! I mean... Hey, Ichijou-san, can I... Stay with you for the night?"

"..."

"...?"

"What?"

* * *

**Yeahahah! Now it's the shy one's turn to have a moment with Ichijou! Meanwhile, everything is gonna go smooth with Rina's redemption arc! And before you all ask: Is evelyn's gonna play a bigger role in the story? My answer is... Probably yes? I dunno, she is the daughter of the infinite, but that's up to expeculations! I really need to start a new arc for both Ryuubi and Tasha, thought... Okay, who wants to know which route I prepared for both Ichijou and Guan Yu? I hint, it begins with BD and ends with SM... Just kidding.**

**So, anyone excited for season 4? I know I am... Kinda. Let's hope for a better development this time, and hope that sugita will be there for Yuuichi since Sairaorg is there.**


	66. THE SLASHDØG RETURNS, part 1

**Hello, how is it going, DxD fandom? So a new page for the Re-birth saga, if anyone is wondering about the title. For now ican only say our mc will be encountering and fighting new people, and befriending others. Nothing much too say since I'm not exactly a suggestion person, so for now, stay golden and I hope you like the new chapter. :3**

**as always, DxD doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

And now I can't sleep.

I dunno why, but the feeling by my back is oozing an incrediblnpe amount of dread from my perspective. It's not bad per se, I think the correct term is 'annoying', like being stared by a creepy guy on the train. I need something to bite or else I'll go nuts or munch my own tongue off...

"Whiswain-san, if you don't mind me asking, any reason for you to want to sleep with me?" I turned around to the incredibly uncomfortable box that was lying right next to my bed, with a single brown spot peeking from the handler of said cubic carton. Again, she poked her head outside said box to look at me.

"I'm not... Being a nuisance for you, am I, Ichijou-san? I can leave if you want." She asked, standing up and ready to take the first step outside her literal comfort zone.

"No, no, no! You can stay, I didn't say anything! Just... Tell me why." Before she could do anything else, I waved my hands negatively for her, and soon enough, she nodded with a blushing face and returned to her place back in the Schrodinger death trap. Geez, this girl can only think of the worst outcome, doesn't she?

Also, _metaphysics_ reference. What the hell?

"Uuuuh~, not that she's being a problem or anything, but Guan Yu is calling for teacher Liu Bei right now, and since she sleeps in the room in front of mine... N-Not that I'm blaming her for it~! It's just... Too much noise." She says it's not a big deal, but that bitch Kan'u is being a bitch again. Whiswain is too much of a... Naive girl to blame anyone in this one-way accusation.

"Tch, is her fault, alright, that bitch needs to unstuck the Seiryuutou from her... Nevermind." I sighed and blocked my mouth so she wouldn't have to hear that. I won't be the one to get her used to the shit I say. I sighed once again, and rolled on my bed. "Okay, fine. I'll deal with her later, so that you can sleep there. For tonight, you can stay here."

"A~ah! I hope I won't be a bother, Ichijou-san!" She nodded and bowed violently, and I dismissed that formality with a handwave. I say and complain about Rina and Kan'u, but those other girls are just as bad, with the exception of Ryuubi-sensei. She's cool in my book. Whiswain-san sat back on her box, and pouted with drowsy eyes.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Whiswain-san. Just sleep and we'll talk tomorrow morning." I said tossing her a small pillow and the blanket, and returning to lay my head on my own pillow on the bed. She tried to say something, but instead snuggled on her things and adjusted herself there. I could offer her a place on my bed, but~... I know how she is, she'll probably freak out and this will ruin my night. "I'll tslk with Kan'u tomorrow. Rina too; what was she thinking making her our other knight? That idiot..."

"A-Ano... Ichijou-san." Oh, for God's sake(ow!), what now? That's what happens when you're too nice with people, you know that much, Ichijou. I sighed, and sat on the bed to turn to the grim reaper who were looking at my back. Creepy. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, gulped hard, then spoke. "Do you hate... Berolina-san?"

"...?" That's new. I mean, for her to say such a strong word like 'hate'. I'm curious now, mainly because she said that. I completely turned to her, crossed my legs and arms and tilted my head to a side. "What... Makes you think that, Whiswain-san?"

"I... I mean... I'm not saying you're a bad person or anything, please forgive me if I sounded like that!, but for the little time that we've spent together... You keep calling Berolina-san 'annoying', 'stupid', 'dummy' and 'idiot'. Not to mention, you sometime hits her really hard. Do you hate her?" Oh, crap. So does she care about Berolina that much? Stupid Ichijou, you need to take care of your surroundings better, Whiswain-san is easily impressed. Of course she would ask something like this. "And not just her, but everyone else too. And they all like you so much, so why? Do you hate them?"

"..." No, stop. No snarks, no witty comments, Whiswain-san is easily impressed and naive, so she'll take you seriously whatever you say! Calm down, and think slowly. "Berolina Gremory... She's a selfish, greedy, dumb, inconsequential, bossy, good-for-nothing, spoiled, delusional, forceful, lying and hypocritical devil!"

"...?!"

"Ever since we met, she has been a pain in my arse: she first came without warning, pulling me from my class to start saying things out of nowhere, only to have me killed from the stupidest reason ever. Then she began to push me around and around, demanding and forcing me to do the stupidest things. I almost got myself killed several times, and not a single time she thanked me for it, thinking I'm like my senpai who could withstand a tank for Rias without questioning." I continued to say, pulling my heart out. "Moreover, she's a complete coward, she didn't want to face her own problems, so much she changed her entire archetype for around one and a half arc for that! And her character development almost cost me an arm, hers and almost Nemesis-san! And trust me, knowing her, this won't be the last time it'll happen."

"..." Quiet as always. I lifted my eyes only to look at the horrified Whiswain-san with spiral eyes and trembling lips. I sighed. Now, with that out of my system, I can start thinking about the good stuff.

"But still... I do like her... A lot." I said, scratching my cheeks as they begin to heat up. She gasped in surprise and hugged her pillow tighter, a blush beginning to spread all over her face. Was saying 'like a lot' too much? Eh, do what? "I dunno if it's stupidity or confidence, but I wanted to be brave just like her just for a bit. Also, she had a good role model to be like she was, and now that she broke from her boundaries, she's gonna get stronger and stronger from now on. Rina... Might not be the strongest, the smartest, the fastest or the best master, but she's not that bad. I have many reasons to hate her... But I have more reasons to like her a lot."

Which includes her nice body and big boobs too, of course.

Damnit, Yagura! Stay out of this!

[**Hey! It wasn't me this time!]**

What?! WHAT?!

"So... Is that so?" Whiswain-san wondered, her mouth hanging agap, getting comfy with her blanket and pillow and hiding her blush and mouth with a mouth. After all of that l said, I also want to dig myself into the ground and never come back. Goddamnit, Ren is right, I sure really stop the poetry classes before they go out of control. "So, Ichijou-san... Really likes Berolina-san."

"Heheh... Yeah." Do I like her? Yes, the answer is yes. She's full of holes and flaws, some of them deadly and hazardous to my overall health, but I can't hate her, and by living so much with her, I think this is the logical conclusion. Maybe I suffer from Stockholm syndrome, maybe it was because she was the nicest girl I've meet after so many years with my sisters, I dunno. "Firstly, because I can't say things myself, I'm the worst protagonist there is; and second... Because I admire then. Annie was unstable and snarky, but she was faster and smarter than me, Tasha is perverted, but regardless she's social skills; Ryuubi-sensei is too intelligent for her own good, and even that bitch Kan'u has some backbone, for what's worth. Compared to them... I'm just the chump, like a light novel main character."

"..." Yeah, that's my type. Self-loathing to the brink with a bit of resolve, that's who I am. I turned back to Whiswain-san, and she seem calmer now, fiddling her fingers around. In the end, she smiled, still hiding her blush. "I think... I think Ichijou-san's very cool."

"Hah...?"

"Hiiiih~...!" I simply abruptly turned to her after that statement, and then she hid inside back her box. Oh, did she grow a backbone or something? So I'm cool in her eyes, that's good. "I-I mean... Ichijou-san can be scary at times, but... You talk really nice with others, and you're always so quiet, so you probably is very smart. You also respects my personal space, and that makes me happy."

"Eh, just playing it cool, my only specialty. But thanks anyway." I said with a sigh and a tired smile, and she nodded back with also a smile.

"I never had the opportunity to learn my own limitations." She spoke out loud, now picking a small string of her hair with her hands. "I don't have... Siblings or relatives other than my parents, and they always say I'm the best and cutest girl there is, but... This actually makes me nervous."

"Ah, doting parents..." I said scratching my nose. So that's the reason why she's so nervous about everything. But whatever, at least she's learning how to socialize, and that's good, to be honest.

"I love my parents, so I don't want to disappoint them. If they believe I'm the best girl, then I have to work hard to live for those expectations. Same goes for everybody." She pouted and sank further into her little orange box. Parents eh... My shitty old man, my too-good mother and all the rest, including my pesky sisters. I care a little about them, same goes for the my peerage. "I'm sorry if I sounded melodramatic just now, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't even be here, yet here I am, privatizing you from sleep."

"Nah, it's good to talk sometimes. It didn't work for me, but if you feel good just talking to me, I'm glad to help." I said, now crawling on my bed to touch her forehead wth a finger. She yelped a little, but then smiled with the bruise on her forehead. "But, y'know, you're a half-grim reaper now-devil under Rina's command. That's pretty awesome, so you're already better than me."

"Eheheh... You're right." She laughed. Then gasped once. "I mean! Uh~! Ichijou-san is a nice person! And! A-And he's also very awesome! And... He's right about being me being cool... Not wanting to sound arrogant.. Not because... I'm better than him..."

"You're trying." I said now patting her little head, and she giggled a little under her breath, blushing like crazy. Yes, she's trying her best in socializing, and for meeting us for such a small timespan, compared to someone like me, that's a feat. "Now, let's sleep. I don't know how hours work here in the underworld, but after what happened today, I want to take some rest."

"Y-Yeah, okay. Thank you for your hard work. Good night, Ichijou-san." She spoke, nodding and closing her little orange box. Well, that was a thing, having a little moment with Whiswain-san and taking some time to socialize with her. I'm starting to get a hang of all of this, and this is the best. I'm making friends again, even when they're not Julia-chan and Nina-chan.

"Yeah, good night Whiswain..."

"...!"

"What?"

"Oh... Nothing."

Again, girls acting all strange up with me. I wonder if she's falling for me... Too. I waved those problems away, I don't want to develop more for today. So with a final sigh, I pulled my blanket a little, laid my head on the pillow and tried to have a nice night of sleep. I yawned.

"Goodnight, Ichijou-san."

"Goodnight, Whiswai-..."

***KNOCK-KNOCK!***

"Are you kidding me?!" I said, tossing my pillow to the wall and cracking a big one there. Seriously, did someone said I was having a pajama party or something?! Whiswain-san woke up with a jump; her head poking out of the box, and she turned to me with a fearful expression.

"Ah! Someone knocked the door. I wonder if it's because of... Miss Guan Yu again." Ugh, she might not be wrong. Why's everything that has to do with her will always target me instead? Whatever, I'll answer that and get this over with! Standing up from the bed, I walked towards the door and turned the knob.

"Yes?! What is it?!"

"My, aren't you fiery tonight, Tsukino-chin." And the one who appeared from the other side of the door was none other than the pervert witch Natalia Campbell, wearing her pajamas, and with that I mean she's wearing a shirt, panties, bra and nothing else. And one of my shirts too, what the hell. No wonder they're loosing up! She's stretching the hell out of them! She was also hugging a pillow and with bags under her eyes.

"Ah! Tasha-san!" Getting off her box and floating at my direction, Whiswain-san floated around and supported her hands on my shoulders. Ah, crap! Did she forget who's right in front of us?! Now that perverted witch will use us as her laughing stock! "What are you doing here?"

"Oh..." The witch blinked a few times in surprise, but then i saw a ghost of a smile in her pretty stoic face. What now?! She definitely thought in something perverted! "Oh, nothing much. I was thinking where my favorite groping toy was after visiting her room and finding none of that, so I decided to visit Tsukino-chin for a sneaky-night(Yōbai), as he calls it. Since you're here, how about an threesom-...?"

***BAM!***

"Hiiii~, Tasha-san is scary sometimes." You and me both, Whiswain-san. She touched her little feet in the ground, and then pouted with a blush. "But that wasn't very nice, Ichijou-san. I'm sorry to say this, but she wouldn't be here just to make a joke."

"..." Oh, you pure, innocent and naive grim reaper. She thinks too highly of people she barely knows, and for hat I could only sigh. But she's right, Tasha wouldn't walk all the way from her room just to make a joke. "Okay, fine. But the next time she makes a perverted joke, I won't open the door anymore:"

"Right." And she blushed and smile with a nod. I can't actually dislike her when she smiles like they. Actually, I don't hate her at all. I reached for the door again and turned the knob, finding now a blushing Tasha massaging her nose.

"Me. Return. Every word." She spoke, snorting a little only to sneeze. That's bad, I hope it doesn't last. I signed for her to come in, and blinking a few times, she did.

"C'mon, Tasha. But the next time you say anything remotely inappropriate, I'm shoving you off." I said. I know my phrasing, by the way. This is only a test for her.

"Oh, kink-... I understand." Close shave, but she passed. She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed, as I jumped back at the center of it and Whiswain returned to her box. After a few seconds without any words being said, I decided to break the ice with the elephant in the room.

"So, any reason for you to invite yourself to my room at this time of the night." I said, legs and arms crossed to look serious at her eyes. On the other hand, the witch turned around to also sat on the bed, and then she pouted and blushed. "Tasha, I'll say your real name...!"

"Guan Yu-chin. Noisy. Can't sleep." And that's that, another victim of that stupid lancer. And now she laid on my bed, as some of the buttons of MY shirt burst open, to pick part of my blanket and cover herself with it, hugging now her pillow. "She keeps nailing Liu Bei-chin's door, it's driving me nuts~."

"Ah, yeah. That! Guan Yu-san... Won't stop, will she?" Whiswain-san said with a pouty blushing face, lowering her head and taking a deep breath. "It's also not like we can't stop her. She's way, way stronger than I. I can't do a thing about it if not move to Ichijou-san's room. N-Not that... He isn't hospital or anything."

"Meh, I just needed that for an excuse." Whoa! Tasha simply said that and pulled me to bed, hugging my head and burying her into her bosom! Whiswain-san screamed for that, and I could only grunt. Seriously? "Better."

"Tasha, we need to talk about how hard Aria-nee traumatized you." No joke, ever since I met her, she has been switching personalities nonstop. She's even harder to read than Xion-san. Lack of continuity from the author? Maybe. She bit my head in a playful way, and in turn I pinched her arm. Eh, it's nice to be spoiled sometimes. "Seriously, are those... Mood-swings..."

"You don't have to worry about it. Just relax." She pouted, and hugged me even tighter. Damn it, she's way too complicated. Women in general are complicated. "But I have you know, it's not bad to stay like that."

"It's... Not bad." I said, yawning. Who said women can make a guy sleepless didn't know me, I'm beat. Even being this close to a girl, I'm falling asleep. Before that, however, I felt someone tugging against my back. I turned around and it was Whiswain-san. Oh; not her too! "Hey; Whiswain..."

"It's... Nice. I'm sorry ichijou-san, but it's really nice to be here." She said with a tired voice and a yawn. I tried to say something about that, but it was too late, she was already asleep. Great, just great. Bah, but I don't have the guts to shove her away, she's way too innocent. Tasha, however, poked one of my eyes!

"Hey Tsukino-chin, Whiswain-chin is already asleep. Let's play with her." She said with a ghost of a grin, and instead I let go of her hug to pinch her nose a little. Goddamn it, not now, I'm between two girls and hormones are going haywire, I don't want to play her games. "Okay, I give up."

"Seriously, Tasha. I seriously want to understand you sometimes." I said. No joke, I guess she's probably the more distant member of our peerage. That playful aura suddenly disappeared, and she pouted. Oh, did I press a sore button? No! I can't let go of her now, I need to stay drilling further into her. "I want to know who you are."

"..." She went quiet for a second, and out of the sudden, she gave me a light peck on the lips! Ah! She's trying to escape the problem again. Before I could even react properly, she pulled me closer, her mouth on my ear._ "Trust me, Ichijou Tsukino, you wouldn't want to know. Keep it quiet, at least for now, and for the best."_

"Ah...!" She was too fast, and escaped my grasp to give her back to me. That was... Something. So she has also something to hide, and don't want to share it even with us, nothing new, but coming from her. She kept her name a secret for all of that. No she doesn't want to talk with me, which is fine for now. Even with Whiswain tugging my back, I'm too tired to do anything, anyway. Better sleep for now...

I can't stop... Attracting strange people...

...

...

...

***YAWN!***, it has been a while since I took such a nice night of sleep, plus the fight and scans from the day before were exhausting. Fortunately, neither Ddraig, Ophelia-San or Yagura wanted to have a serious conversation about anything, they left me to rest, so I had my entire mind to rest for the night, and I should thank then later. Now, I'm feeling like I'm in the clouds. Those pillows are so soft as well, and this bed makes me wonder if I'm not literally on the sk-...

...

There is no bed.

Or pillow.

Or even floor.

**THERE'S NOTHING HERE! I'M LITERALLY SLEEPING A HUNDRED FEET OFF THE GROOOOOOOOOUUUUUND!**

"A-Ah...!" _Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!_ Even if I can still see the Gremory household from here, the horizon is right over there! I'm way, way far from the ground, so much I think the air here is driving me crazy! Gotta stay calm! Gotta stay calm, there must be a reason for that! Maybe it was Ophelia-san's influence over me that is making me fly like this! When I started to search for any reason for this event, my eyes laid on something, no; someone who was still hugging my back. "Ah! Whiswain...!"

How could this have happened?! Is this part of her grim reaper powers?! I knew they could levitate and stuff, but this is ridiculous! And judging by his height, even as a devil, I don't think the landing will be soft at all... I gulped hard, turned around in midair so that I could still hang around Whiswain-san and lightly tapped her rosy cheeks. I don't care if she looks cute asleep, we're in bad waters now.

"Oi~, Whiswain! Please wake up, please wake up." I said trying, and failing, to not look desperate at the situation, if the sweat running down my forehead and dripping on her is any indication. Control yourself, Ichijou, otherwise only death awaits you... Ironically enough. After a few taps on her cheeks, I saw signs that she was waking up, trembling eyelids and yawning lips. Oh, good. Now, stay calm and let her get comfortable. "Ah! Good morning, Whiswain."

"H-Huh...? Ah, good morning, Ichijou-san." She yawned one more time, scratching her eyes and possibly oblivious about the whole situation. I'm freezing over here, but since she's a grim reaper, does she feel anything at all? She blinked a few times, and tilted her head to a side. Drowsiness, don't fail me now! "Huh? Why... Why are you on top of me."

"I-I swear, I have a good reason for that. Don't... Take your eyes from me, please." I said to her, trembling a little by the chilly atmosphere here and for being a hundred feet of the ground! If I were to say for her to not look down, she'd definitely do it anyway and freak out. No, I gotta let her stay calm, and vice-versa.

"W-What's happening? Ichijou-san; what's with that face?" Shit, she's getting scared. I held both of her cheeks with my hands for her to look only at me. I'm getting desperate anyway, but take a deep breath and smile. If you panic, she'll as well. "Y-You're scaring me, Ichijou-san~...!"

"Am I? Sorry, but yyou need to stay calm for now." Damn it, either that was a typo or I'm even stuttering like that! Lame. I gulped, hard, still trying to make her stare only at me. I don't know what will happen if she freaks out or something, so better not risk it. Gotta stay calm, gotta stay calm!

"Ah, okay." She said, her only now trembling as her breath would start to synchro a little better. Great, she's calming down, I need to stay at this rhythm and maybe...! "But... Can I ask you one more thing?"

"S-Sure. Anything, just..."

"Why are we outside?"

"..." Shit! No, no! Don't look away! Don't go anywhere! Just keep looking at me! I pinched both her cheeks trying my best for her to still look at me, but it was no use, her eye was going everywhere. In the end, she waved her hand under her body, and her face after it says it all. "A-ah! Whiswain, please don't panic, just stay calm and...!"

"**Kyaaaaaah**~! I did it again!" And I couldn't even finish my sentence, her entire pale face burned up, and after that, I passed through her! Holy shit! "AH! I AM SOOOOORRYYY...!"

"**GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH**~...!" Now I'm free-falling at high speed, losing control over my body and getting rather dizzy with all the movement around me! Damn it, how does wings work again?! I have no idea how far I am from the Gremory mansion, or what is up or down at all, but for the small glimpses of it, I can see that I'm getting closer and closer for a crash, and not a good one at all! Think, I think to think fast! I summoned my Boosted Gear! "**BALANCE BREAKER**...!"

**[WELSH DRAGON, BOOSTED GEAR: SCALE MAIL!]**

***FLAP FLAP!***

**"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOH...!**" And now donning my Scale Mail armor, I could summon two dragonic wings from my lower spine and activate the jets on my back, making them go full-power so that I could at least ease my landing! It worked! Little by little, the centrifugal force was giving in and the world started to make spacial sense!

Up was up and down was down. Even with my initial disorientation - Another hard word I discovered thanks to poetry classes! - Soon I could figure what was happening, and in the right moment, I pushed and boosted my jets in a single blow! ***BAM!*,** I abruptly stopped in midair, my wings wide open and completely still, as I used them to slowly descent to the rooftop of the Gremory house, my clawed feet finally touching something solid. The armor around me vanished into the wind, and I made a three-point landing, trying to calm my beating heart with my hand on it! Holy... I'm not... Used to... This type on adrenaline in the morning!

**[PARTNER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?].** Yes, welsh dragon, I'm okay. Sorry to wake you up so suddenly, I've got a little problem to deal with, but I'm all good now. Finally giving up on exhaustion, I sat on my butt on the ceiling. **[GOOD TO KNOW. I DARE SAY, TO BE ABLE TO USE BALANCE BREAKER IN SUCH A MOMENT OF BOTH TENSION AND SPEED, I CAN NOT DENY MY SURPRISE. YOU ARE DOING WELL SO FAR.]**

"Yeah, gotta keep my promises for everyone." I sighed deeply, and what I heard from inside the greenish glow in my left hand was a hoarse chuckle before fading away. Sigh, a moment of great tension, eh? I'm starting to get a hang of them... Or I might just be getting more and more insane. Either way, thanks welsh dragon.

"Ichijou-saaaaaan~!" I snapped out of my daydream once I saw a certain hybrid grim reaper soaring around the Gremory ceiling to right in front of me, her face filling with tears. "H-Hiiiiih~, I'm sorry Ichijou-san! Sometimes when I sleep my body begins to drift around, and... And...!"

***FLIP!***

"Owie...!"

"That's... For making everything harder!" I said, shouted, after flicking a finger at her forehead. I didn't want to raise my voice, but my heart was beating so fast the adrenaline kinda took control. She flinched at my display of rage. "If you know that you literally float away during your sleep, don't! Hug! Me! At night!"

"Hiiiiih~, Ichijou-san's screams are scary~!" She covered her ears and made a scared face still in midair, and when she was about to took off, I held her by the brink of her upper pajama and made her stay in place, as she futilely tried to escape my grasp. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry~!"

"You better be!" I said, pulling her closer and making her turn around to face me, teary eyes and trembling lips. I'm probably making a face, so I took a deep breath, and calmed down, masking my face with my hands so any other grimace wasn't visible. I think that's enough. I looked back at her. "Look Whiswain, you gotta warn people about stuff like this. Next time we might not be so lucky. I dropped from the height of a skyscraper, you know how dangerous that is?"

"I-I'm sorr-...!"

***FLICK!***

"Hiiiiih~...!"

"And stop saying 'sorry' for things you know you can avoid! Maybe if you didn't hug me at night, you wouldn't be saying sorry now!" I said with another flick on her exposed forehead. She flinched and covered the red mark on her. I crossed my legs and arms, and huffed in discomfort. Am I acting like that because of all of that shit? I thought I dropped this chapters ago. I opened my eyes back, and Whiswain-San was still here, tears running wild and she was trying to clean herself up with her shirt; again exposing her atomacj and since she wasn't wearing a br-... "Stop that!"

"Hai!" She dropped her pajama again, and looked at me, face frozen in a shocked expression. Great, I got an extra reaction time. I lifted a finger to bit it a little.

"Look Whiswain, it's not that I don't like... This thing I do, but there's something we call 'respect'. You can't be selfish or think that a single 'sorry' will fix things up." I began to lecture her, she drying her tears with her sleeves. I hope this is not how a big brother behaves, I'm getting really bad vibes from this. No, I need to focus, fast. "Promise me that you won't be doing this again, or at least control this problem of yours. I don't anyone waking up only to free fall like a vampire!"

"..." She's pouting now. Not in a frustrated way, mind you, but with sad eyes and droopy expression. She sat in front of me on the Gremory rooftop, and hugged her own body. "Okay... If I can still hug people and be cozy and warm... I promise, Ichijou-san."

"Fine, then." I said, standing up, if not stumbling a little due to the energy waste after using my Balance Breaker like that, and helped her do the same. As expected, her hands are so cold. We shared some stares; and rapidly she turned away. Sigh, I wonder if she's afraid of me. "If you keep that promise, you can sleep like that with me whenever you want. Just that."

"..." She pouted again, and blushed a little. I can feel my own cheeks heating up. Am I a pervert for saying that? But that's... Just for her not to float people around anymore. Just that. In the end, she nodded, and smiled. "Right. I'll try my best to not... Fly around anymore. I'm sorry... Ah!"

"Sigh." Maybe it was because she's an only child, so it's normal for her. When you're the youngest of five and the only boy of such, be selfish and greedy is a BIG no. I reached a hand for her and patted her little head. She snuggled on it. Heh, I still got this. "You're tying. At least just don't stop. And never think it's enough, because it never is."

"Kyuuuh~, Ichijou-san's hands are rougher and harder than Berolina-san's, but are so good~." She said with a smile, and I sighed. In the end, I dusted my clothes, sneezed a little because of it and checked my surroundings. The sky is still in that purplish tone, but no moon. It's probably around morning now.

From here, however, turned to the front of the Gremory manor, I saw a very tall figure walking away from this house. It was very tall, with snowy short white hair and, even though I couldn't see a face, it was wearing a very epic cape and shoulder protectors. Isn't that same that Lord Calico wears? However, for all of that badass aura around there, it was carrying a picnic basket, a very cute picnic basket. And a sake bottle made of fine china.

"Yaaaaaahow~, Ichijou-dono. Good morning to you." That's Lucrezia-san's voice. I turned down and saw that she was following that new figure with also another picnic basket and her usual maid outfit. She was waving at us. "Oh, and Whiswain-dono as well. What are you two doing up there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's a long story, Lucrezia-san. Whiswain, could you help me get down there?" I said to the grim reaper by my side, and she then held me by the arm so we could descent slowly to the ground. My feet touched the ground, but she continued to hover around. Then I turned to Lucrezia-san, beautiful as always. My eyes drifted lower, and I blushed looking at her stomach. I snapped back when she lifted my chin with a finger. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I feel somehow flattered. You need to learn to be subtler, though." She smiled a little more, which made me turn away from her in shame. Older women are so hard to deal with. I jumped away from her grasp, and she giggled at me. I have the feeling she's one of those kinds that play with my emotions.

"Lucrezia, is something to matter?" I heard a hoarse and powerful voice coming from her back, and a shadow descended upon us, the only thing escaping that Void of darkness were two shining purple dots. I blinked a few times. A demon? No, cleaning my eyes, I saw it was a white-haired man wearing a suit under a cape. Areh? I think I saw him... Somewhere. Before I could say anything, Whiswain-san yelped and hid behind me. That man, now I saw it was a man, grinned. "Ohohoh~, long time no see, sekiryuutei. Only this time, for the first time."

"Uuuuh~... Okay. Hello as well... Good to see you again... For the first time." I coughed a little for that. Holy shit, that's awkward. There's something uneasy about him, I want to run away just by standing next to him. Whiswain-san then roped herself on my neck. "Ah! Whiswain, what the hell...!"

"Uuuuh... Uuuuh...!" I couldn't stay mad for too Long. When I looked back, the grim reaper was trying her hardest to stay hid behind me, and she was sweating buckets.

"W-Whiswain? What's the matter?"

"It might be me, red dragon. And for that, I apologize." When I turned around back, I noticed that man was too close from me! I yelped too and jumped away from his area, while he laughed under his teeth. I didn't even notice him! He's fast, way too fast! However, when I blinked, he vanished completely from my sight. Next thing I know, I saw a shadow descend upon me, and the. I turned around to see him again, now pinching one of Whiswain-san's cheeks! "Little girl, are you a grim reaper? Then it sucks to be you."

"Hiiiiiih~...!"

"Don't touch her!" I made a 180° and quickly back stepped, but again any form or shape of that man vanished from my eyes, and I thought I was about touch the ground; but suddenly, my feet were kicked, and I was about to fall on the ground! Faster than I could, I turned around again to clash my front instead, saving Whiswain-san! *BAM!*, I fell on my front, and when I was about to hand up, a heeled boot stomped in front of me. It was him again! "Kh...!"

"I'm not that much surprised about your lack of skills, but your honour in avoiding the little girl on your back to get hurt is at least admirable. Nice job, Sekiryuutei." That voice said again. I looked up, and again those same purple orbs were staring at me from the shadows casted upon us, much more like the abyss itself. Suddenly, a hand was lifted, and started to reach for us! "Aren't you interesting? Have you...?"

"Cohen-sama, please stop!" But then everything turned brighter as Lucrezia-san appeared from besides him and reached a hand to pick him by. She still had her smile, but her eyes were shining something different, as a warning. There were so focused. A laugh was heard, and with a swift move, the broke contact, now the Onoskelis helping me to get up. She herself dusted my clothes and bowed. "I'm so sorry, Ichijou-dono and Whiswain-dono. Cohen-sama can be a little inconsequential about his actions against servants such as ourselves. Please don't take his little pranks into further consideration, because he didn't me to."

"Cohen... -sama?" I said in a lower tone, trying my best to find where and why that name wasn't unfamiliar to me. Whiswain-san still hiding behind my back, though. I snapped my fingers. Ah! I remember! He's... "Rina's old man... The current Demon Lord of Lucifer!"

"That would be me, yes. Sekiryuutei." Wah! So fast! He appeared right next to me and Lucrezia-san, making me jump and lose balance! Before I could fall, however, he disappeared again and I felt a light push from behind. There he is again! And why is he shirtless?! "Former member of the Alastor house of extra Devils and the youngest of the current generation of it, now the current Demon Lord Lucifer and successor of the Super Devil Sirzechs Gremory and, of course, married to the second most beautiful woman in the Underworld. Also, fathering two of the prettiest young Devils in this generation. And my name is... Cohen Lucifer!"

So much power, such speed! I couldn't even keep up with him, and now with that name, I can't stop trembling. He's strong, he's too strong. Rina's father, the current Lucifer, no wonder Whiswain-san is like that. I gulped my lasts drops of regret together with a pick of uneasiness, and bowed to him.

"I-I'm sorry... For my Rudeness, Lucifer-sama." I said. Whiswain-san dropped herself from me and stood right by my side to do the same. She was still picking me by the sleeve. She's really scared. I dared a peek back at him, and he was laughing under his gloved hand. W-What now?

"Huhuh, yes indeed. But as Much I'd like to stay and chat with you about our differences in strength, I'm kinda in a hurry to meet people at the Grigori, so I rather be going now." He said, displaying what I can only call a cat smile, and blowing a small steam cloud out of his mouth. Wait, did he say 'Grigori', as in, The Grigori institute of the fallen angels? He lifted his rather cute basket which I could see it was filled with cheeses and snacks! What?! "I even made some snacks to eat while at it, so I'd hate to be late for such an important appointment. Sorry for my rudeness, but alas, I bid you all goodbye."

Before anything else, he picked the other basket Lucrezia-san was carrying and with. Small wink at us, he unfold under his cape a pair of insectoid wings and flew away at blinding speeds! So that's... The power of a Demon Lord. Even now I'm shaken, and he even said that he's about to have a meeting at the Grigori...

"Apologies about Cohen-sama's behavior, Ichijou-dono. He's not exactly an easy person to deal with, but at least he can control what happens in the Underworld." I'm sorry, but statement of the YEAR, Lucrezia-san! That Cohen guy, now I don't know from where the Gremory sisters got such colourful personalities from! Although, having to deal with them, I'm not that surprised that Nemesis-san ended up the way she did(My family is pretty wacky itself, after all.). I sighed, as Lucrezia-san came closer to now comfort Whiswain-san, who were crying a little. Great, now I feel like a jerk. "There, there. You saw something quite unpleasant, didn't you, Whiswain-dono? Do t worry, he's not gonna bite you."

[Oh-hoh, so Israel's little friend grew up to become a Lucifer. I'm impressed, while at the same time not, he was stronger than me, after all.] I heard a sweet and calm voice giggle inside my head, Ophelia-san's voice, as she spoke in such a nostalgia-like tone. Eh? You know Cohen-sama; Ophelia-san? [More than I wanted to, Ichijou-san. After all... It was him who killed me with Rhongomiant.]

...!

"Ichijou-dono, don't you want to come inside? Since you're already up, we can have breakfast and you can share your... Events of this morning." Said the Onoskelis, waving at me as Whiswain-san hugged my arm. Breakfast is not a bad Idea, but out of the sudden, I wanted to see where this Grigori is. I mean, Azazel-sama might be there, he can suddenly help me how to aim higher! I patted Whiswain-san's head, and passed her back to Lucrezia-san.

"Maybe later, Lucrezia-san." I said, with her tilting her head to a side and both she and Whiswain-san giving me a interrogation sign. "Say, Lucrezia-san, can I ask you something?"

"If it's within my reach, I'd love to comply."

"Thank you. Now, how can I reach the Grigori institute?"

* * *

**Asshole ichijou is the best Ichijou, can't ever let him get a break either way, can I? So that's the chapter for now, not much but a few development and ichijou-focused, but those are fine from time to time. So, get ready! **

**Next chapter: Ichijou visits the Grigori and meets the new SLASH/DØG. Please look foward to it!**

**Greetings~.**


	67. THE SLASHDØG RETURNS, part 2

**And so it continues the everyday life of devils from the gremory house. i'm becoming quite popular too, since two of some known writers in the fandom are now summoning me in their new stories. If you're here because of them, send my thanks to them. :3. Good to be friends with people like them.**

**So, anway, DxD doesn't belong to me, thank you very much.**

* * *

***YAWN!***, phew, with my mind already sorted out and back to my dearest natural habit, the underworld, this night of sleep was the best in a long time! My soft bed; my dear pillows and my cute stuffed animals, the only thing I missed was Ichijou sleeping by my side, although I won't say this was a lonely night, Heheh...

Another day, another day! I jumped from my bed and stretched my neck a few times to get rid of my morning moroseness. I dunno why, but this feels like this will be a great day! I got rid of my pajamas, and changed to my normal attire, a white shirt and a magenta skirt. Huuuuuh~, I wonder if everybody is also already up. I reached for the door and turned the knob, ready to start another day.

"Good morning, Master Berolina!" The butlers and maids gathered in front of my door greeted me with a bow and a smile, and I could only smile back and give them a small handwave. Let me see: ah! Blairzar is absent today, maybe he still got that stomachache from the other day. Maybe Nemesis's experimental cuisine wasn't the best idea for him. They soon offered me a cup of coffee, which I picked the small cup and plate and walked towards the kitchen with the small latte with sweetener in it. It has been a while since I last tasted it in the morning.

"Mistress~... Mistress~..." Soon my normal morning broke completely when I saw a certain general sleeping in front of one of my guest rooms, her black messy sex-hair as unkept as ever, and with bags under her eyes. Guan Yu, and the room in front of her is probably Liu Bei's, which was open with no one inside. Hahahah! Smart Liu Bei...

"Berolina-sama, what should we do with her? She has been there since morning." One of the maids, Vivanie, asked me covering her mouth so that she wouldn't said it out loud. Maybe we can lock her in some sex dungeon, ah, but that would be too much trouble. I shrugged.

"Put her back on her room. She needs to rest a little." Being a psycho-lesbian must be tiring. Vivanie bowed to me and, with the help of other butlers, they lifted Guan Yu and took her back into her small room. Has everyone waken up too? Liu Bei usually wakes up earlier, same goes with Tasha, but how about Whiswain? I just hope she wasn't molested... Again.

Which reminds me, Ginko is still back at Ichijou's house. I hope Yoko didn't kill her already~. Ah! Maybe she's now sniffing Ichijou's underwear! Nah~, she's not that perverted... Or is she? Ah!

"Neeeeroooooh~! Put me down or else I'll burn you to ashes~..." I turned around and, as I expected, Nero-niisama was carrying Nemesis on his back, my sister was practically being dragged around, enormous bags under her eyes. Hahahah, so she's still not a morning person after all this time. Nii-sama laughed a nervous one, and adjusted my sleepy sister on his back.

"Hah, c'mon Nemesis. Let's shake up that sleepy head with a good shower." She said with a cute smile, and Nemesis blushed a little. It didn't take them long to notice me in the middle of the corridor, and like always, Nii-sama smiled and gave me a big smile. "Good morning; Rina-chan. I hope you slept well, unlike little moth here."

"Puuuuh~, I'm a devil, a creature of the night, mornings are my natural enemies..." Still a little sleepy, my older sister poked her knight's cheek with a finger, then turned to me. "Good morning, Rina~. ***YAWN!***, I'll... I'll catch you later, I'll take a bath first... Hyuh~..."

"So we'll be going now. Aria and Nadja are probably already heading to the kitchen, so maybe you can catch up with them midway. Godspeed then." He said, and flinched a little with his little slip. A small headache zapped me, but I smiled and waved them goodbye before walking towards the kitchen.

It was just a small talk in the middle of the corridor, yet I feel so much lighter now. Uuuf~, I feel great! I heard some murmurs around, and noticed the maids and butlers talking among themselves, all of them with big smiles for me. Hahahah~, now I feel so embarrassed~! I waved at them, and returned my way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Rina! Here, come join us." I opened the door to the kitchen and mom greeted me with a smile, wearing her usual Crimson robe and sitting on the corner of the table, sipping on her coffee. Whiswain, Aria-nee, Nadja, Liu Bei, Lucrezia and Tasha were also here, so I sat down on one of the chairs next to me. She soon offered me a plate of cookies. "Here, sweetheart. Pick some cookies, Lucrezia-chan did it herself."

"Thank you." I said as lucrezia filled my cup with coffee and I picked a cookie from the plate. Huuuum~, Lucrezia's cooking is so good, not even Ichijou's, Satsuki'a or Mama Ouroboros's can compare. Although they're kinda flat now. Huh. "Hey, mother? What happened to the cookie jar?"

***BAM!***

"Mother?!"

"Let us not... Speak about that, right? Aria~..." Mom out of nowhere practically buried her face on the table, and for that we all jumped a little. Now, she stood sit on her chair once again, and turned her gaze towards Aria-nee, who hid her face behind her own cup of tea. The blonde's response was a nod. Awkward~...

"So~... Ahahah, hey! Liu Bei, if you want to know, Guan Yu is resting there on her room." I said, breaking away the awkward atmosphere. The pink-haired teacher only sighed under her breath, and lowered her head a little towards us.

"I'm so sorry for the behavior of my protégée. I try and try to put her in order, but once I'm away, Guan Yu tends to run wild. And ever since Zhuge Lian left us..." Oh, what was that? I kinda left the atmosphere even heavier after the cheerful general gave her small rant in the blues, by with that last name resounding here, it got me curious! She noticed her small slip, and shook her head. "Oh, nothing. It's just... When my other siblings in arms were around, he used to be more controlled. Pay no mind to my small rude comment, how unlady-like of me."

"T-That's okay, Teacher Liu Bei! Guan Yu... Wasn't all that noisy!" Whiswain stood up and nodded frenetically, also shaking both her arms negatively! I know this pose, she's lying. "I mean... She has only good intentions for you, so she can't be that bad! I mean; she's also so strong...!"

"We couldn't sleep last night. Guan Yu-chin. Too noisy."

"Tasha-_saaAaAaAAAaan_~!" Moaned in distress the half-grim reaper to Tasha's blandness; which made my now-only Rook sigh and only buff a small laugh. Mother and I could only laugh a little with my peerage's antics. Aria-nee and Nadja were also hiding small laughs under their breaths.

"Liu Bei-dono, if you like, I can teach you some tricks and tips about how to deal with little troublemaker Guan Yu-dono." My favorite maid and nanny, Lucrezia, smiled with a hand right on Liu Bei's shoulder, shining her orange eyes at her. Behind that smiley disposition, I think I'm the only one who notices, or cares, the heavy maleficent aura she's spilling so casually!

"I bet it also involves bro in it, isn't that right Lucrezia?" Said Aria-nee with a bite out of her bread and giving a wink to my maid. She smiled in return.

"Ohoh~, you caught me, Aria."

"Can we avoid those kinds of conversations at least by the morning, please?" Nadja timidly lifted one of her hands and asked the talking girls, as everyone laughed under her breath. Ah yes, I missed how simple we used to be by the morning, and with new people, it's even greater! But then, it got me thinking...

"Has anyone seen Ichijou? I thought he would already be here." I asked everyone around, and while almost everyone shrugged, Tasha, Whiswain and Lucrezia lifted their hands. What?!

"Tsukino-chin. Tasha-chin. Went to heaven."

"Oh, my~."

"What?"

"Please don't say those misleading things, Tasha-saaaaan~!" Moaned the grim reaper leaping onto Tasha, grabbing her by the collar and shaking her around! Ahaaaaaaah~, he really has become quite popular with the girls, hasn't he? I'm even kinda jealous. Of him. Everyone continued to eye the grim reaper, who suddenly stopped on her track and turned to us, red as a tomato. "Uuuuh~... Haaaaaah~... I-I-I mean... W-We... Guan Yu-san... Were being noisy, not that I'm complaining or anything... So... S-So... Me and Tasha-san... Tried to try on Ichinou-san's room..."

"Night crawling**(Yōbai)**"

"TashaaaAAaAaaAaaA~...!"

"I'm so sorry for this, Tasha-dono, Whiswain-dono. I promise I will try to control Guan Yu from now on." Liu Bei bowed her head apologetically and Tasha and Whiswain mimicked the gesture. What to do? I mean, I can't sacrifice Liu Bei and say for us to sleep on Ichijou's room, and since I have my own room, I can't use that excuse to sleep with him. Huuuh~, being a heroine is hard~! Lucrezia appeared next to Whiswain and held her by the shoulder, smiling.

"But apparently, Whiswain-dono can't control some of her powers during her sleep. For what I heard, Ichijou-dono and she floated away from the Gremory mansion during the morning." Oh, so all of that screaming came from him. Heh, I can't help but giggle a little. But still, that doesn't answer my question. "It was an amusing story, at best, with all due respect."

"That's fun and all, but I'll ask: where is Tsukino Ichijou, Lucrezia." Mother said to the maid. Even with the smile, the bluennete began to ooze an uneasy aura, which this time spread all over us. I heard a tired sigh escape her lips, and she gulped one more time all of her pride.

"He... He went to the **Grimori institute** with Akio."

"...!"

"I see." What?! She allowed him to visit the Grigori institute?! But... But that place... I couldn't hide my horror, and mom noticed before I could hide or change it for other face. Curses! "Berolina, have you told him about what happened to the Grigori?"

"..." I gulped hard, almost chocking on air. My lips squeezed against each other, but I couldn't stand mom's stare for too long. I sighed one more time. "No, I didn't."

"Oh well, whatever the reason you might had, he's gonna discover it right now. How bitter, discovering like that." The whole place froze in place, everyone too surprised to say anything, except Whiswain who was looking around in confusion. Oh, I remember, she had a pretty sheltered life, no wonder she doesn't know about it. Mother took another sip from her tea, and put two sugar cubes in them. "I am... Quite curious about which reaction he'll take for that. All I know is gonna be a sad one."

"..." No matter how cruel she sounds, neither Nemesis or I could deny that, and I sniffed my nose a little in regret. Should've... Should've told him sooner. Whiswain was the first to manifest herself with a hand lifted.

"U-Uhhh... Sorry if this is going to be a bother, but I don't know what happened to the Grigori either." She asked. I have no words for that, I'm more concerned about Ichijou than anything else. Lucrezia-san, on the other hand, sighed and embraced my newest bishop from behind, resting her chin on the top of her head.

"Well, you see Whiswain-dono..."

.

~~x~~

.

"Thanks for helping me reach the Grigori institute, **Akio**-san. I owe you one."

"No problem, Sekiryuutei." And here I am, supporting myself on Akio-san's back as we flew around the underworld, with me standing between her two wings which one was scaly and large as a dragon's, other like that of a crow's. I was hanging my arms around her collarbone, laid on her back like that Chihiro girl from the movie.

There we are, flying around the underworld in order to reach the Grigori institute. Honest tslk, I'm actually quite ecstatic to be here! Being so high in the sky, this time without the fear of falling(mostly, Akio-san is a sadist.), reaching one of my Senpai's strongest tutors! And also the other members of the Grigori, all of them legendary personal that changed the Three Factions forever. Although also a little nervous since I don't know what they might do to the new Sekiryuutei.

**[You worry too much, Ichijou. Besides some personnel, the Grigori institute is a pretty chill place. They're probably show you THEIR thing before anything else.]** Echoed the voice inside my left arm, the emerald glow. She seems more excited than I am. Are you that happy to see old faces, Yagura? I mean... After all that happened, they might not even be alive anymore. I heard a chuckle.** [That might be true, but uncle Azazel had everything prepared for that kind of stuff, plus Grandpa Baraqiel and uncle Shamhazai. I won't be surprised if they reconstructed that old place into a giant mecha.]**

[A giant Mecca? How strange, I thought fallen angels would reject any type of authority symbol in their area.] Another, melodious voice also reached my mind, and I heard Yagura laugh as Ophelia-san hummed in curiosity. So innocent, angels are. I think they are, because there are fallen angels for a reason. Come to think of it, Ophelia-san, are you okay in visiting the Grigori at the same time with the man... [Who _killed_ me? Rest assure, Ichijou. I was the one wrong, falling in love with a human, and trying to expose the supernatural world for the humans. This is my punishment for my naïveté, and I'm fine by this. I just wish Rei's fine now.]

Shellshocked and armless. He's pretty fucking fine on my standards... I won't share this with the rest of my group, obviously.

**[Shellshocked and armless, he's pretty fucking fine on my standards.]** Yagura, you have no sense of Tact! What the hell! You can't say that to an angel! I expected Ophelia-san to retaliate, but the only thing that came was a small chuckle.

[As long as he's not... Arming anyone, this is passable.] Wow, that was dark, that was super dark. I feel a chill creeping on my spine with that line alone, and the chuckle and laugh coming from Ophelia-San and Yagura respect fly didn't help at all. They're treating this like a mother talk, that's the worst thing.

**[THE WRATH AND LOGIC OF WOMEN SURE SURPASSES MALE COMPREHENSION.]** You and me both, Welsh dragon, you and me both. How about you? How do you feel I siting someone of so long ago. Must be hard to see how things might've change.** [CHANGES WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN, PARTNER. FOR THE BETTER OF FOR THE WORST, THEY WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN. HOWEVER, IF THE PREVIOUS EVENTS OF WHAT SUCCEEDED MY PREVIOUS PARTNER'S AWAKENING WERE TO BE REPEATED, I CAN ONLY SAY I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THEM.]**

Yeah, changes are not always good...

"Ichijou-kun, are you okay? You have been awfully quiet for someone who has been sniffing on my nape for the past minutes." Akio-san snapped me back from my stupor with that sentence, and I instinctively backed away from her! Ah! I've been so into my mental conversation I didn't even notice this! "Not that I mind much, but please be aware of your indecent behavior before I drop you by the face of the underworld."

"A-Ah... Sorry, Akio-san." I simply said, feeling my face heating up. She smells good, that's true, but I wasn't... Paying attention to that detail. I arms wandered around so I could make sure I wasn't groping her or anything, I wasn't, and sighed. "I'm just a little nervous, y'know. Going to the Grigori and meet people who knew senpai. I'm happy too, but still."

"..." She went quiet for a second, I think I hear her humming something, and then I saw her nod. "Don't worry, Ichijou-kun. I'm sure they'll have a lot of time to listen to you, stumbling or not."

"A-Ahah... Ahahah. Do I look that nervous?" Maybe I am. Eheheh, but she's pretty cool for considering that. I mean, she also came here with a picnic basket, so I'm pretty sure she knows then pretty much too! "But... Thank you, Akio-san. Uh... Do you... Have any idea a of how to start a conversation with them. I mean, this is the first time I'm facing someone as them, and I'm pretty nervous..."

"I can only say that only you will know how to react to it." She said, as we entered now a more cloudy space. That's very vague of a statement, I wonder what she means by that. "We're getting closer to the Grigori. Get ready, don't panic, and everything's gonna be alright. Lord Cohen and the other demon lords will be there as well, so don't worry."

"H-Hey, now you are making me nervous!" I said out loud, and she only laughed as she can only. Asking me to not worry is practically ordering me to get worried! The clouds and cold wind began to part away, and little by little the vision of the underworld was coming back! There it is! "A-Ah! Akio-san! I still don't know how I will face the people in the Grigor-...!"

I couldn't complete my sentence, I was taken back by the scenario in which we were flying on. My entire mind stopped, and the moment we escaped that cloudy trap, all the words within me died. Not just me, but even the people inside my head were quiet. At first, I couldn't believe it was real, but the moment Akio-san landed on a small piece of land and I touched the ground, I was sure that was real... That was real.

Well, at least she was right. I'm now sure how to react to this...

**"[What the Hell?!]" I said, because that's the only reaction I have for this! What's this?! This is not... This is not how I envisioned the Grigori... This is...not the... "Is this...?"**

**"Yes. Home, sweet ruins." Said the Himejima dragon besides me, pointing now at the massive black scar of ruins right in front of us! What's... Is this...?! For some reason, I can't breath right! I clenched my heart as hard as I could, and soon enough, my heartbeat returned to normal, but the cold sweat remains. I felt someone patting my head, it was Akio-san. "Easy there, Ichijou-kun. Don't make me electrocute you again."**

**"[How can you be so calm about this?! Look at that, Kurenai! What the hell happened to the Grigori?!]" Words that are not mine escaping my mouth, and slapping away that hand that hand that only wanted to comfort me. I saw my world get distorted a little, only to everything come back to normal seconds later. I blinked once. "[Uuuuh... I'm sorry.]"**

**"No, you're right. I shouldn't be so cruel about hiding such thing from you." She said, her smile fainting a little and she caressed her own face. No, that's wrong, that wasn't me talking. Still, I heard her huff under a hand, and helped me to leap on another piece of landslide closer to... The ruins of the Grigori. So... Only the ruins of the Grigori, eh? I feel... Sad. "The thing is, I wasn't here when it happened. Master Azazel called me one night saying he brought some new sacred gear users to join the Grigori, one of them even a Longinus, but then when I reached here... Everything was already destroyed. And everyone, Almost everyone, dead."**

**"[...]" I couldn't say a thing, only gulped a large amount of air into my system, walking through the ruined corridors and walls, all scorched beyond recognition, and stepping on some black feathers, that probably belonged to someone times ago. What's this feeling? This is not an institute, nor a relic. [It's a graveyard!]. "[Since when... Since when?]"**

**"About ten years ago? My memory is a bit cloudy, but around this time. I was still learning a lot from Azazel." I heard a small hint of sadness in her voice, but better not say anything for now. I followed her for a little while, only to reach a giant gate which was partially open, but I couldn't see anything from that small opening. Akio-san knocked a few times, then without ceremony opened it up, her basket entering the place first. "Hey-how~, I'm here with more drinks and snacks."**

**"Ah, good to see you, Aki-chan." Now I could see what was inside: a bunch of people, seven in total and wearing that same Demon Lord attire, were lined up in front of a large was with a painting of a sorts, which was also partially scorched. In front of that painting, laid a few sake cups, with a small share and a black feather floating on all of them but one. The one who greeted us was Cohen-sama, and he was also drinking from one of the cups. "Oh; and you brought the sekiryuutei as well. Come in, let's drink with lord Azazel."**

**"Sure. Come, Ichijou-kun." I'm so confused now, but Akio-san's hand helped me to walk forward, so like a robot, I reached Cohen-sama and the rest. Ah; Beelzebub-sensei and Calico-sama are also here. Are those... The Demon Lords of the underworld? Akio-san took her place next to Cohen-sama, and from her basket she picked a cup, a jar of sake and some snacks. I was still standing. *POP!*, Akio-san opened one of the bottles and poured some into her cup, and then into the cups in front on her. "Would you like a share, Ichijou-kun? Have a cup."**

**"[N-No, I'm good. If I'm like my father, I'm doze off with just a sniff.]" I lifted both my hands negatively, and she shrugged like saying 'suit yourself', pouring the rest of the cups. I could see from here, all of them, with the exception of that one, despite looking almost similar, every feather had a different design enough to tell them apart. I can even tell three of them are similar to Akio-san's. Out of the sudden, all of them lifted their cups, and drank them, a sigh of relief from all of them following suit.**

**"To lord Azazel and his son Ramiel!"**

**"Cheers!" All of them said in unison following Lord Cohen. Another pour, another sip, another sigh.**

**"To Lord Shemhazai and his son Akaguri!"**

**"Cheers!" Again, that same motion with the drinks and the calls. Is that a homage? Another round, sip and sigh.**

**"To Lord Baraqiel and his grandchildren, Kurenai and Akane Himejima!"**

**"Cheers!"**

**"Ichijou-kun, I'm sorry for bringing you here in such a moment." Akio-san said, her face already turning somehow red. She clapped her hands together and nodded at me apologetically. "If I stay, I'll be here for a while. Let me tour you around."**

**"]N-No! I'm good. I'll just... Walk around and find myself around. It's not like it'll be anyone around, right?]" God-fucking-dammit, someone call an topographic because that wasn't smooth at all. I turned my face around to distract myself, and sighed, pointing to a random direction. "[I'll just... Go and find myself around. You can stay and do your homage; I have no right to intervene.]"**

**And with that, I bid her goodbye, as they continued to cheer and call names by my back. Sigh, now with everything calmer, and can start concentrating and take a better look around.**

**Through out the lonely corridors, the empty rooms and scorched memories, nothing but loneliness were gripping my heart. Not any kind of loneliness, it's like I'm completely sole in this world. I can't imagine this place having at least a drop of life, and this only make things worse. It's frustrating! I don't know if I'm sad, angry, mad or just... Angsty, I'm just... Like this. Senpai... Lord Vali... The previous world... And now... Lord Azazel. I didn't even know him, so why am I so... Like this?**

[Do you want to talk?]** Ophelia-san offered me from within her little two cents of charity. Is it wrong to drag her with me? I mean, we are connected, but still...**

**"[No, I think I'm good enough, Ophelia-san.]" I sighed.**

**[PARTNER, RECOMPOSE YOURSELF. DO NOT CRY FOR THE ONE WHO LIVED THEIR LIVES TO THE FULLEST, BE GLAD THEY LIVED THE WAY THEY WANTED.] The big red living inside my left arm roared inside my head. Even so, thinking like that, they were still killed by someone, even Ramiel, old man's son, were caught in it. E-Eh? How do I know this? Ah... [EVEN SO, DO NOT CRY FOR THEM. SAVE SUCH EMOTIONS FOR THE ONE WHO TOOK THEIR LIVES OR OTHER OCCASION. THIS WILL BE YOUR TRUMP CARD.]**

**"[Yes, I guess you're right]" I sighed. I'm still pretty confused, but even so, I need to pull myself together. Whatever happened, happened, and I don't have control over time to do anything about it. My only solution, now, is to...**

... Use those emotions of loss and grief to protect those important to me now.

**... Save those emotions to help Ichijou destroy anything that might harm him or his friends.**

...** "[Ah.]"**

...

...

"Wow, that was a thing." I said to no one, gripping my hand a few times only to feel a small itch in it. Yagura, are you okay?** [Yes, kinda. That was... Freaky.]**

**[SYNCHRONIZATION. VRITRA COULD DO THIS, AND HIM AND HIS PREVIOUS PARTNER GREW EXPONENTIALLY IN TERMS OF POWER. IT WOULD BE UNSURPRISING TO SEE A DEVELOPMENT IN YOU BASED ON THOSE SIMILAR EMOTIONS.]** The welsh dragon is right, Aria-san did explain that the connection between the sacred gear and it's user is important for a better fighting style. If I can synchronize with Yagura like that, and maybe even Ddraig plus Ix and Ophelia-san imagine what we will be able to do...

[Its such a pity that the first time that I see this, is during such grief. I don't want to experiment that ever again.] Moaned Ophelia-san. I heard Yagura sigh out an awkward one, and I can only imagine her scratching her cheek in front of a crying Ophelia-san like those old animes, plus the massive crimson dragon behind them not knowing what to do. [I am sad as well for the death of brother Azazel and his peers, but please, don't ever do that again based on negative emotions. Let's share good memories together instead.]

**"[Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry for that.]"** and again I noticed our synchronization. Wow, freaky. I shook my head negatively, and returned to normal, the itch in my left hand indication I'm in total control again. I gotta stay calm, otherwise, I might lose it again. Wait, if my body isn't breaking with Yagura's influence, does that mean I grew stronger to withstand her power?

**[...]**

Nice. If I keep up like that; maybe... Just maybe...

***Caim~...!***

"Eh...?" What's with that sound? A bark? Since when this place has dogs? I stood up from the ground and looked around the ruins of the Grigori. My eyes scanned through out all the shadows and corners of my current location, and finally, it laid on something new: a small puppy **dog** rising from a dark corner, with completely dark fur and red eyes. It's so... Cute! Man, look at that stray dog charm! He's also all messy! So cute!** *SLAP!***, damn it, recompose yourself Ichijou! I put myself on my knees and offered a hand for it. I know this is hell, but this cutie seems so harmless. "Hey there, little fella. Are you lost? Me too. Heheh..."

***Caim, Caim!*** It weakly replied, if I can say anything about dog-language, and came closer to snuggle on my left Palm. I hope no one catches me doing this, smiling like an idiot for animals. I scratched it's lower jaw, and I think it liked it!** *Yip! Yip!***

"Ahahah... Cute. You like that, don't you, little fella?" I said. I'm feeling better now, or maybe I'm just distracting myself and, then moment I let go of this dog, I'll be back in being a massive angst ball from before. Either way, I'm feeling much better, so I can't complain. Even the spirits inside of me are calm.

[I'm glad that you're happy again; Ichijou-san! Maybe you can buy yourself a dog so you can always be this happy!] Ophelia-san said in a happy tone. A dog, eh? Nah, I don't think I would be able to take care of an animal since I never had one. Except one, my **Pet Rock Kaji**. [Oh, how... Lovely...? I'm sure you have fond memories of it.]

Yeah...

Kaji died three days later; by the way. I won't think that out loud, of course.

**[It's a cute dog, or should I say a hellhound? I mean, how strange, the aura of this dog is somehow... Not of a Hellhounds's. How odd.]** Observed Yagura. Oh, what do you mean? Maybe it's a dog youkai of a sorts, or maybe just a familiar. I scratched its chin again, and it yelped happily, now licking my hand. **[I think I Already... Felt this aura. From where...?]**

"Well, I think it likes me." I said feeling a small smile creep on my face. It hurts a little to smile, but this is actually quite a good surprise. I continued to pet the dog, and it continued to snuggle on my hand.

***Ruuuuh~... Ruuuuh~... Uh?*** Out of the sudden, it stopped. The puppy in front of me stopped smiling and snuggling and, instead, reached for Lady Akeno's ribbon wrapped around my hand. What? Did it catch a smell different from mine? The dog sniffed my hand, then the ribbon, and suddenly it sharped it's red eyes. ***Ruh... GRRRRRR!***

"H-Hey, little fella? What's the matter?"

**[*GASP!*, I remember! Ichijou, stay away from it! This is actually-...!]**

***ZING!***

***ZING!***

***CLANK!***

"Noted!" Even with all of my strength and Ix, the enormous blade that inexplicably appeared from the back of that small puppy took me back a few steps. Holy bitch, that's a big blade coming out of a small puppy. Now I could grip Ix with both my hands, and so I adopted a battle stance. "So Yagura, what was you were about to tell me?"

**[Well; ya see, this is not an ordinary dog, it's not even a hellhound of a sorts. What is in front of you, in actuality, it's a sacred gear. In fact; just like the Boosted Gear, that is the Longinus Canis Lykaon.]** She spoke loud and clear for me to hear and not miss anything. A Longinus, **Canis Lykaon, the Dog God of the Black blade**, no wonder it pushed me away with a single strike.** [However, since it's here, this means a member of the Himejima clan is here as well, moreover, a descendant of the SLASHDØG. Maybe it's his son, or someone after.]**

"The **SLASHDØG**, sounds too dangerous." I gulped hard, not taking my eyes off that puppy who exponentially grew a few times in size. It's a sacred gear, so it's not much of a stretch it can do something like that. Calm down... No, fuck this, I won't calm down! This son of a bitch(no pun intended) is a Longinus, which puts him at the same level as... That girl with the [DIVINE DIVIDING], so I can't relax not even for an instant, otherwise it's only death for me. "But any reason for attacking me?"

[**The Grigori was attacked by someone who could kill people whose combined forces could surpass gods, and you have the ribbon with the scent of a Himejima. Do the math.]** Like I'd know that thing could smell the red dragon inside of me! Again I'm in the middle of a situation where I shouldn't be part of, but I am due to some stupid coincidence, just my luck as expected!** [IN ANY CASE, DO NOT AVERT YOUR GAZE FROM CANIS LYKAON FOR EVEN AN INSTANT. THE USER I REMEMBER COULD FORCE THE GRANDSON OF THE MORNING STAR TO HIS UTMOST LIMIT. WE CAN EXPECT ANYTHING FROM THIS ONE!]**

Yeah, I'm so done with new characters, better just go with the flow...

***SLASH!***

"Ugh...!" So fast! I couldn't even see the SLASHDØG move, and for an inch it didn't cut my throat! I pushed Ix as far as I could, and with a backflip, the black dog put itself in stance again, coming for me!

I couldn't contain the barrage of blades in my direction! Every time I block any of its blades, its sprouts two to three more! Every time it slashes, I can only block two of five! Either it really wants my head or expects a lot from me!

In the end, ***CLANK!***, out of sheer luck, I locked Ix in between three blades, which stopped the movements of the SLASHDØG in midair. It couldn't move, and its blades were either stuck on mine or too far away from me. Tch, got the higher ground, but I can't be too careful, otherwise... Ah! The blades are extending now! And they're reach for my neck! Not good, NOT! GOOD!

***GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAUUUR...!***

"Damnit! Stay down, you goddamn **TRASHDØG**!" I said out loud, and out of the sudden Ix began to ooze a silver aura from its blade! The aura then expanded so violently it bent the blades coming from the dog reaching for me! It yelped in surprise, and since I had nothing to lose, I pushed Ix against the Canis Lykaon, finally landing a slash! "**[DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY!] SLASH!"**

The hit was blank-point, and instead of small lines of energy, the dog was caught in an energy slash shaped like a line, that ascended it to the skies. Once far enough, the edge that was pushing Canis Lykaon suddenly changed its shape to one of a dragon's head, and took a bite out of the SLASHDØG! It didn't even have the time to yelp or cry, the energy exploded in a show of Crimson lights, and in the end, the only thing left was a small cloud of smoke.

"Wow... Was that... Me?" I said. I mean, Beelzebub-sensei did say I was weaken due to Yoko's bite, and Ix is the fusion of Ascalon and Rhongomiant, but... That shouldn't be right. That was... What was that word? C'mon poetry classes, don't fail me now... Superb. Yeah, that was indeed superb. It took me a while to notice I was biting my lips a little too hard.

[Impressive. Quite impressive. I salute you, Ichijou-san.] I could hear claps coming from Ophelia-san, as Yagura and the welsh dragon snickered along.

**[That was a good DIVIDING WYVERN FAIRY, bro. Still, I'm not seeing you using the complete form of it soon enough.]** Yagura Sai. Despite her tone and words, I can say she's actually quite proud of me. Heh, it's good to be proud at. No wait...

***Groan...!*** That single sound made me cut all of that moment and freeze in place. I looked upwards, and from that cloud of smoke my newest attack created, a single string of it jumped off of it, and landed right in front of me. When the smoke settled down, it revealed from within a gigantic stray dog with fur that resembles blades and red eyes screaming bloody murder. Of course it wouldn't work, it's a Longinus. Even I am stronger when using my Boosted Gear. *ROAR!*

"So, that's gonna hurt!" I exclaimed again in a battle stance. Despite the power of my previous attack, actually I'm quite light now. Am I really getting stronger? Or is it just so the pain is so strong I'm getting numb? Anyway, better not take any changes with this, I should just get away and warn Akio-san and the others. I jumped back, and when I saw no resistance, I did it again. "Good... Doggie... Ichijou's not feeling well, so... He just gonna leave and... Goodby-...!"

***ZOOOOM!***

***ZING! ZING! ZING! ZING! ZING!***

"Whoa!" Too fast! In just an instant, the black dog just tapped one of its paws on the floor, and from there it's shadow spread all over the room like a massive blackout! I couldn't even react to it as several blades reached for me, and I was lucky enough to jump in time and avoid them, but then ***DOOON!***, the SLASHDØG tackled me in midair, and if it wasn't for Ix, I would've been cut to pieces! I landed on a shadowless ground and stood my weapon up. Why does everything that I try to hold will always go out of control? "That's not funny, SLASHDØG, it isn't."

***ROOOOOAR!*** It roared yet again, and for that; I gripped Ix tighter. This isn't good, and worst hypothesis, I'll die if this continues. Maybe this time... Just like this morning, I'll do it. Take a deep breath, and go! The great dog leaped towards me, fangs and blades at hand, and I was about to give chase. ***ROAR!***

**"[Balance Breaker!]"**

***LEAP!***

***LEAP!***

"Okay, that's enough, **Jin**!"

Huh...?

***BAAAAAAAAM!***

It happened so fast, so fast our encounter lifted a cloud of smoke that blocked my vision for a few seconds before that voice made us stop on track. When clarity came back, I saw the result of our clash: that black dog was with all of its blades on its fur pointed at me, some of them downright cracking and piercing my now Scale Mail dragon armor, while the only thing Ix was able to do was to tend a small scratch on its fur, and nothing else. Just one second more, and I could've died...

"Jin! Back, down!" The SLASHDØG blinked its scarlet eyes at me, then jumped away, with such force it caused a stunning shockwave, and I only did the same a few seconds later. I looked around, and landed my eyes on a girl on top of another crumbling ruin. Uh? I remember her from somewhere... "_Akeno-san_...?"

"Uh...?" I blinked once, and my vision cleared a little bit. No, what was that? For a moment I saw the ghost of someone, but then it disappeared. My eyes then laid on a young woman with black long hair wrapped in a high ponytail and bright Crimson eyes, as sharp as the SLASHDØG's. What's her deal? Moreover, what's with that outfit? White shirt with exposed navel, sleeveless and red-lined, too short for her, and red shorts with open button, showing off some creamy thighs.

Also, I can see from here the strips of her thong. That's not even a thong, I think it's dental-floss.

...

Nice.

"So, that armor of yours, it can only mean you are the Sekiryuutei. Akio did mention you sometimes." Ms. Exposing-a-little-too-much said jumping from her piece of ruin, which promptly crumbled away, and landed next to the massive wolf, which was way taller than her. She opened a smile. "So, what's your name, red dragon? Are you a devil? A friend of Akio?"

"W-Who wants to know?" I said, gripping tighter on my sword and continuing my stance. The SLASHDØG sharpened it's eyes at me and groaned, but the girl in front of it continued to smile like it wasn't a big deal.

***GROAN~...***

"Easy there, Jin. He has all the reasons to be mad at you. Lay down like a good doggy. I'll handle this." She spoke to the giant dog, then turned to me, now showing me a toothy smile. She's too carefree for my taste, I wonder if she's like that or mocking me. She bent over and bowed. "You asked who would like to know. Well, I can only say this, I'm the current wielder of Jin. You can call me...!"

"**SLASHDØG**." I completed her, gripping my sword even tighter and she smiled widened, blinking a few times in surprise, then settling down her small smile.

"Oh, so you know. Good to know, but your loss, this will be the only free information you'll get from me. Anything else, you'll have to take it yourself!" She said, reaching a hand to caress the bladed dark fur of the SLASHDØG, or Jin for her. I blinked in surprise for that, since her hand wasn't getting cut at all, and in the end, the dog disappeared in a flash of light, only to turn into a black katana on her hand, dark as the night itself, which she pointed at me, her smile now turning into a grin. "That's a nice sword you got there. Would you like to test which one of ours is stronger?"

"..."

"...?"

Tch, I think I have no choice. She's pointing her weapon at me, and even so, I can say we're now on even ground. Sword vs Sword, Longinus vs Longinus. There's only one way out of this...

"I surrender."

"Eh...?" And I dismissed my broken armor and stuck Ix on the ground, taking a small step back. Yeah, no, the sacred gear itself is dangerous as hell, so I don't want to know what an user can do with it, even more when she calls herself the SLASHDØG, and I heard the previous one was a beast by itself. She lowered her katana, and dismissed her smile, blinking confused. "Hey, hey, sekiryuutei? What's up? Don't you wanna fight me? Just because I'm a woman or something? You can even squeeze my boobs if you're lucky enough like the previous red dragon..."

"Yeah, no. Not worth the risk, sister. I hate to admit, but that's a fight I couldn't win since the start. Just... Let me go." I said, lifting both my hands and looking as innocent as possible. She has a nice rack; I admit, but not worth the risk... No, wait! I mean, I don't want to squeeze her boobs! It's just... Not worth fighting a battle I can't either win or gain something from it! Yeah, that... That's what I mean. "But I'll say this: your dog started all! I didn't want anything to do with it!"

"Seriously? How odd. Unless..." She stuck her own sword, sacred gear, Longinus, thing on the ground and came closer. I dunno if I should be nervous or not, but I took a deep breath and tried to look naive. She passed through Ix, picked it by the grip and unstuck it, which was now wrapped in chains. She took a sniff out of the blade. Wait, what? "Nope, nothing. I do feel the scent of something resembling a dragon, but not fallen angel, nor the only I'm looking for."

"Errr... Okay." I said. She turned to me, stuck Ix back on the ground and picked me by the collar to take a small sniff on my neck! Ah! "Errr... Sister...?!"

**"*Sniff, sniff!***. You stink of a dragon's, a devil... Wait, I know this smell... Devil... Youkai... Scorch... Death... Peaches... Salty water... Phenex... Aren't you popular?" She smirked, and the only thing I could do was to mutter a 'shut up'. Damn it, this is so lame. But she can smell everything about me, is this one of the abilities of the SLASHDØG? Now she's sniffing my left arm, and blinked a few times with a smile. "Ah! The smell of a dragon. And not just any dragon. My Canis Lykaon is also reacting to it, it's indeed the Boosted Gear, the gauntlet of the red dragon emperor."

"Y-Yeah, it's the boosted gear alright. Satisfied now, SLASHDØG?" I asked with a sigh, scratching my cheek in awkwardness. A pretty girl is sniffing me like a dog, this situation is so full of romance, but sounds so wrong. In the end, in a sudden move, she put herself on her knees and began to sniff my left hand! Okay! That is too much! "H-Hey! C'mon, now!"

"*Sniff!*, ah! I guess this is it." She spoke, nodding to nobody and turning her Crimson eyes into my direction. He held me by the wrist. "Hey Sekiryuutei, from where did you get this ribbon? Not trying to be rude or anything, but this might be the reason why Jin attacked you."

"Ah, this. I got from Aria-nee. She gave it to me with a sword, so I use it as a lucky charm." I said, lifting a hand and adjusting the loose ribbon that was also holding the jewels of Shiori-san's gift. Lady Akeno's ribbon, the only thing left of her. "I want to believe it is a lucky charm, at least."

"'_Aria-nee_'... Ah! Aria Argento-chan, right?" She spoke, touching her chin and looking back at me, standing up and crossing her naked arms to lift and emphasize her big boobs, while I nodded for that name. She bent a little to stay face-to-face against me, and again smiled. She's... So odd. "I see~. It makes sense now. So sekiryuutei, consider yourself lucky!"

"Lucky?" I repeated, which made her come closer and signed for me to do the same. The SLASHDØG then whispered.

"Yes, I'm actually trying to kill someone." She spoke, and I backed up a little in surprise; with her still smiling, laughing under her breath. To kill someone? What does she mean by that? "Let's just say I have a pretty good nose, so I can track some people by smell, this goes for Jin as well. I'm tracking a certain someone, someone who has the scent of some relatives of mine and, when I find this someone, I'll make it have a ride of a lifetime."

"Uh-huh..." I gulped down a last drop of fear, and took a deep breath. She's tracking someone who has the same scent as Lady Akeno's, so this means probably someone close to Akio-san. Does she mean she's looking for whoever destroyed the Grigori? I wouldn't be surprised. "Sorry, SLASHDØG, but I'm not the dragon you're looking for. It's my first time here, actually."

"Good to know. See, Jin? He's not the droid we're looking for." She turned around to look back at the black blade stuck on the ground, and my eyes wandered lower where I saw the back of her stringy thong. Again the sword turned into a black puppy, which ran for her arms. She began to pet it like a real pet. Cute. "So, Sekiryuutei..."

"You can call me Tsukino Ichijou. That's my name." I said, reaching a hand for the dog to pet it a little, which it yelped happily this time. I don't care what it happened, this Canis Lykaon is cute.

"Tsukino... Ichijou. Okay, then. My name is Tomoe, **Ikuse Tomoe**, the current SLASHDØG." She spoke, smiling again. She smiles too much, it's kinda creepy, like she's hiding something quite sinister. 'Tomoe', too. Figures. "And this is Jin, ergo the Longinus Canis Lykaon. *BARK!*, and I suppose the welsh dragon would like to greet me as well."

**[PLEASED TO MEET YOU AGAIN, SLASHDØG. GOOD SO SEE THAT SOME REMNANTS OF THE PAST ARE STILL LINGERING IN THIS WORLD!]** Hey, not the best choice of words, Welsh dragon! Don't say things like 'remnants of the past' when we're practically standing on a graveyard. I lifted my left fist and lightly pump it against Canis Lykaon's head. A Longinus greeting.

"So, pleased to meet you, SLASHDØG Ikuse Tomoe."

"Likewise, sekiryuutei Tsukino Ichijou." She's smiling again, what the hell. She's all smiley, and the aura around her is not hostile at all, like say, nemesis-san's, but there's something definitely wrong with her. Which reminds me...

"Hey, Ikuse-san..."

"Just Tomoe is okay."

"'Kay, 'just Tomoe', let me ask you something now..."

"Yes?"

"Uh... Did I really say '_Aria-nee_' back then?"

"Yep. Aria-chan, Aria-nee. So...?"

"..."

"Ichijou-kun...?"

"**UUUUUUUUUUUGH**~...!" And the only thing I could was to face myself into a corner and hold my own head in pain~! Ugh~! I did it again! I should learn to listen to what I say everyday! It's not my fault, I suck at social skills! And I'm pretty sure you guys know it from the start!

**[In my defense, being you're social escapade and guide wasn't in my contract.]**

[Oh, do you have to sign a contract? I must hurry so I don't lose any benefits from it.]

**[I BELIEVE THAT WAS A JOKE, MRS. OPHELIA.]**

[Eeeeeh~...]

"Hey, Ichijou-kun. Are you okay?" I stood up and turned around to see an awkwardly smiling Tomoe-san approaching me. I sighed under my breath, leaving all the uneasy feelings out, and shrugged.

"_Of cozz Imma okay, Tomoe-han. Watchoo min bye ded?_" I said out loud, only to cough covering my mouth, and she laughed doing that same pose. I just fumble and spoke like Haruka-sama, and that's so uncool. I clicked my tongue a few times. "Sorry, I fumbled. Can I try it again?"

"Well, look at that, I thought you would be kind of a ladykiller with all the scents gathered all over you, but now, I can say you're nothing but a big loser!" She giggled and spoke out loud between her teeth. My only response was to growl and frown, crossing my arms. Again, there was no ill-intentions in her words nor lie in her smile, but this only makes her more suspicious. "You are just like the previous sekiryuutei in that regard, Ichijou-kun..."

"Tch." I clicked my tongue again, and grinned under my hand. She tilted her head. "I dunno what you mean by that, but this is probably the best compliment for me."

"Jiiii~, good answer. In fact, the best." She smiled again, and offered me a thumb up. I snickered at it, but in the end, I locked fingers with her and we touched thumbs like in a thumb fight. "Huh, I'm starting to like that personality of yours, Sekiryuutei."

"Likewise, SLASHDØG."

"Hey Ichijou-kun, where are you? We're about to leave soon, so..." And a new voice entered the conversation, and appearing by the frame without a door, Akio-san soon took notice of us, and approached us with that smile of always. "Oh, take a look at that, the sekiryuutei and the SLASHDØG clashed. What a sign to behold, although admittedly the scenario is not as wonderful as it would have been like the previous generation."

"S'up, Akio-nee. I'm just greeting little old Ichijou-kun." She said, letting go of my hand and releasing Canis Lykaon to the floor, turning her ever-smiling face to the empress of lightning and DxD children. "Surely, he's something, a little weak, but I think he'll change... Eventually."

"I can still hear you, Tomoe-san."

"Well, he is Rina-chan's Queen, so it's only natural. 'A blind following a blind', as they say, isn't it? Fortunately, they at least have a better peerage to help them, otherwise things would get ugly." Are they ignoring me? Not that I'm not used to it, but you two can either speak ill of or ignore me, doing both is really rude. They laughed at each other, and turned to me. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, Ichijou-kun. So you met with Tomo-chan. That's good, your meeting were actually one of the things I was looking toward to in this small tour."

"Eheheheh... Really?" I weakly declared. I'm not mad, at least not THAT mad, so I pouted a little in order to look upset at her and, unsurprisingly, she snickered at me. "As always, my trips to the underworld are something."

"Well then, but we're leaving soon, so bid a goodbye to your new friend and let's go, Ichijou-kun." She spoke and disappeared through the frame of the exit. I snickered at her cringy sentence. Who is she, my mother? Although technically, I'm more or less her spiritual grandfather? Again with those fucked-up relationships. I turned to Tomoe-san, and she smiled at me for the last time, Canis Lykaon now jumping on her arms again as I picked Ix to sealed it back inside my boosted gear.

"So, I guess this is a goodbye, Ichijou-kun. Meeting you was awesome, by the way!" She spoke. Okay, there is something wrong with her, no one can be this upbeat and happy. Maybe my King, but she's stupid like that, so it doesn't count. But I gotta admit, it was kinda cool meeting both of them. Although I have the feeling they have more stored for me in the future.

**"You can say that. I prefer... See you later."** Ara? What the hell? From where that came from? I spoke my mind out of nowhere, and that came out. Wasn't that what the hakuryuukou said before we part ways? I turned back to Tomoe-san, and she was now not only smiling, but also blushing. She's too cute, and that smile. Shit, I bet she just want to lower my guard. I gulped my awkwardness away, and bowed her a goodbye, as she did the same and jumped away from my sight, Canis Lykaon doing the same. It took me a few minutes to find myself on the starting point, where Akio-san was talking with the other seven other Devils, including Cohen-sama, Beelzebub-sens-... Sama and Calico-sama. "Hey, Akio-san. Sorry for being late. I was just saying goodbye to the SLASHDØG."

"Oh, so you met the SLASHDØG. That might be the signs of a quite interesting future. Or I'm just being too hopeful for my own good." Beelzebub-sama said, shrugging her crossed arms and coughing a pink smoke out of her mouth. She's slightly drunk, isn't she? Calico-sama tapped her on the shoulder.

"Marie, let's go home and eat some lunch. It'll help you get down the drinks." He taller one said. Now, Mary-sama pouted in a rather cute way, which is quite disturbing, while the others came for me. Wow, so many new people! The first one to greet me was a young man probably not that much older than me with spiky blond hair and bicolored eyes between red and golden. He came down picking my hands to shake them frenetically!

"You must be the newest Sekiryuutei Cohen was talking about! I have you know, I'm a big fan of the Oppai Dragon, so it's practically an honor to find you like that, neo-sekiryuutei!" He said, smiling brightly like I'm so kind of celebrity! Wow! "My name is **Zoroaster Leviathan**, manager of General affairs! So pleased to meet you, Sekiryuutei!"

"Uh... It's an honor as well to meet Serafall-sama's successor. My name is... Tsukino Ichijou." I said in a low tone, in total contrast to his excited self! Wow, a demon lord is happy to see Me! It should be the other way around. Suddenly,** *BAM!***, a tall lady with straight and smooth cyan hair with part of her face hidden by a piece of cloth smacked a book on Zoroaster-sama's head!

"Zoroaster, don't be rude. He barely knows us, don't go around jumping on people like a brat." She scolded him in a powerful goice, and the blonde stuck his tongue out, but nodded at me with a last smile and give space to her. The tall lady then turned to me, and gave me a half smile. "I'm sorry for his rudeness. Zoro might be a genius, but he lacks common sense. Please do not resent his actions. The one who talks to you is **Lunamaria Asmodeus**, manager of Military affairs."

"It's... An honour." I bowed my head to her; and took her offering hand to shake it. She's so pale, and her hand is so cold. She then signed for more two other characters, one with pink hair wrapped in a ponytail, a great contrast to his dark skin, and muscular build, and the other with black hair slicked back with some colorful highlights and a single strip out of the formation, with an eyepatch in one of his eyes.

"Allow me to introduce to the others as well. That one is **Barzini Satan**, the supreme judge of hell, and the other one is **Finnaldis Mammon**, the manager of the central bank. They're what we call the neo-Maous, if you will. Please, be respectful to them as well." She pointed at the former first, then for the latter second. The tall pinkerette one only gave me a thumb up; while lord Finnaldis tapped his foot on the ground, pouting and twisting his single rebel string of hair.

"Luna, I never asked for your introduction. Know your place, Demon Lord of Asmodeus." He spoke in a high-pitched tone, and I internally bit my tongue so I wouldn't laugh. Man, what the hell! Before he could say anything else, Lord Barzini picked him by the end so that they could share states, ands sighed.

"Finnaldis, not here. Just like Luna be nice with the Sekiryuutei." What a powerful voice! Yet, it's so calm and relaxing. This guy is giving me this Kenshirou-like vibe. Finnaldis-sama poured again, crossed his arms ands turned around, but muttered something I couldn't hear; which made Barzini-sama smile.

***TAP!***

"...!" What's that?! Sure pressure, such strength! Something landed right on my shoulder, and I couldn't react to it! That single thing pinned me to the ground, I couldn't even move even if I wanted to. I slowly turned around, and saw violet orbs with slitted pupils staring directly at my soul, snowy hair and a massive scar crossing it's face! It's... It's... "Ah, Cohen-sama!"

"Well then; shall we go home? Rina might not like me very much, but I'll be damned if she doesn't have lunch with her favorite servant." He removed his hand from my shoulder, and the weight of the earth left me instead. What was that? If he had put more strength into it, he could've easily crush me! He walked pass me, next to his fellow demon lords, and then crossed his arms at them. "Okay, okay, you assholes! Scram! I had enough of your ugly faces for today. We already talked to Azazel and everybody, so we can all just hate each other again. Now go away, y'all tiring my beauty."

...

...

Wait, what?

Did he just...?

"Don't you talk to me like that, Cohen~! You know very well that between you and me, I can kick your ass whenever I want." Mary-sama is also out of control, as she stuck her tongue out, making Cohen-sama do the same! Before he could say anything, Finnaldis-sama elbowed him on the stomach.

"And who the hell thinks about your beauty, you delusional giant cockroach? You should be in a circus~!" The smaller one said. Cohen-sama said nothing, only kicked him to a nearby wall, which he splat on it like a pancake! What the hell is happening here!

**"You three, stop this instant!"**

**""That doesn't concern you, Barzini~~!""**

**"Honestly..."**

**"Ahahahah! Man believe someone like us would actually be bothered by those other relics, isn't that right, Lunamaria?!"**

**"Leave me alone, Zoroaster."**

"Eh? Eh? What~? What's happening?" I said out loud, shaking my head everywhere seeing the seven now bashing heads with each other in drunken rage. Even the level-headed-looking ones like Zoroaster-sama, Barzini-sama and Lunamaria-sama started to pinch each other's nerves! That wasn't the type of atmosphere I was expecting from the Demon Lords! I heard Akio-san's laugh next to me, and againa hand lands on my shoulder. "Ah! Akio-san!"

"That's kinda reassuring too, eh? Don't you think, Ichijou-kun?" She spoke in a lower tone, laughing her ass while the seve. Continued to discuss with each other. I don't think this is a laughing matter! "I mean, those are the supreme leaders of the underworld, below only Grandmaster Millicas and lord Reshrum Bael. To think they behave like normal Devils like it's nothing, don't you think this is the proof everything is both wrong and right about this world?"

"..." I... Can't answer that question. The demon Lords are so... Humane and alive, and I don't know how to react to them. I also don't know if this is good thing or not... Yet...

"You're all just jealous because I'm married to the second most beautiful woman in the underworld and father of the two most beautiful daughters!"

**"As if, cockroach. An insect like you can only married a maggot like Alice!"**

**"Ah, Mary~! You're making Cohen angry!"**

**"Jerk Cohen! Asshole Cohen!"**

**"Finnaldis, stop with your childish display of infantility!"**

**"Ah~. Shut up, you all. Zoroaster, make them stop."**

**"*TOSSED!* Gyah! Don't use me as ammo, Lunamaria~!"**

I dot think they'll hard to deal with after a few moments...

...

Finally, we left the Grigori institute, or at least what was left of it. I was again supporting myself on a flying Akio-san alone aince Cohen-sama is way faster despite his drinks. Looking at the destroyed ruins behind me, I could only sigh. This is upsetting, the whole institute build by and for fallen angels, to be destroyed like that.

"..." I turned to Akio-san's nape, and she didn't seem that affected. Hell, even Tomoe-san didn't seem affected by that. Again we entered the walls of clouds, and back to the regular underworld. After a few minutes, I tripped my hands tighter. "Hey, Akio-san..."

"If you're going to ask what you're probably going to ask, here's two things: you're too predictable, and no." I was a little taken back from her words. As she slightly turned her eyes to me and smiled. I bit my lower lip to that in defeat. "Ichijou-kun, you surely is a predictable young man. Girls don't like that, at all."

"Is that so? I'm sorry." I sighed. I blinked a few times, burying myself deeper into her back, and hummed something under my breath. "It's just... It sounds so cruel. The entirety of the fallen angel's legacy destroyed, all of their leaders possibly dead, and all of their followers now under devilish custody. Aren't you concerned about it?"

"In all honesty, you get use to it. I was young when that happened, so I can't quite grasp what I should feel." She spoke. "It hurts in the beginning, sure, but then you remember that they probably wouldn't want you like that. Besides, Azazel-sama is probably around since we couldn't find his feathers, and knowing him, he wouldn't die that easily. Besides, no corpses."

"I see." I shouldn't get my hopes up just for that. She seems hopeful, but I think she's only trying to cheer me up. Nah. "How about Tomoe-san? How does she... Coup with that? She's so happy all the time, have you ever wondered...?"

"If she hides her pain under a mask? The answer is a big no. She's been happy like that since she was little." Oh, really? I frowned for that. No, this can't be right. I mean, she should be looking for revenge or something! THat's the reason why she's looking for someone with the same smell as a Himejima... Right?

"Then... What about that... Canis Lykaon attacking Himejima...?"

"Oh, she just want to fight it, that's all. A battle maniac just like her, she wants to fight who could kill almost everybody from the Grigori." Shock! What the hell?! This is really mess up! So it's not because of revenge or anything noble, she just want to fight a strong opponent, and saw the killer of the entirety of the Grigori as a worthy opponent?!

"That's... That's mess up, Akio-san."

"She just doesn't get attached to the past to unhealthy levels, just like me... And just like you." Ugh, when you think about, she's not that wrong, but still, I don't want to be compared to them. What they think as trivial is actually quite sad. "If you think only people like you can actually live an healthy life and solve their emotional baggage by themselves, I'm sorry, but you're truly ignorant about the ways of the world, Tsukino Ichijou-kun."

"..." I pouted. She's right, and I hate that. Akio-san is very intelligent, and she has a knack for words, but to be this nonchalant about something like that... Or maybe I'm the one who's stuck in the past ever since. Even so, whoever is right or wrong. Wasn't that the same thing Aunt Alice said?"I'm sorry."

"But I admit, her way of thinking is also a little screwed up as well. I can't blame you." She turned around to flash me a smile, and I blushed. It's a nice smile. Akio-san is a scary bully, but I can't say she's not beautiful. Nero-san is a lucky man. Ah, what am I thinking?

We finally reached the Gremory manor, and Akio-san landed not far away from the main gate. I was so excited, horrified and distracted, I didn't even notice the hours passing by, must be lunch hour. Akio-san was the first to enter the house, and I followed her suit. Again, a line of maids and butlers greeted us.

"Uh, everybody's still here. Maybe lunch got delay today. Oh well, I'll be going to the living room and watch something." Akio-san declared. To tell the truth, I'm also kinda sleepy, all the adrenaline from the morning tired me up somehow. I again followed Akio-san and soon enough those mysterious corridors became known again(the Gremory manor is way too big!). In the end, we found ourselves the same room I woke up from last time. Akio-san kicked the door open, and everybody there, auntie Alice, my peerage and akio-san's peerage, jumped from there! "Good morning, you all."

"Seriously, I have the slightest idea that everyone in this house hate doors."Nemesis-san said with her tongue sticking out, and Nero-san and Aria...-nee... Ugh... Calling for the other dxd children to sit with them and watch tv, which she happily accept it. "Welcome back anyway, Aki."

"Good to be back, Nemis."

"So, how was your tour, Ichijou? I hope nothing too... Much." Said Nero-san with an uneasy smile, waving a hand at me. So he also knows what happened to the Grigori. I just sighed a little, and my eyes got a little teary for that. "Akio didn't bully you, did she?"

"Now, that's kinda rude, Nero." **(Akio)**

"But you can't deny it, right?"** (Aria**)

"Can't, and won't. He knows me too much."** (Akio.)**

"No, she didn't. I'm actually glad that she helped me. I'm just tired, I guess." I said, yawning soon after. Nero-san then gave me a reassuring smile and a thumb up, and I walked towards the sofa with my peerage. All of them eyed me with worry, and Rina stood up from the sofa to look at me. She seems so distressed.

"A-Ah! Ichijou! About the Grigor-...!"

**"*YAWN!***, sorry Rina, but I'm kinda tired now." I said. I'm not trying to avoid a conversation, I'm really tired now. She gasped in surprise; and so I sat on the floor, supporting my head on the sofa. "Can we talk after a nap... I'm... I'm really sleepy..."

"Ah. Okay." I heard her sigh. I guess I have an idea what she wants to talk about, but for now; she'll have to wait. I tried to slip to my slumber, but then I slipped on the sofa instead; and landed my head on Tasha's thighs. Ah, so soft. "Ah!"

"Bold, Tsukino-chin." I heard the witch say; and she passed a hand on My hair. Ah, it feels nice. Soon enough, things were getting a little darker, and soon enough, I couldn't see. I just felt another hand on me. "Good boy, good boy."

"Hong long is sure peaceful-looking when he's asleep..."

"He looks like a dog like that. Hiiih~..."

"Tch, More like a stray filthy mutt."

"Uuuh~, I wanted to lap-pillow him~!"

Peaceful times... Livinf beyond tragedy... Is that so wrong?

I hope not.

.

~~x~~

.

***CAW CAW!***

"...?" The sound of wings, and black feathers everywhere. Crows at this time of the day, flying on the horizon of midday. Man, wasn't that poetic? And All I wanted to do was to buy some milk and cookies for Howard. A single crow feather then landed in front of me. Huh... What a creepy omen. "That's sure strange. Any ideas for that; Nii-chan?"

{**You just contacted that angel, so it's nothing but a coincidence, brat. I already lost my thing with those symbolic things.}** Kinda strange hearing that from the descendant of the devil king that lives inside myself and a godly equipment in the shape of light wings, but okay. **{VALI, WE CAN NOT DISCARD THE CREDIBILITY OF SUCH EITHER. SOME THINGS DO NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT./ Gwiber, you and I saw the world almost end. As you can see, fate does not mean we're bind to them.}**

So, Arubin actually believes in fate. We're willing to believe in anything nowadays, specially fate. The reason? Maybe it's because I like to travel a lot, like a lot, yet in Kuoh town, I feel a sense of nostalgia. No matter how many times I walk here, either to buy some Japanese snacks or bully that ninja old-lady, I always end up...

**[TSUKINO]**

... Here. This apartment lot that sticks like a sore thumb in the middle of such humble neighborhood. No matter how I walk, I always end up here, like a dead end. Isn't that Sekiryuutei's home? How odd; and why the hell I always end up here? Or maybe this is just a custom here at Kuoh, a giant lot like this between the small houses! Hahahah...!

Seriously, why?

Well, I'm already here, might as well greet the red dragon and meet his family. He said he was a devil, right? So it means he probably has a master and a harem living there, the big lot actually being quite the giveover. So I can only knock and say "hello, I'm what's-his-face's friend and I'm here to spend the night!". Can't say he won't say anything. Okay then! Here we g-..!

"Huff! Huff! Sally-chan! Wait up! My legs are weak!"

"No way, Suruga-dono! Master's house is this way! He'll be proud of me for getting my first haremmete!"

"E-Eeeeeh?! Haremmete~?!"

"Uh...?" But before i could rig the bell, I heard a small pair or steps coming for my direction, and turning there, I saw a small pair of kids no older than twelve. One was a cute girl with blond hair and blue eyes, milky skin of a princess, and the other was more gloomy like, with purple hair and black eyes. They were actually quite cute together, holding hands. They stopped when they saw me. *ZING!*. Wow, what was that about?

**{OH, I SEE. SO THE BLAZING METEOR DRAGON HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A SACRED GEAR./ Oh, that's new. So hyoudou issei's mentor also joined the likes of you, Gwiber.}** Eh! No way! The blazing meteor dragon Tannin is sealed inside one of those girls? That's rad. They spotted me as well; and stopped on their feet. Oh-hoh, wonder if they felt my presence or just saw me. Either way. "Hello. Good morning."

"Ah! Pretty lady at master's house! She must be part of it!" The blondie say with a smile on her face, while her purple-haired friend hid behind her back. She dragged the latter to me, and we clashed gazes, I having to bend over just to properly stare back. She's so short. "Hey; missy! Are you master Ichijou's haremmetes?"

"S-Sally-chan, you can't say things like that~! It's rude!" Moaned the purple-haired one. I think her name is Suruga or something. Oh, right! His name's ichijou! I completely forgot about that! Her little friend came by and bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry, miss. Sally-chan can talk a little too much! I still love her very much!"

"Hahahah! Don't worries, I have a troublesome girlfriend(jk!) too!" Although I'm the one who causes the most expenses to Arthuria. Huh, but this little girl Suruga has the scent of ash. No doubt, she is the blazing meteor dragon. I turned to the Sally-chan dragon, that for some reason also has the scent of a dragon as well, and smiled brightly as I couldn't. "So... Little Sally-chan, I heard your master is the current red dragon, is that true?"

"Uh...!"

"What's...?! So you know, lady!"

"Yep. Nice to meet you, apprentice of the red dragon." I smiled brightly once again, and Sally-chan did the same, differently of Suruga-chan, who was trembling. "Say, would you like a date with this onee-san, Sally-chan?"

* * *

**And again cliffhanger. With the Grigori destroyed, and several foreshadowing, I hope you all like this chapter. Don't worry, old characters and these characters won'yt be forgotten, and trust me, there's still a long way to go. Until next time!**


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